Two teams, one heart" for Japanese-Brazilians
Tue Jun 20, 2006 4:37 PM BST
Email This Article | Print This Article | RSS [-] Text [+] By Angus MacSwan
SAO PAULO, Brazil, June 20 (Reuters) - Hundreds of green and yellow Brazilian flags are hanging from the red, Oriental-style street lamps in Sao Paulo's Liberdade district, heart of the country's Japanese community.
A sign of divided loyalties or just hedging bets?
Either way, passions will peak among Japanese-Brazilians on Thursday when the teams of Japan and Brazil meet in a World Cup match that has families split over which side to cheer.
"It's going to be difficult, it's complicated," said Liria Higuchi, a waitress in the Kintaro snack bar, where the Cup schedule was pinned on the wall along with dates of the upcoming Sao Paulo sumo wrestling championship.
"The community is divided," said Hokkaido-born Liria over a counter heaped with marinated fish and seaweed delicacies.
Brazil has the world's largest community of Japanese immigrants and their descendants. Liberdade is its center, a district full of sushi restaurants, shops stacked with Japanese foodstuffs and emporiums selling Oriental knick-knacks.
A poll in Made in Japan, a Japanese-Brazilian magazine, showed 35.8 percent rooting for Brazil, 35.3 percent for Japan and 24.6 percent supporting both.
Editor Andreia Ferreira said ties between the two countries were close for several reasons. Japan's success in reaching the finals was due in large part to the many Brazilian coaches and players who helped develop the game in Japan over the years.
Indeed, Japan's coach is Zico, an all-time great among Brazilian footballers. And one of the Blue Samurai's star players is Alex Santos, an Afro-Brazilian who now is a Japanese citizen.
"Japan can now show the green-and-yellow teachers what is has learned," Ferreira wrote.
So far, though, Japan has not done as well, losing to Australia and drawing with Croatia. It must beat Brazil soundly to retain a hope of going into the next round, a tall order even though the favorite has struggled to find top form.
"Japan hasn't much chance ... and Brazil has been playing with their brakes on," said Mario Oki, 47.
But his tiny sportswear shop in the Sogo arcade had sold out its stock of 150 Japan football shirts, and Japanese flags were selling well too, he said.
His father, who came to Brazil from Hokkaido, would support Japan, he said. He was cheering for Brazil.
"Of course you support Brazil if you were born here."
He will take his staff to watch the game in a Japanese restaurant, he added. Continued...
At the Brazilian Society for Japanese Culture hall, a Buddhist ceremony was held on Monday to mark the 98th anniversary of the arrival in Santos port of the first immigrant ship from Japan -- a significant day in the community when ladies put on their best kimonos.
The event, however, had been postponed from Sunday, so as not to coincide with the Brazil-Australia game, explained Taeko Hioki, a businesswoman who emigrated 43 years ago, aged 19.
"Football is something even more important," she said.
Who will she support?
"It's a draw. When Japan wins, Japan. When Brazil wins, Brazil!"
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"Brazil has rediscovered itself, and this rediscovery is being expressed in its people's enthusiasm and their desire to mobilize to face the huge problems that lie ahead of us."
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
