I bought a scarf from Equador, in Japan, in Brazil

So I've been wanting a pretty scarf for a long time... and I bought one today from 2 very nice Equadorian ladies in Liberdade, the Japanese business district here in Sao Paulo. Alex, Melissa, and I took the subway today to Liberdade, literally "liberty," pronounced "Liberdagy." Very cool place. I was in cloud 9. This "Japantown" that's in the heart of Sao Paulo looks just like the shopping neighborhood down the street from my dad's place in Tokyo, except everything is translated in Portuguese.

"Voce falar japanais?" I would ask (can you speak Japanese?), and I was lucky to find someone who could answer yes. Most of the Japanese-Brazilians there were Nisei or Sansei (2nd of 3rd generation), so their Japanese was either poor or non-existent. But the few conversations I was able to have were very good. But I realized today that these people have most likely never been to Japan, because Brazil is their home. I feel that I will have difficulty finding common interests because of the drastic cultural difference. Please continue to pray that doors or relevancy would open and relationships, despite the differences, would result.


Liberdade


The Butsudana shop, or "Buddha shelf" store. Most likely every Japanese Brazilian will have one in their home while professing to be Catholic.


The most popular Ramen restaurant Asuka.


An ad from a local bank, "100 years of Japanese immigration to Brazil."