Bastos, lies 700 kilometers northwest of São Paulo, is a municipio supported almost entirely by utilization of the surrounding monocultures. Now it is one largest Japanese colonies like Mogi das Cruzes in all Brazil. The former is the primary focus of Japanese agriculture settlement, and the latter is secondary focus in São Paulo state.
This Japanese colony deserves attention not because it is representative, but it is a facinating example of geographical change among people and land. This Japanese colony was ranked as Brazil's leading producer of cotton and silk. The most important of the changes in the postwar are associated with the decline of cotton and silk and the rise of egg production.
As a result, most of the Japanese had left here for other colony, and the farm had gone to ruin. For the egg production, the villagers settled in the suburbs. In 1955 Bastos produced 4, 000, 000 dozen eggs, and in 1973 33, 100, 000 dozen eggs. Bastos has been known as the country of egg like the peach of Mogi das Cruzes.
Peón for the labor force came from Nordeste, and formed the favela on the west hills of Bastos. Now peóns account for more than 40 percent of the inhabitants. This form of favela has helped to increase residential segregation between peóns and Japanese in recentry years. The total population of Bastos is 12, 000, and the trend to population increase continues.
By the uses the excrement from the chikens, the colonies could plant other crop; watermelon, and walnut, on their farms. Now monoculture has gone, and polyculture is come here.
The Japanese of Bastos place a strong emphasis on education. Every family sends its boys to high school and university in São Paulo.
The Japanese farmers, who do not cultivate rice, eat rice and Japanese foods. Tea, rice and vegetables are still the favorite diet. The old generation at Bastos speaks only Japanese, but the second also speaks Japanese and Portugues freely. They form the social group of the religion and recreation of Japan. In culture and population Bastos is still a Japanese island on the Paulista frontier.

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