{"id":43297,"date":"2023-05-25T00:00:55","date_gmt":"2023-05-25T00:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/?p=43297"},"modified":"2023-06-30T05:52:36","modified_gmt":"2023-06-30T05:52:36","slug":"turning-japanese-in-the-heart-of-sao-paulo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/turning-japanese-in-the-heart-of-sao-paulo\/","title":{"rendered":"Turning Japanese in the Heart of S\u00e3o Paulo"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In the Liberdade district, at the center of S\u00e3o Paulo\u2019s bustling metropolis, there exists a portal straight to the Land of the Rising Sun. It isn\u2019t a time machine, nor is it a wormhole to another dimension: it is the largest Japanese settlement outside of Japan, and it\u2019s been around since the early 1900s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
S\u00e3o Paulo, Brazil<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

In the Liberdade district, at the center of S\u00e3o Paulo\u2019s bustling metropolis, there exists a portal straight to the Land of the Rising Sun.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

From coffee culture to cinema craze<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Facade of the Cine Niter\u00f3i (from Colonia Geinoshi [History of Art and Entertainment in the Japanese Brazilian Colony])<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

When the Japanese coffee farmers first migrated to Japan, a good number of them eventually chose to leave farm work and settle in the city. They set up residence in the Liberdade district, initially along Conde de Sarzedas Street, later on expanding their territory uphill, towards Rua Galv\u00e3o Bueno, as they continued to find success in the area of business and retail. This movement was also largely precipitated by the establishment of Brazil’s first Japanese movie theater, Cine Niter\u00f3i, by Tanaka Yoshikazu \u2014 a first-generation Japanese grain dealer \u2014 in the early 1950s. The five-story complex along Galv\u00e3o Bueno Street became a lifestyle hub for the Nikkei neighborhood; and Japantown, as it was called, sprung up around this vicinity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What began in 1910 as a row of modest residences has, over the course of a century, transformed into the most populous, most vibrant Japanese community beyond Japan\u2019s borders. The locale is now known as S\u00e3o Paulo\u2019s \u201cBarrio Oriental\u201d or Asiatown, owing to the steady stream of Chinese and Korean immigrants settling in the area, over the years. By and large, however, the Nikkei population still accounts for the majority of Asiatown\u2019s thriving community, with numbers of Japanese and Japanese-Brazilians living in Brazil now registering in the millions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lasting, living legacy <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To date, Asiatown is abuzz with the legacy of the first Japanese migrants to Brazil, just as it brims with the hallmarks of Nikkei culture. And, while the generations of Japanese-Brazilians, descended from the first settlers have since adopted many aspects of the Brazilian way of life, including education and religion, they have also remained true to keeping their Japanese heritage alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Japanese Garden of Ing\u00e1 Park, Maring\u00e1, Paran\u00e1 | \u00a9 commons.wikimedia.org\/Simplus Menegati<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Japanese garden of Jardim Bot\u00e2nico de Bras\u00edlia | \u00a9 commons.wikimedia.org\/Daderot<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On the surface, the vestiges of Nikkei customs are evident: from a traditional Japanese gate or Torii to paper-lantern-inspired lampposts, Zen gardens, and even an Osaka Bridge, the community pays tribute to its Japanese roots. Shops and restaurants dot the sidewalks, offering a taste and a touch of home, with everything from Japanese food and delicacies to houseware items, decorations, and other such sundries. Moreover, in this part of the vibrant Latin American nation, the heart of Okinawa beats loudly and proudly: about half of the original 781 migrants on the Kasato-Maru were from Okinawa, and the customary ways of the Ry\u016bky\u016ban \u2014 such as their language and music \u2014 live on, in their children\u2019s children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
Japanese garden of Dumont Park in S\u00e3o Jos\u00e9 dos Campos | \u00a9 commons.wikimedia.org\/Vrsooo<\/sup><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For its energetic and spirited atmosphere, delicious culinary offerings, Japanese folk culture, charming scenery and way of life, Asiatown has become one of S\u00e3o Paulo\u2019s largest tourist attractions. Measuring approximately 500 meters east-west and 1,500 meters north-south, the venue draws scores upon scores of visitors, comprising locals and tourists, alike. Asiatown is, indeed, a showcase of the Japanese core cultural trait of collectivism, as well as the innate desire for achieving harmony with one\u2019s surroundings and society \u2014 wherever one\u2019s fortune may lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Asiatown is abuzz with the legacy of the first Japanese migrants to Brazil, just as it brims with the hallmarks of Nikkei culture. And, while the generations of Japanese-Brazilians, descended from the first settlers have since adopted many aspects of the Brazilian way of life, including education and religion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":43308,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[672,661,720,530],"tags":[663],"class_list":{"0":"post-43297","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-2023-year-lifestyle","8":"category-arts-culture-lifestyle","9":"category-brazil-country","10":"category-lifestyle","11":"tag-arts-culture"},"yoast_head":"\nTurning Japanese in the Heart of S\u00e3o Paulo - Bridges Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/turning-japanese-in-the-heart-of-sao-paulo\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Turning Japanese in the Heart of S\u00e3o Paulo - Bridges Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Asiatown is abuzz with the legacy of the first Japanese migrants to Brazil, just as it brims with the hallmarks of Nikkei culture. And, while the generations of Japanese-Brazilians, descended from the first settlers have since adopted many aspects of the Brazilian way of life, including education and religion.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/turning-japanese-in-the-heart-of-sao-paulo\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Bridges Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/synergymediaspecialists\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-05-25T00:00:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-06-30T05:52:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Brazil-3-FI.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"SMS-Bridges\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"SMS-Bridges\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/turning-japanese-in-the-heart-of-sao-paulo\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/turning-japanese-in-the-heart-of-sao-paulo\/\",\"name\":\"Turning Japanese in the Heart of S\u00e3o Paulo - Bridges Magazine\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/turning-japanese-in-the-heart-of-sao-paulo\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/turning-japanese-in-the-heart-of-sao-paulo\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Brazil-3-FI.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-05-25T00:00:55+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-06-30T05:52:36+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/#\/schema\/person\/0f460f41b77935eeb5c3d31a4ea047b5\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/turning-japanese-in-the-heart-of-sao-paulo\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/turning-japanese-in-the-heart-of-sao-paulo\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/turning-japanese-in-the-heart-of-sao-paulo\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Brazil-3-FI.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Brazil-3-FI.jpg\",\"width\":1080,\"height\":720},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/turning-japanese-in-the-heart-of-sao-paulo\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Turning Japanese in the Heart of S\u00e3o Paulo\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/\",\"name\":\"Bridges Magazine\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/#\/schema\/person\/0f460f41b77935eeb5c3d31a4ea047b5\",\"name\":\"SMS-Bridges\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/828fbdff6eefa84daba0d148b56205f3122c729a938508c54f46b3debb474d04?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/828fbdff6eefa84daba0d148b56205f3122c729a938508c54f46b3debb474d04?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"SMS-Bridges\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/author\/jonas\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Turning Japanese in the Heart of S\u00e3o Paulo - Bridges Magazine","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/turning-japanese-in-the-heart-of-sao-paulo\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Turning Japanese in the Heart of S\u00e3o Paulo - Bridges Magazine","og_description":"Asiatown is abuzz with the legacy of the first Japanese migrants to Brazil, just as it brims with the hallmarks of Nikkei culture. And, while the generations of Japanese-Brazilians, descended from the first settlers have since adopted many aspects of the Brazilian way of life, including education and religion.","og_url":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/turning-japanese-in-the-heart-of-sao-paulo\/","og_site_name":"Bridges Magazine","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/synergymediaspecialists","article_published_time":"2023-05-25T00:00:55+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-06-30T05:52:36+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1080,"height":720,"url":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Brazil-3-FI.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"SMS-Bridges","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"SMS-Bridges","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/turning-japanese-in-the-heart-of-sao-paulo\/","url":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/turning-japanese-in-the-heart-of-sao-paulo\/","name":"Turning Japanese in the Heart of S\u00e3o Paulo - Bridges Magazine","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/turning-japanese-in-the-heart-of-sao-paulo\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/turning-japanese-in-the-heart-of-sao-paulo\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Brazil-3-FI.jpg","datePublished":"2023-05-25T00:00:55+00:00","dateModified":"2023-06-30T05:52:36+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/#\/schema\/person\/0f460f41b77935eeb5c3d31a4ea047b5"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/turning-japanese-in-the-heart-of-sao-paulo\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/turning-japanese-in-the-heart-of-sao-paulo\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/turning-japanese-in-the-heart-of-sao-paulo\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Brazil-3-FI.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Brazil-3-FI.jpg","width":1080,"height":720},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/turning-japanese-in-the-heart-of-sao-paulo\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Turning Japanese in the Heart of S\u00e3o Paulo"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/","name":"Bridges Magazine","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/#\/schema\/person\/0f460f41b77935eeb5c3d31a4ea047b5","name":"SMS-Bridges","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/828fbdff6eefa84daba0d148b56205f3122c729a938508c54f46b3debb474d04?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/828fbdff6eefa84daba0d148b56205f3122c729a938508c54f46b3debb474d04?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"SMS-Bridges"},"url":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/author\/jonas\/"}]}},"author_meta":{"display_name":"SMS-Bridges","author_link":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/author\/jonas\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Brazil-3-FI-300x200.jpg","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["<a href=\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/category\/lifestyle\/year-lifestyle\/2023-year-lifestyle\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">2023<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/category\/lifestyle\/arts-culture-lifestyle\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Arts & Culture<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/category\/lifestyle\/country\/brazil-country\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Brazil<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/category\/lifestyle\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Lifestyle<\/a>"],"unlinked":["<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">2023<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Arts & Culture<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Brazil<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Lifestyle<\/span>"]},"tags":{"linked":["<a href=\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/category\/lifestyle\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Arts & Culture<\/a>"],"unlinked":["<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Arts & Culture<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":"0","relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 3 years ago","modified":"Updated 3 years ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on May 25, 2023","modified":"Updated on June 30, 2023"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on May 25, 2023 12:00 am","modified":"Updated on June 30, 2023 5:52 am"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43297"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43297\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43308"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}