Liberdade (Bairro da Liberdade)

Marked by the 30-foot (9-meter) red Torii (Japanese Shinto arch) on Rua Galvão Bueno and lined with Japanese-style street lamps, Liberdade offers a similar feel to other little Tokyo’s around the globe. Its streets are filled with vendors and shops selling all varieties of Japanese and Asian goods including food, clothes, bags, shoes, and anime items. On weekends, the Liberdade Street Market is an especially good place to find Asian handicrafts and goods. Many city sightseeing tours include the neighborhood in their itineraries, but if you’d like to spend more time exploring the area, opt for a private tour.

• Bring your camera for a photo-op at the red torii, which serves as an entrance to the neighborhood.
• While the neighborhood is best known for its Japanese population, many Korean and Chinese immigrants have settled here as well.
• Be aware of your surroundings while visiting Liberdade, as pickpockets can be a problem; leave valuables at your hotel.

Liberdade can easily be reached by subway via the Liberdade station on Blue Line 1. If you’re visiting after dark, consider taking a taxi instead.

Liberdade is lively just about every day of the week, but it’s at its best on weekends, during the Liberdade Street Market, which kicks off in the morning and wraps up in the early evening. Visit around a meal time to enjoy some of the city’s best Japanese cuisine.

The Museu Histórico da Imigração Japonesa no Brasil (History Museum of Japanese Immigration to Brazil) is the world’s largest museum on Japanese immigration. Visitors to the collection can learn more about the history of Sao Paulo’s Japanese community through a series of historic photographs and documents, books, films, paintings, and household items.