Author: Toshiko Kairiyama
Born: 01/January/1922
Died: 16/April/2012
Bio: A shot bio of Toshiko Watanabe de Kairiyama from her elder daughter:
Toshiko Watanabe de Kairiyama was born on January 1, 1922 in Shizuoka Province, the second daughter of Yuji Watanabe and Misao Sato. After graduating from Shizuoka Middle School, she immigrated to Argentina with her mother; the father was established eight years before in Los Helechos, Misiones province. At the age of 20, she married with Tokutaro Kairiyama, the elder son of Tokuji Kairiyama and Kato Kairiyama.
She was dedicated to household chores of a home located in the countryside. In año1954 she moved to the city of Posadas (capital of the province of Misiones) to give better education to their children, while her husband Tokutaro continued with the activities of cultivation and production of yerba mate and tea. Then the four children studied at the University of Buenos Aires (three) and the National Technological University (one). She was maintained contacted with Japan through their relatives who stayed in Japan, mainly with her older sister, nieces, nephews and some friends and she kept regular reading of newspapers and books in Japanese and also through NHK broadcasts via shortwave radio and later TV on cable and DirecTV. As well as, she attended and participated actively in cultural activities organized by clubs of the Japanese community in Argentina as well as other communities such as Polish, German, Italian, Spanish and other nationalities that made up the melting pot of races in the area of Oberá, Misiones.
Toshiko was a lover of beauty that nature offers, her hobby was gardening. Took care of every detail of the large park surrounding the original family home Kairiyama, where she lived last 40 years. Toshiko also loved to travel, she did with her husband until his death in 2006 (Japan, Europe countries, Mexico, Peru, Brazil, Chile), to Buenos Aires and Curitiba, Brazil, traveled up to 3 or 4 times a year, cities where her 2 daughters reside.
Toshiko Watanabe de Kairiyama died in Oberá, Misiones, at the age of 90 on April 16, 2012.

                                                                         Hinako Kairiyama