Brazilian citizens with Japanese ancestry is now at 1.5 million

Approximately 109 years ago, Brazil received the first large wave of Japanese immigrants to work in coffee plantations in the State of São Paulo. The cities that received the largest of their numbers maintain Japanese traditions to this day.

The estimated number of Brazilian citizens with Japanese ancestry is now at 1.5 million, according to the Consulate General of Japan in São Paulo. The largest concentration of Japanese Brazilians is in the south and southeast regions, but the Nikkei - as they are called - can be found throughout the country, including the midwest and north of Brazil.

The city of São Paulo is home to about 400,000 Japanese descendants. The Liberdade ("Liberty") neighbourhood, where shopfronts and building names are written in Japanese ideograms and the architecture is traditionally oriental, is the world's largest Japanese community outside Japan.

The neighbourhood is known for welcoming tourists from all over the world passionate about Eastern culture and tradition. The Liberdade Fair, held during the weekends in São Paulo, brings together elements typical of Japanese culture, with special highlight to the food.

Oriental culture in Southern Brazil

In Paraná, the city of Assaí has the largest concentration of Japanese-Brazilians in the state. Since the late 1930s, with the coming of the first Japanese colonies to the region, oriental traditions are passed down from father to son.

The population, consisting mostly of mixed-race Japanese-Brazilians, organises a number of events in the town to celebrate Japanese culture, such as the Bon Odori and Tanabata, which help perpetuate the traces of oriental culture that still influence the city’s everyday life. The fruit production system and farms of Assaí are also developed using Japanese techniques.

For those looking for Japanese traditions further down the country, a common destination is Ivoti, a town in Brazil's southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul. In 1996, the city's leaders allocated an area of land to be occupied by 26 immigrant families that would become a large Japanese colony of grape, kiwi, greenery and flower producers.

The colony has grown and is now responsible for large cultural festivals in the area, such as the Japanese Colony Fair, the Undo Kai sports competition and the Enguei Kai. Visitors to Ivoti can also find about more about its story at the Japanese Colony Memorial, filled with relics and artifacts that tell the story and achievements of Japanese immigrants in the state.

Cultivation

Far across the country, in the north of Brazil, is where we find the town with the third largest Japanese colony in Brazil. The first immigrants arrived in Tomé-Açu (state of Pará) in 1926, after a group of Japanese scientists went to the state to prospect possible areas for agricultural colonies that could help develop the economy with modern farming practices.

In 1929, the "Nipponic Company for Plantations in Brazil" bought lands in Pará, and 189 Japanese families began their journey to colonise the region. The city received the gift of the work of immigrants, and has since become the largest Brazilian producer of black pepper.