In this season of early spring, I am delighted to express my wishes for your continued health and prosperity. I sincerely appreciate your understanding and support for our organization on a daily basis.

Last year, we held the "Worldwide Urukunchu Tabarunchu Festival 2022", where many guests from abroad visited our hometown. This year, on August 20th, the 105th anniversary celebration of the Urukunchu Tabarunchu Migration will be held in Brazil.

We have received an invitation from the Brazil Urukunchu Tabarunchu Association for the 105th Anniversary Celebration, and we have planned a friendship visit trip for the local Uruku and Tabaru by the five related organizations.

We would like to encourage and congratulate the members of the Urukunchu Tabarunchu Association, who are active in various fields in Brazil, and aim for long-lasting friendly exchanges.

With that in mind, we kindly ask for your understanding of our intentions and encourage as many people as possible to participate in the visit trip.

Itinerary

In this season of early spring, I am delighted to express my wishes for your continued health and prosperity. I sincerely appreciate your understanding and support for our organization on a daily basis.

Last year, we held the "Worldwide Urukunchu Tabarunchu Festival 2022", where many guests from abroad visited our hometown. This year, on August 20th, the 105th anniversary celebration of the Urukunchu Tabarunchu Migration will be held in Brazil.

We have received an invitation from the Brazil Urukunchu Tabarunchu Association for the 105th Anniversary Celebration, and we have planned a friendship visit trip for the local Uruku and Tabaru by the five related organizations.

We would like to encourage and congratulate the members of the Urukunchu Tabarunchu Association, who are active in various fields in Brazil, and aim for long-lasting friendly exchanges.

With that in mind, we kindly ask for your understanding of our intentions and encourage as many people as possible to participate in the visit trip.

Itinerary

Briefing

The travel agency, Okinawa Tourist, will hold a pre-travel briefing about the upcoming goodwill visit trip at the following date and time. If you're interested in learning more about this trip, please join us and we look forward to seeing you there.

Due to the trip coinciding with the Bon Festival holiday season, it is expected that arranging tickets may become difficult, and the application period has been set to a short duration. We kindly request that you obtain your passport as soon as possible, and also check its validity period.

• Public relations newspaper 11/9/2012

  

• Public relations newspaper 12/28/2017

  

Celebration of 95 Years of Aza Oroku and Aza Tabaru Immigration to Brazil

Takara Masanori : Sannan Nishi Uzato

This time, I attended the 95th anniversary celebration of Oroku and Tabaru district's immigration to Brazil, held on August 19 as a special guest. The ceremony began with a memorial service for the deceased, followed by speeches from members of parliament and representatives, as well as awards for the elderly who have contributed significantly. After the ceremony, a festive entertainment event was held, featuring traditional arts left by our ancestors and dances by second, third, and fourth-generation Brazilians who have incorporated Brazilian culture.

I felt that such traditions are passed down because of the strong attachment to their hometown. On the first day, I visited the community center in Vila Carrao, where young people who only speak Portuguese were learning the sanshin (Okinawan musical instrument) and Uchinaguchi classes were being held. There are reportedly more than 40 such community centers in São Paulo. In Okinawa's Oroku district,

I was convinced that the warm Chimgukuru (Okinawan spirit) and the preservation of the pure Uruku dialect, Oroku culture, and customs are the splendid achievements left by our ancestors.

From the next day, I visited many companies and enterprises managed by the Oroku and Tabaru district association. I had the opportunity to visit businesses ranging from large corporations, similar to those on the mainland, to family-run enterprises. In conversations with the business owners, I had the chance to hear about their experiences during the inflation era until 1994.

Although the inflation period was tough, stories of overcoming difficulties by raising funds and helping each other in a unique Uchinanchu way, such as through mutual aid, were particularly memorable. Another commonality among successful individuals was their care for family, relatives, community members, those of Oroku origin, Uchinanchu, and everyone they encounter without discrimination.

In Brazilian society, Uchinanchu and Japanese people have established trust and credibility. It goes without saying that the foundation for this was built by the first generation of immigrants who arrived in Santos in 1917. Brazil is set to host the World Cup in two years and the Olympics in four years, and its economy is likely to improve. I think it is possible to imagine a global era where young people from Okinawa can work in Brazil. The Oroku and Tabaru District Association in Brazil seems to be considering ways to contribute to their hometown. I hope that training programs for Okinawan children and new systems for immigrants will be established. Brazil now feels much closer to us.

This time, including myself, four of us want to take action to lay the foundation for future exchanges with Brazil. During this visit, I had many life-changing experiences. I am deeply grateful to the people I met in Brazil, the Brazil Oroku Tabaru District Association, and its president, Mario Yu Teruya, for their tremendous support.

A big surprise in the Brazilian dispatch

Takara Yasushi : Sakugawa

My long-cherished wish has finally come true in an unexpected way, as I was able to make my first trip to Brazil. Meeting with my relatives who live in Brazil, whom I've met several times in Okinawa, felt different and deepened our bond even more. The warm welcome I received there was beyond my imagination, and I could feel the strong connection the immigrants have with their hometown and roots in Okinawa and Oroku.

I was also surprised to see that the Okinawan dialect, Uchinaaguchi, and the traditional Uruku words, as well as the customs and traditions like family tombs, Tohtohme, Hinukan, and Obon, are still being preserved. Another shocking revelation was that there are as many or even more Urukunchu people living in Brazil than in Okinawa.

I was amazed by the numerous Urukunchu who have started businesses and achieved great success. Witnessing the unity of Brazilian Urukunchu during the grand celebration of the 95th anniversary of immigration from Oroku and Tabaru made me realize how incredible it is that people from different generations can come together and work towards a common goal.

Having been involved in the past two World Urukunchu and Tabarunchu Welcome and Friendship Exchange events, I wondered if there had ever been such passion. It seems that the connections between people based on locality, blood relations, and family groups, which have weakened in current-day Oroku, are still strong and dense in Brazil. I believe this is the source of the overwhelming strength that welcomes visitors from Okinawa during such events. I also thought that our Oroku community should further vitalize its activities, with an increase in participants from the youth and those in their 30s and 40s being essential.

If you have relatives in Brazil, I highly recommend visiting the rapidly developing country as it prepares for the Soccer World Cup in two years and the Olympics in four years. I hope we can offer an equally warm welcome to the many people who will be attending the next World Uchinanchu Festival from Brazil. I also want to attend the 100th-anniversary celebration of Oroku and Tabaru immigration in five years, and I'm starting to save up for the trip little by little.

I participated in a goodwill visit to Brazil,

Takara Yoshihiro : Nakaamekuguwa

The four trainees from Azaoroku Tabaru had a precious experience participating in the 95th anniversary celebration of Brazilian Azaoroku Tabaru immigrants and the training program, thanks to the invitation we received.

It was my first time visiting Brazil, and upon arrival at São Paulo Airport, we were warmly welcomed by members of the Azaoroku Tabaru community with a banner. Although we were in a foreign land, we felt a sense of relief as if we had returned to Azaoroku. We met many new people, but they treated us very kindly, and we were deeply moved by their warm hospitality.

We, the four trainees, started our training by visiting companies owned by successful people from Azaoroku Tabaru in Brazil. They are currently successful in various fields such as cosmetics stores, hardware stores, and supermarkets. The key to their success is closely exchanging information with each other, identifying social needs, searching for profitable fields, and expanding their stores while competing and coexisting. We felt the spirit of "Yui-Maaru" at work. Furthermore, we felt that the sincerity and diligence of Japanese and Okinawan people also supported their success. Brazil has a relaxed society, but it seems that their sales continue to grow as they gain social trust by conducting business honestly with customers and by creating a corporate system that is kind to employees without causing any misconduct. With upcoming events such as the Soccer World Cup and the Olympics, and a growing population, Brazil has many business opportunities and is repelling the global recession. We felt that Brazil, with its diverse population and little discrimination, is a place where Japanese people can work with pride. Many people also mentioned that the Okinawan mutual help system, Tanamoushi (Moai), was very helpful. It seems that it was especially useful during the inflation era, and many people could use it for starting a business or building their homes.

Although the first-generation immigrants had to overcome unimaginable hardships, many of them now live comfortably, and the Azaoroku Tabaru community activities are actively carried out. Many young people participated in the Sanshin classes, and the children's Eisa classes were of high level.

What particularly impressed me was that even those who were not born in Okinawa, such as the second, third, and fourth generations, would shed tears when they arrived at Naha Airport and visited Okinawa. They said, "I feel the blood of Okinawan people flowing in me, and I want to reaffirm my identity, establish my foundation, and work harder." Even though they live far away, their feelings for Okinawa and Azaoroku Tabaru remain strong, and I am encouraged to move forward with pride as an Okinawan.

The experiences during this visit were filled with emotional events that cannot be easily described in writing, and it truly reinforced the saying, "seeing is believing." In five years, the 100th anniversary of immigration will be held. I would like to participate again and hope that many people from Azaoroku Tabaru can join as well. Witnessing the success of Okinawans and Tabarunchu in a foreign land and their continued protection of the good culture and traditions of Azaoroku Tabaru is both inspiring and motivating. I am deeply grateful for having been given this opportunity.

Through the dispatch to Brazil

Takafumi Uehara (Yago : Iriuchimaguwa-Sannan)

For 14 days from August 18, 2017 to 31st, 3 people including me visited various places in Brazil, mainly Sao Paulo. As the figure of about 23 times the land area of Japan shows, my experiences in Brazil were completely different in scale from those in Japan, and I was amazed every day.

But what surprised me the most was not the scenery of Sao Paulo or the grandeur of the Iguacu. 100 years have passed since the immigration of the people of Aza Oroku and Aza Tabaru, and even in today's Brazilian society, where the 3rd and 4th generations are becoming the main generation, it is their strong love for Okinawa that has been passed down from generation to generation. I can't speak the Okinawan dialect properly. I can't even play Sanshin. The last time I danced Eisa was nearly 15 years ago, and I never wanted to dance Ryukyu dance. However, they were far more enthusiastic about Okinawa's traditions and culture than I, a native Okinawan. In Brazil, far away from Okinawa, the conversation at "Uchinaguchi" unfolds as if it were a matter of course. There are many traditional performing arts that you can hardly see even in Okinawa. When I went from Okinawa to Brazil, what grew in me was not so much the exhilaration that I had enjoyed my trip and the curiosity that I wanted to go back, but the disinterest in Okinawa's traditions and culture, in other words, the disinterest in my own roots.

This indifference to one's own roots is not only a personal problem for me, but it can also be said to be a problem of small stipends, or even Okinawa. Eisa, sanshin, and hatagashira, which were not practiced in elementary and junior high schools until a few decades ago, are now part of education. This is because I believe that the root of this problem is the indifference of people with Okinawan roots to their own roots.

I cannot clearly present a solution to this problem. However, I feel that we have to take some action through this experience in Brazil. Therefore, I would like to start by telling people close to me about my experience in Brazil and the problems that I have found, and to draw attention to these problems. I think what we need to do to raise awareness of roots is to think about it individually. And I hope there will be more opportunities for as many people as possible to think about their roots.

If you wanted to go to Brazil this time but couldn't, or didn't even want to go in the first place, I hope this will help you take a little interest in Uchinanchu in Brazil and many other countries, and also help you think about your roots.

Thinking of Brazil

Shimizu Arakaki (Yago : Agarimeufuyaguwa-Jinan-Chojo)

I finally arrived in Brazil in about 23 hours after my family and many people saw me off at Naha Airport. This is the other side of the world, the airport in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

It's far! This is my visit as an invited guest for the 100 year anniversary celebration of Brazil's Aza Oroku and Aza Tabaru people.

However, even though everyone including myself is exhausted by the flight of about 23 hours, I am impressed with the achievements of the predecessors from 100 years ago.

I think the predecessors set out on a far from comfortable two-month voyage in search of a safe haven.

When I heard that our forefathers had sailed day after day across the boundless expanse of the ocean as far as the eye could see, and that as soon as they knew that their ships had crossed the equator, they all danced the "Kachashi", I knew anew the strength of Uchinanchu's obsession with living.

Over the next 100 years, I would like to pay tribute to the second, third, and fourth generations who carried on the wishes of their predecessors and established the Uchinanchu spirit not only in Brazil but throughout South America.

This is also reflected in the overwhelming number of participants from Brazil and other South American countries in the World Uchinanchu Festival held every five years.

And I received a very warm welcome during my visit.

Large supermarket owner, building materials store, hardware store, etc. Even though we met for the first time, everyone was friendly with the spirit of "Ichariba Chode" and treated us on a scary scale. (It was really amazing!)

When I said, "What great hospitality!" a supermarket owner enthusiastically said, "When I was a child, I went through a lot of hardships, but during those hardships, Uchina's "Yuimaru" spirit helped me! So ...".

I think it is a great achievement of this visit that we, Uchinanchu, who live in Okinawa, felt the losing spirit on the other side of the world.

Also, I was deeply moved to see my aunt for the first time in years.

Finally, it was a big decision for me to leave my three and seven-year-old children to my husband and go to Brazil by myself. Of course, I am sure that the results I brought back are far greater than the things I worried about.

Attending the 100 Year Anniversary of Immigration to Brazil

Kaito Takara (Yago : Nakakawabatayonan)

I applied for the "Trainee" because I was very interested in overseas. As I wanted to see many countries, this trip to Brazil was a good opportunity for me. It took 40 hours one way from Okinawa to Brazil.

On the plane to my destination, I was worried about whether I could understand the language or speak properly. When I arrived at Sao Paulo Airport, many people came out and there was a banner saying "Welcome to Brazil." The welcome was more than I expected and my uneasy feeling on the plane was blown away at once. Everyone greeted me with smiles, shaking hands and hugging each other like a family and I was very impressed.

The training period was two weeks, and one of the organizers of the celebration, Mr. Isamu, showed us around Brazil. As one of Okinawan people, I was proud to know that many Okinawans living in the prefecture are succeeding in business.

What impressed me the most was that Mr. Isamu ran a big company and owned a large farm privately.

The next thing I remember is the centennial celebration. At the celebration, there were various programs such as Eisa and Ryukyu dance. Eisa was especially powerful. I was very moved when I heard that everyone had been practicing for this day for a year. And once again, I realized how amazing Okinawa's entertainment culture is. At the celebration, I was spoken to in the Okinawan dialect by second-generation and third-generation Brazilians, but I was disappointed that I could not reply in the Okinawan dialect. I think the Okinawan dialect is one of the cultures.

What I felt after this training was the importance of Okinawa culture. Up until now, I had been focusing on overseas rather than the local culture, but I realized that I had to study and value Okinawa's culture in depth before I could focus on overseas.

I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the Brazilians for such a wonderful experience.