Japanese Immigration Centennial

Japanese ikebana, Brazilian flowers...

On June 18th, 1908, the Kasatu Maru docked at the port of Santos bringing the first Japanese immigrants, 781 people, to Brazil. These first immigrants came to work at the coffee farms in the state of São Paulo. Their adaptation to such a different country was hard, but in a few years thousands of new Japanese immigrants had arrived and spread throughout the states of São Paulo and Paraná. Later some families started buying their own farms, and others moved to the cities in search of other occupations. Those who stayed in the farms helped shape a revolution in our agriculture, with their techniques, their knowledge and their patience. They introduced new vegetables, flowers, fruit in Brazil, and they taught us how to grow native species we didn't even care about. Those who moved to the cities brought with them their example of hard work, ethics and family values. We owe a lot of what São Paulo is today to their contribution. By the way, it is said that São Paulo is the largest Japanese city outside Japan.
If we often still call the fifth or sixth generation Brazilian descendants japoneses (or even the friendly term japas), it's not in a derogatory manner, but almost reverently. I wouldn't be able to point a single person in São Paulo who doesn't have a "Japanese" friend.
This will be a week of celebration, with Crown Prince Naruhito visiting many cities in Brazil.
Thank you, all my friends of Japanese descent, for all that you and your ancestors brought to Brazil. This is certainly a better country because of you!

Domo Arigato Gozaimashita!