Neriza Sarmiento - Saito's
On the Road to
“Ang Marunong Lumingon Sa Pinangalingan, Siguradong Makakarating Sa Paroroonan” with
LARRY and NINA
and Kusatsu headed by Sr. Nida. Ang kabilugan ng buwan sa Septyembre I met Larry more than ten years ang tinatawag na ago on several occasions at “Harvest Moon” dahilan consulate events and community sa kakaibang liwanag meetings. Whenever there were Presidential visits in Tokyo, he nito na sanhi ng would bring along his wife, Nina. pagkakahanay ng araw, Every time we had big events at buwan at mundo. community halls or at the Malayang International House Foundation, nakakapagtrabaho sa Larry would always be among the last to leave the venue to bukid ang mga make sure that the place was magsasaka sa liwanag Consul General Voltaire Mauricio explaining PCG’s Consular Services at the PCCC ‘s dialogue in Shiga clean, a trait he probably got ng buwan. Kaugalian rin sa Japan from his late Japanese grandfather, Nijiro “Utang na Loob” or simply ang “O-Tsukimi” o pagtingin sa indebtedness to people who have Murata. magandang hugis at liwanag nito made us what we are today. Like the The young Nijiro, from Kagoshima, was others who attended that meeting, I habang humihigop ng tsaa at like the character played by Leonardo Di was touched with those words and kumakain ng “manju” o kahit Caprio in “Titanic” and the one portrayed made it the title of my article in this anong bilog na kakanin. Ang by Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones. He issue. ipakikilala ko sa isyung ito ay was a stowaway on a ship bound for the isang kababayan na umani rin ng Philippines. He befriended an American On that day, newsletters from the businessman on board who then asked Shiga International Association tagumpay sa Japan, si Larry him to be his business partner in a “Mimitaro” were distributed and in Murata Macalalad, the Vice lumber company in La Trinidad, Benguet. the Tagalog edition with an interview Chairperson of the Philippine There, he met a Filipina named Maria, featuring Larry and his wife on its Community Coordinating Council front page. Larry coordinated the got married and had 5 sons and 2 (PCCC) and Adviser of the Hikone daughters. Larry’s mother, Haruko, was event in Shiga with Ms. Delia third from the youngest. Nakashima with representatives from Filipino Community. Hikone, Adogawa, Higashiomi, Sece
At the 2nd PCCC “TAGPUAN at KUMUSTAHAN” at the Maryknoll Retreat House in Karasaki on Sept. 19, the new Consul General of the Philcongen in Osaka, the indefatigable Consul General Voltaire D. Mauricio, began his speech with the “Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan, hindi makakarating sa paroroonan,” a parallel to the Filipino value of
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Larry and Nina Macalalad with their 5 children
When the war broke out, the American owner of the lumber company left the entire business to Nijiro. Nijiro read extensively, so even if he didn’t go to University, he knew the ins and outs of business. As the war intensified, they evacuated to Zambales. Time had wings, the war ended, the children grew up. One day, Haruko visited her sister in Mandaluyong. She met, Emil, who lived next door and eventually, they got married. Larry was born. “Sayang nga at di nakita ni Lolo Nijiro ang naging kapalaran namin dahil maaga silang pumanaw,”
SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2021