This year marks the centennial of the arrival of the first boat of Japanese immigrants in Brazil, which started a wave of immigration. Brazil is now the home of the largest Japanese population outside of Japan.

Let’s take a look at the legacy of the Japanese in Brazil to see how they’ve contributed to Brazilian culture and society, based on VEJA magazine’s A-Z list:

• Aji-no-moto, a Japanese spice now used frequently in Brazilian recipes
• Bean sprouts, known as moyashi, which are very popular in Brazilian salads
• Cherry trees, which are grown especially in São Paulo
• Chinelos (flip-flops), known as zori, inspired the world-famous Havaiana brand
• Green belt of São Paulo, the largest agricultural belt in the country started by Japanese immigrants
• Gateball, a cricket-like game played by 15,000 in Brazil
• Hashi (chopsticks), called palitinhos in Portuguese
• Karaoke, with 117 karoake bars alone in São Paulo
• Mestiços (Portuguese) which means people of mixed race, since 27% of Japanese descendants are now of mixed descent