When someone tells me they don't like Japanese food, I ask if they don't like those noodles, instant noodles, you know those? the noodles? And most of the time what I hear in response is: “Hmmm, noodles... I love noodles!” For those who don't know, ramen – or, as it …
The first time I visited the Liberdade fair, I spent a lot of time at the newsstand, which is right in the center of the square, to choose an origami book. At that time, my grandfather had taught me how to do the tsuru – a sacred bird in Japan …
Walking through the center of Liberdade, I noticed that a real estate agency on Rua Galvão Bueno had my surname on its facade: Okada. I didn't think twice about going in and getting some of his business cards in case I needed proof for anyone who didn't believe me when …
I never imagined that feijoada could be something disgusting in a person's eyes. But the reaction I saw from a young Japanese man when he tasted this dish made me change my mind. The guy had just arrived from Japan. He came through an exchange program, he was staying at …
Even though I was still a child, I easily came to this conclusion: my maternal grandparents' house was so different from the others I knew – until then – that, when I was in it, it was as if I were on another plane. And there were several reasons for …
Having been born and raised in Brazil and having parents who always cultivated the culture of their ancestors, I only realized that Brazilian cuisine and Japanese cuisine were distinct when I was around seven years old. At that time, a friend of mine, who is not Nikkei, said the following …
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard the phrase “Japanese people are all crazy!”. I will tell you some of them: - Oca, Ibirapuera Park, São Paulo: I was at the impressive “Bodies: The Exhibition” exhibition – in which human corpses with plasticized organs and muscles are on …
Living in Liberdade, a neighborhood in São Paulo, is like living in two countries at the same time. And it wouldn't be for less. Searching the São Paulo city hall website, I learned that the population of this neighborhood is, more or less, 70 thousand inhabitants. I also tried to …
Every Japanese car manufacturer installed here in Brazil needs to subject the design of its products – in this case, cars – to an extensive readjustment process to adapt them to the tropical climate. This process, in fact, is not only necessary but also enviable. I must confess that I …
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