Brazil's Japanese

There’s a São Paulo cop in one of my books (Buried Strangers) called Yoshiro Tanaka.
I’ve been called whimsical for having given a Brazilian policeman a Japanese name, but the fact of the matter is there's no whimsy involved.

Because, São Paulo is home to more Japanese immigrants than any other big city in the world.

Here’s the story:

During the 265 years of the Edo Period (Tokugawa Shogunate) Japan remained isolated. She suffered no wars, few of her citizens left, there were no epidemics brought from abroad and, as a result, the country became overpopulated. The solution was thought to be emigration, and the Japanese Imperial Emigration Company was formed to do just that.

The President was Ryu Mizuno (in the center with the woman to his left).

He discovered that the coffee culture in South America was booming and labor was needed.

In 1906, he visited Brazil, spoke to government officials and opened negotiations. By the end of 1907, he’d overcome all of the bureaucratic obstacles. He went home and initiated a campaign to recruit emigrants.

This is one of his posters. I can’t read a word of it, but you don’t have to. Just look at where the guy is pointing on the map.

On the 18^th of June, 1908, the Kasato Maru, after a journey of 52 days from the port of Kobe, disembarked the first 165 families in Santos.

It was the beginning of a wave that was to continue into the 1950’s and which would ultimately bring more than 1.5 million Japanese to Brazilian shores.

Most began by working the land.

But they made their children study hard. And, today, ethnic Japanese, Brazilian citizens all, are to be found throughout the country and in every field of endeavor.

This is the heart of the Japanese neighborhood in São Paulo, the largest "Japantown" in the world. 

It’s called Liberdade, and Japanese executives, visiting from Tokyo, have told me it’s the place where they have eaten the best Japanese food outside of their home islands.

Be sure to go if you come for a visit.

If you don’t like Japanese cuisine, you can always go to the McDonald’s.

Leighton - Monday