Milagros Tsukayama Shinzato
@mtsukayamaSansei whose paternal and maternal grandparents were from the town of Yonabaru, Okinawa. She now works as a freelance translator (English/Spanish) and blogger at Jiritsu, where she shares personal stories and research on Japanese immigration to Peru and related topics.
Updated December 2017
Stories from This Author
"My oba, the greatest inspiration!"
Oct. 16, 2019 • Milagros Tsukayama Shinzato
Who inspires me to be better? I think my oba does. Although I still don’t know how she overcame so many challenges, became successful, and helped others. And just like a heroine, she never expected anything in return. My oba was 92 when she died and I was 9. The difference in our ages was more than 80 years! I think that gave my oba a certain “halo” of mystery. She never told me the story of her life. She …
Kohatsu's Elena Yoshida: a heroine among heroes
Aug. 2, 2019 • Milagros Tsukayama Shinzato
“By her works you will know her.” And because of their virtues, I think we can even come to admire a person. I was really surprised when I met Elena Yoshida from Kohatsu, the only woman who has directed almost all the institutions of the Peruvian-Nikkei community, such as the Peruvian Japanese Association. But I have never met her in person; But that happened when he read books, listened to testimonies and memories and saw the commemorative plaques that perpetuate …
Isaac Lindley's Inca Kola: a support that is never forgotten
Jan. 30, 2019 • Milagros Tsukayama Shinzato , Asociación Peruano Japonesa
“Golden Kola”, “with a national flavor” and that “combines with everything”, this is Inca Kola. He was born on January 18, 1935, when Lima (Peru) celebrated its quadricentennial and since then it has captivated Peruvians and foreigners. The story begins with Joseph Robinson Lindley, an English immigrant who opened his soda water factory “La Santa Rosa” in Rímac in 1910. By 1945, his youngest son Isaac took over management and with him a friendship with the Japanese community in Peru …
Sentei Yaki, a life dedicated to helping others
June 29, 2018 • Milagros Tsukayama Shinzato , Asociación Peruano Japonesa
Hachizo Nakamura, a Japanese immigrant who died at the age of 80, never forgot the help he received from Sentei Yaki. Since she met him, she used to celebrate two birthdays: one for her birth and another for her rebirth, which was the date on which she received Yaki's help. “Without his timely help, I would have died a long time ago,” he said. This testimony reminds us of what Sentei Yaki was like, a prominent Okinawan businessman, leader and …
Mary Higa and Daisuki Mensore: entrepreneurship with kimochi
June 1, 2018 • Milagros Tsukayama Shinzato
Although it has a short name, it has a lot to tell. Mary Higa sums up her life with this phrase: “I always look forward.” 5 years ago, with a lot of effort, he opened his gift shop in the Lima district of San Miguel. Currently, Mary participates in all events of the Nikkei community, offering new products as well as items from Japan. Due to his spontaneous and always attentive nature, he has gained the public's preference. Behind the …
Lima Nikko, the only alumni association of a Japanese school in Peru
March 14, 2018 • Milagros Tsukayama Shinzato
Lima Nikko was the first official Japanese school in Peru and Latin America founded in 1920. In total, 21 classes have graduated from its classrooms, completing primary education under Japanese principles and values. Although it closed 76 years ago due to the Second World War, its memory is still valid. Its alumni association, “Association of Alumni of the former Lima Nikko Japanese School” still continues to meet and organize activities for its members. All of them are over 80 years …
Hard Times for Mother, Good Memories for Me
Aug. 24, 2017 • Milagros Tsukayama Shinzato
“Eat it all, mottainai to throw it away.” Although two years have passed, I still miss my mother. “If you run out of ajinomoto, use shoyu (soy sauce) with sugar.” I still remember so many pieces of advice she gave me! “If you cook with tanchi, the food tastes bad.” My mom was always right. Food is prepared with love, without tanchi (being upset). My mother wasn't openly affectionate and neither was my grandmother (oba). Both were widowed with small …
Partying, music and Nisei youth in the 1960s and 1970s
June 7, 2017 • Milagros Tsukayama Shinzato , Asociación Peruano Japonesa
A regular Nikkei crowd filled the dance halls every week. Witness to this are the Majestic Hall, the Kaseijo Gakko by Sáenz Peña in La Victoria or the Chinese Beneficence. Every week there were parties in the Japanese colony in Lima. To give greater excitement, the place was decorated according to the occasion. If the party was called “The Grotto”, everything was decorated as if it were a grotto. If it was “Aquarium”, it was decorated as such, even with …
Nikkei New Year: A History of Oshogatsu Since the Time of the Issei
Jan. 11, 2017 • Milagros Tsukayama Shinzato , Asociación Peruano Japonesa
I spent almost all of my childhood with my grandmother. Her customs, which were of course very Japanese, were reflected in her daily life. She didn't celebrate Christmas, but she did celebrate Oshogatsu (New Year in Japanese). In those days, I remember that preparations for Oshogatsu began on December 31. Starting at dawn, we cleaned the house, while my mother cooked. She spent the entire morning cooking tofu, a pork dish with turnips and carrots, kombu knots, plenty of sushi …
106 years of Peruvian Japanese journalism. A story only interrupted by war
Jan. 26, 2016 • Milagros Tsukayama Shinzato , Asociación Peruano Japonesa
Journalism in the Peruvian-Japanese community is almost as old as the history of Japanese immigrants itself. The need to be informed in their own language prompted the appearance in 1909, ten years after the beginning of Japanese immigration to Peru, of Nipponjin (The Japanese), the first Japanese news program in Lima. Its preparation was rudimentary. It was written by hand on office paper (the same one used in businesses to wrap packages) and its 40 sheets were tied together with …
