Javier García Wong-Kit
@JaviernestoJavier García Wong-Kit is a journalist, professor, and director of Otros Tiempos magazine. Author of Tentaciones narrativas (Redactum, 2014) and De mis cuarenta (ebook, 2021), he writes for Kaikan, the magazine of the Japanese Peruvian Association.
Updated April 2022
Stories from This Author
Yuriko Tanaka: body language
Jan. 4, 2021 • Javier García Wong-Kit
There is a common phrase that says that “the performance must continue” and that phrase seems to respond to the artistic work of Yuriko Tanaka, a Nikkei circus artist who, in the face of adversities such as the pandemic, and her own demand to experiment with other languages, has had a period very productive despite the closure of theaters and other venues or stages in Peru. In 2019, the stage show oja , directed and written by her, had won …
Vallejo Sameshima's transparent writing
Dec. 4, 2020 • Javier García Wong-Kit
When one reads Miguel Ángel Vallejo Sameshima (Lima, 1983) it is possible that one feels that one already knows him. His writing, the characters that parade through his stories, some of his experiences or cultural references sound spontaneous and transparent, although these occur in Granada, Lisbon or Prague, some of the settings of his most recent book: My Father's Glasses (The 3 types, 2020), which he wrote in about 50 days and which he has published in digital format. His …
Nikkei cuisine in resistance - part two
Oct. 21, 2020 • Javier García Wong-Kit
Read the first part >> The news coming from Peru at this time is not very auspicious: more than 32 thousand deaths before entering the seventh month of quarantine (the third since the focused quarantine was applied), increase in unemployment (between April and June they were left without work) and there is still speculation about a second wave of infections. In this scenario, many Peruvians have had to continue working despite the pandemic, which has brought good and bad news. …
Nikkei cuisine in resistance - part one
Aug. 17, 2020 • Javier García Wong-Kit
Since the quarantine was declared in Peru, on March 16, 2020, due to Covid-19, the country has never been the same. Added to the high number of deaths and infections is the number of people who have lost their jobs, the businesses that have had to close and the consequent economic problems that this causes. The drastic changes have been accompanied by two words: crisis and reinvention. Restaurants and other businesses related to Peruvian cuisine were prevented from serving their …
Marisa Matsuda: a Nikkei icon for softball
Aug. 4, 2020 • Javier García Wong-Kit , Asociación Peruano Japonesa
Marisa Matsuda Matayoshi might be famous for her humility, but in the baseball and softball training camp, two sister sports, at the AELU club in Lima, there is no one who doesn't know her. Everyone greets her as if she were living in a permanent celebration for her last two personal achievements: at the beginning of 2019 she received the Women and Sports badge, awarded by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), for her work as a softball leader, and at …
Art always unites: drawing for children — the coloring book
June 15, 2020 • Javier García Wong-Kit
Art always unites and, sometimes, surprises in complicated situations such as the quarantine that several countries are following, voluntarily or obligatorily, to stop coronavirus infections. In Peru, various institutions and companies are making efforts and innovations to stay connected with their audiences, and the Pachacamac Archaeological Site and Sanctuary Museum, founded in 1965 and belonging to the Ministry of Culture of Peru, is no exception. Through digital tools such as videoconferences, virtual exhibitions and downloadable posters about their investigations in …
Art always unites: illustrating about the coronavirus — the “Distancia” project
May 13, 2020 • Javier García Wong-Kit
At first, the first social reaction promoted by the Peruvian government due to the health emergency caused by the covid-19 virus was to comply with a strict quarantine to avoid contagion that has become a catastrophic pandemic. It seemed peculiar to many to see the empty streets, but soon this isolation unleashed different manifestations (creativity, solidarity and also chaos and health, economic and educational crises), which have become noticeable during all these weeks. The quarantine has caused lethal effects, but …
Maketto: Nikkei cuisine in urban expansion
Feb. 21, 2020 • Javier García Wong-Kit
There are restaurants that are looking for a culinary trend where they can insert themselves and be comfortable, especially if it is a trendy cuisine. In Peru, Nikkei gastronomy has been in vogue for a long time, but few dare to innovate beyond the 'toppings' of the makis . Some, like Sutorīto Māketto , avoid labels such as sushi bar or Japanese food, although they take these concepts to extend the category of Peruvian Nikkei cuisine. The creators of this …
Nikkei cookbook shines in Spain
Jan. 20, 2020 • Javier García Wong-Kit , Asociación Peruano Japonesa
María José García Miró had been fascinated by Nikkei cuisine since she lived in Lima and she loved visiting these restaurants frequently. When he went to Europe, his interest continued, especially when he discovered that many Peruvian restaurants offered Nikkei preparations. For the young graphic designer and chef, that was the starting point to begin an investigation that took shape after studying a master's degree at the Basque Culinary Center and joining the elBullifoundation team, led by innovative chef Ferran …
Coco Tomita meeting Peruvian cuisines
Jan. 8, 2020 • Javier García Wong-Kit
As with many Nikkei, appearances can be deceiving when looking at Coco Tomita Naganamine . He arrives in a hurry, a little disheveled, with a backpack on his shoulder, like in his schoolboy days in La Unión, to take care of the responsibility of an adult: running the Shizen Barra Nikkei restaurant, which he opened in 2017 with his chef friends Renato Kanashiro and Mayra Flores. At 28 years old, Coco is a chef, businessman and teacher of Japanese cuisine. …
