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
Mom Junko. Okinawan immigrant who survived war shares memories
Aug. 21, 2015 • Milagros Tsukayama Shinzato , Asociación Peruano Japonesa
With an infectious smile, Junko Uehara escapes from her Fujinkai choir class for a few minutes. It was just for a few minutes, to take photos for the article. “My mother doesn't like missing her classes,” says her daughter Ana. But sometimes, reliving memories with family is enough to escape from our obligations and passions for a little while. Junko had escaped for only a few minutes, but without realizing it, it ended up being almost three hours, between memories …
Crystallizing Dreams: Testimony of Chieko Kamisato, former Crystal City resident
July 21, 2015 • Milagros Tsukayama Shinzato , Asociación Peruano Japonesa
Chieko Kamisato is a Peruvian-American Nisei who spent time at the Crystal City concentration camp in the United States between 1944 and 1946. Recently, she visited Peru to reconnect with some friends as well as with the past. Her memories, reflecting a lifetime of difficulties and overcoming obstacles, deserve to be shared. The story begins with her father Junken. Originally from Okinawa, he arrived in Peru in 1915. Awaiting him were his older brothers, with whom he worked in various …
What was behind the Exhibition “Yonabaru: 100 Years of Presence in Peru”
Dec. 2, 2014 • Milagros Tsukayama Shinzato
“Yonabaru: 100 Years of Presence in Peru” is the title of the exhibition that opened last Wednesday, September 12 at the facilities of the Peruvian-Japanese Association in Lima. It is an exhibition that tries to tell us the history of the Yonabarunchu community in Peru, since this year commemorates the 100 years of the arrival of the first group of Yonabarunchu to Peru. But, it is not a boring exhibition about history, it is a dynamic exhibition told through the …
The Mabuyá or the Earthquake that Brings Good Luck: Some Traditions of my Oba that are now memories of my childhood
Sept. 3, 2013 • Milagros Tsukayama Shinzato
“Don’t sweep the house at night or you’ll become poor” or “if you cut your nails at night, the devil will come for you.” Even more prophetic, “you are going to cry…” which my oba always said when she saw the cat washing herself. I heard these and other sayings while growing up. When my oba left us, we didn’t hear such things as often, but there are a few (in addition to many other traditions and beliefs) that are part of our …
