Ikumi Akiyama
Born in 1982. Originally from Izu, Shizuoka Prefecture. Moved by the Japanese colonies she visited in Bolivia and Brazil while studying at university, she undertook journalist training at the Japanese newspaper Nikkei Shimbun after graduating. She then happened to become the wife and mother of a Japanese person, and continues to work as a correspondent for the newspaper. She currently lives in Ecuador.
(Updated March 2014)
Stories from This Author
The bond between Ecuador and South America formed through hemp = Takuseki Furukawa = Part 3/3
March 31, 2014 • Ikumi Akiyama
Read Part 2 >> A Japanese garden beyond the abaca forest: the inherited beliefs of immigrants About 40 minutes south of Santo Domingo, just before the city of Quevedo, there is a small, old sign hanging there saying, "We buy balsa." Once you pass through the gate, you will see a large factory that doesn't look like a signboard. He easily tosses the stacked logs over the counter and splits them against the large rotating blades, with incredible speed considering …
The bond between Ecuador and South America forged through hemp - Takuseki Furukawa - Part 2/3
March 24, 2014 • Ikumi Akiyama
Read Part 1 >> = Employees unite through soccer = Also on banknotes, cigarettes and tea bags ABAUDESA, whose members are Japanese abaca traders who have separated from Furukawa Takushoku, is a company that sorts the abaca fiber delivered in a dried state into quality grades, cleans it thoroughly, hardens it under pressure, and exports it to Japan. The company's president is Yuji Furuki (27), a second-generation Japanese born in Guayaquil. He was chosen to take on the role a …
The bond between Ecuador and South America forged through hemp - Takuseki Furukawa - Part 1/3
March 17, 2014 • Ikumi Akiyama
= Pre-war Davao revived through a strange coincidence = People from Suzano also settled there Men who inherited the passionate aspirations of Japanese immigrants from before the war emigrated to Ecuador. Ecuador is said to have few Japanese immigrants, even among South America, and no national policy on immigration. However, after the war, Furukawa Takushoku Co., Ltd. started its business with a loan from the Japan Overseas Emigration Promotion Co., Ltd. We followed the little-known abaca business of "Furukawa Takushoku" …
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