activities, but almost all the establishments worked to serve the Japanese Brazilian collective. 1946 saw the founding of the São Paulo Shimbun newspaper, the first postwar periodical among Nikkei (Japanese immigrants), as well as the inauguration of the still operating Sol Bookstore (Taiyodo), where Japanese books imported through the United States can be found. The Tunibra travel agency began holding events in the same year. In March 1947, an orchestra formed by Professor Masahiko Maruyama performed the first post-war concert, in the Auditorium of the Paulista Teacher's Center on Avenida Liberdade. In 1953, Yoshikazu Tanaka inaugurated a 5-story building on Rua Galvão Bueno, with a hall, restaurant, hotel and a large projection room on the ground floor with room for an audience of 1,500 named Cine Niterói, which grew to rival other Japanese-operated theaters in the region. In April 1964, the Japanese Cultural Association of São Paulo (Bunkyô) building was inaugurated. In the decade of 1970 the subway station of Liberdade was constructed, altering the urban composition of the region. On January 28, 1974, the Association of Shopkeepers Association officially became the Association of Shopkeepers of Liberdade. Its first president, Tsuyoshi Mizumoto, sought the characterization of the eastern district. Overview Significant populations of Chinese, Taiwanese and Koreans also live in the district of Liberdade. Since 1974 the entrance to Liberdade has been marked by a nine-meter tall red torii (a characteristic arch marking the entrance to Shinto Shrines). This towering structure, situated on Rua Galvão Bueno, is a distinctive representation of the neighborhood. Liberdade was successfully connected to the São Paulo subway network in the 1970s, opening the area up to commerce. Today, thousands of Paulistanos (citizens of São Paulo) flock to the public square in Liberdade every Sunday to purchase craft goods at the weekly fair. In January 2008, in order to celebrate 100 years of Japanese immigration to Brazil, a project to revitalize the quarter was approved by the mayor Gilberto Kassab. 40% of the restoration was for the visit of Crown Prince Naruhito to São Paulo in June 2008. The Japanese presence in the neighborhood began in 1912. At this time, Japanese immigrants began to take up residence on the Rua Conde de Sarzedas. This street had a steep slope that gave way to a running stream and swamp area. Basement apartments were numerous and inexpensive, and groups of people or families often lived together in the