RE: Wandering Brazil VI: Japantown

Hi, the Japanese immigration to Brazil started officially in 1908 with support from both governments. It was soon after the USA forbid immigrants from Asia, the main destination until then (Hawaii still have a big influence from Japanese immigrants). My grandparents came from Okinawa, a province that was an ancient independent kingdon (called Ryukyu) and had its own language, culinary and culture and some of it is still preserved in Brazil while in mother land it was japanized. The Japanese came to work in agriculture but from the second generations we had doctors, engineers and other professionals, now Brazilians with Japanese ancestry are part of Brazilian culture with many politicians, entrepreneurs, athletes, artists, etc. Beyond big cities like São Paulo and Curitiba (Paraná state capital), there are small cities like Registro, Assai and Tomé Açú in amazonian Pará state that received a lot of immigrants from Japan. Okinawan community had big influence in Campo Grande (Mato Grosso state capital) where the Sobá, inspired by the Okinawan noodle soup recipe, is a popular dish. About the immigration, there were Brazilians movies like Gaijin and Dirt Hearts and Japanese TV series Haru to Natsu and documentary Okinawa Santos. Keep safe, thanks and good luck again!