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World War II-devastated Japan needed to disperse its growing population that exceeded the domestic supply of food and other limited resources. Following the San Francisco Peace Treaty of 1951 that granted Japan independence, the country made special arrangements with the Dominican government to send immigrant settlers from the Japanese island of Kyushu. The first postwar immigrants from Japan to the Dominican Republic went to Constanza, Azua, Jarabacoa and Dajabon. In Constanza's case, the Japanese were brought in to develop the region's temperate vegetable and fruit crops.

Some 1,300 Japanese emigrated in 1955; they were promised free land. However, they did not get arable land, and 180 Japanese sued their government for making false promises to induce them to emigrate. News of their miserable living conditions in the agricultural colonies, prompted the end of mass Japanese migration to the Dominican Republic. In 1961, Japan offered to repatriate those who had migrated to the Dominican Republic. Between 1961-62, a total of 595 Japanese return to Japan from the Dominican Republic, while many others re-migrated to other South American countries.

About 900 Japanese immigrants and their descendants remain in the Dominican Republic. The bulk of those remaining live in Constanza, the largest Japanese colony in the country. I conducted a series of video taped interviews with the three families, which lasted several weeks. These interviews provided the research with valuable information on Japanese culture outside the homeland and the acculturation process-taking place within the community. They also shed some light on the contributions made by the Japanese community in the development of the agribusiness sector in the Constanza region. The families interviewed comprise the oldest members of the Japanese Community.

The three families still live in the original Japanese Colony. They are the survivors of the original agricultural colony established in 1955 under the order of Generalissimo Rafael Trujillo Molina. Today, they live in relative harmony with their poor Dominican neighbors. Living behind high cement walls, these families have sealed themselves physically and culturally from the rest of the community. These walled compounds provide a familiar and safe haven for three families that are desperately attempting to preserve their "Japanese" way of life.

After three weeks of meetings and interviews with the spokesperson of the three families, I was permitted entry into the compounds. Entering the Colonia Japonesa it's hard to imagine that a once thriving and prosperous Japanese community existed here. Most of the original homes, built in the 1950s to house the newly arrived agricultural immigrants, are still standing. Although, the architecture of the homes is distinctly Japanese with their ornate roofs, they are in a rapid state of decay. Their new occupants, Dominicans, living in extreme poverty, now occupy the decaying structures. The once paved and well-kept streets are today littered with every kind of human and animal refuse imaginable. The once manicured gardens, today serve as muddy playgrounds for malnourished children. However, the squalor and distress evident throughout the community quickly fades when one-steps inside the compound's iron gate.

Mr. and Ms. Nishio and their adopted Dominican daughter greeted me inside the compound with the traditional head bow. Entering these sealed compounds one is transported to Japan. The well-attended gardens, cherry and plum trees, and thoughtfully arranged objects give testimony to the importance of culture in the lives of the occupants. The Nishios, like other first generation Japanese, speak Spanish, although with a distinct and melodious Japanese accent. After making a comment on the beauty of the cherry blossoms, Ms. Nishio informed me that the sakura or cherry blossom is still held dear by the Japanese. Cherry blossom period, according to Ms. Nishio, is a time for contemplation, personal reflection, and remembering the hardships endured after arriving in the Dominican Republic.

Before entering the Nishio home, I removed my shoes. Ms. Nishio, quickly reprimanded me and informed me that the Japanese in Constanza do not observe this tradition. However, I could not help but notice three pairs of wooden clogs neatly lined up outside the genkan (entryway). At the end of the entryway, a short curtain or noren, hanged from the top of the doorway that leads into the main body of the home.

I was invited to partake in the traditional cha-no-yo or tea ceremony, which was performed by Ms. Nishio with distinctive Japanese style and ritual. During the tea ceremony we discussed the Japanese experience in the Dominican Republic and the contributions made by the Japanese community in the economic development of Constanza, chiefly in the agribusiness sector. After the tea ceremony, I was given a tour of the house. A corner altar or butsudan caught my attention. Ms. Nishio mentioned that almost every Japanese home in Constanza has a butsudan. The altar, which is used for paying respect to one's ancestors, reflected the influence of Buddhism in the daily life of most Japanese families in Constanza. The alter, with its Buddhist wooden carvings and bowl of rice and fruit; contrasted sharply with the huge painting depicting Jesus' Last Supper, which occupied a prominent position on the living room wall.

The meals prepared in the kitchen were also a mixture of Japanese and Dominican cooking. According to Ms. Nishio, meals usually include rice, beans and meat, a typical Dominican diet. On special occasions, dofu, vegetable and soba noodle soup, and sushi are prepared. Many of the foods that are consumed by the three families is cultivated and produced by family members. Toping the list is soybeans, which are used for making dofu, miso, soy wine, soy sauce, soymilk and soba noodles. I was invited to observe how these traditional Japanese food staples are prepared.

The focal point or meeting place of the "Japanese Community" is the Club Japones or Japanese Club. The Club is a place where the old, in a desperate attempt to preserve what remains of Japanese culture, try to instill Japanese cultural values and traditions to a generation that prefers speaking Spanish and listening to merengue and salsa music. Interviewing members of the vanishing colony, has left a lasting impression on me, most notably, their strong cultural ties to the Japanese homeland, their orderliness and amicability and their adventurous spirit in a new land.

To all the members of Japanese community that participated in this study, I would like to say: Domo Arigato gozaimasu... Muchas gracias...Thank you very much.

Map of the Japanese island of Kyushu

Members of the Japanese-Dominican Community

Naomi Takayoshi and her family. Naomi went to Japan to get married but decided to return to Constanza to establish her family. A successful business woman, she is owner and operator of the largest meat store in Constanza.

Dominican-Japanese Constanceros. Toro Takayoshi with his Dominican wife and son

Senora Takayoshi proudly exhibits her painting

Japanese calligraphy and paintings

Japanese souvenirs collected by Senora Takayoshi on her trips to Japan

A short curtain or noren, hangs from the top of the doorway that leads into the main body of the Nishio home

Japanese Buddhist alter honoring a deceased family member

Club Japonesa. Japanese language instructor with two of his students

Entrance to Japanese Cemetery

The Nishio Family Mausoleum

Two generations of the Takayoshi Family. Grandmother Takayoshi is the head of the family

Entrance to Compound

Protective compound walls

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