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Santos: Waving flags and sharing memories, Japanese immigrants and their descendants gathered near a Brazilian beach on Wednesday to remember the arrival of a steamship 100 years ago that heralded a wave of immigration that has marked both countries' identities.
Three Japanese navy ships sailed into the port city of Santos, cheered by a small group of mostly elderly Japanese who waved to the sailors standing smartly to attention.
Swelling with pride
"You see that - 8.30 sharp," said 74-year-old Kyoto-born Yukinore Shimon, swelling with pride at Japanese punctuality.
The 781 impoverished pioneers on the ship Kasato Maru and the thousands who followed them never meant to stay beyond a few years on Brazil's vast coffee plantations. Now there are about 1.5 million Japanese immigrant descendants - or Nikkei-jin, with an influence on Brazilian society from martial arts to architecture and business. A wave of reverse immigration since the 1980s by thousands of Nikkei-jin seeking work has also spread Brazilian influence back to Japan.
"I'm so happy today because we really worked hard to get where we are, and I'm so grateful to the Brazilians who welcomed us so warmly," said Reiko Konno, who emigrated with her family from Miyagi prefecture in the 1930s.
Like many Japanese here, Konno said she felt some conflict about her identity. "I still feel Japanese in my heart, but I have Brazilian habits - I'll give anything a try," said the sprightly 79-year-old, who goes surfing three times a week.
The immigrants' contribution is being celebrated in hundreds of events in multiracial Brazil.
In Brasilia, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva welcomed Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito, who was greeted by a cannon-fire salute and presidential guards.
"The Japanese immigrants who arrived here with hope for the future helped to build Brazil," Lula said at a ceremony.
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