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[edit] Understand

This neighbourhood is São Paulo's version of the Los Angeles's Little Tokyo district. A tourist is bound to find there everything Japanese and oriental-related. Originally, the resting place of horse troups that arrived from Santos on the seashore, the oldest street is the Lavapes --Footwash-- street where travelers stopped to wash in a stream before entering the city. Liberdade has some historic colonial churches, such as the Santa Cruz dos Enforcados, where convicted criminals were executed at the pillory at nowadays Liberdade square. Many enslaved Africans are said to have been killed there and the church is a popular peregrination site where devout Spiritualist Catholics light candles on Monday, a day consecrated to pray for the souls of the dead and ask for favors from the spiritual world. After slavery, Italians moved into the section as they arrived in the city from the port of Santos and before moving to more traditional Italian neighborhoods such as Bela Vista, Bras, Mooca, Pari, Ipiranga, and Barra Funda. The Japanese was the next group to follow and up to today, some of the architecture and light posts are Japanese in origin. But as the following Nipo-Brazilian generations integrated more to the society, got an education and prospered, they moved to more upscale sections and cities. Some even relocated to Japan. Liberdade today has more Chinese and Korean inhabitants than Japanese. It continues to have Brazilians of both the city, Sao Paulo state and other parts of the country, many of whom live in crowded housing called "corticos" and "pensoes." Pensoes are particularly popular with students as well, as there are important colleges in the area as the FMU or Metropolitan United Colleges and a business school and some prep day and night schools. Liberdade is also home to the Cancer Hospital, Hospital Adventista de Sao Paulo, Servidor Publico Municipal Hospital, Beneficencia Portuguesa and others.

A historic chapel --dos Aflitos-- is located in Liberdade, as well as Sao Concalo Martyr of Japan Catholic church behind Se' Cathedral and not too far from the recently restored Boa Morte colonial church near Se'. On Sao Joaquim street are also the State of Sao Paulo Masonic Temple, the Japanese Assembly of God church in a movie theater, the Salvation Army church, and across on Tagua' street, the Central Paulistana Seventh Day Adventist Church, the first in Sao Paulo and on Liberdade avenue, the beautiful gothic Methodist temple. Back on Sao Joaquim is the Buddhist Community temple. Other Oriental churches in the area are the Igreja Messianica and Sei-Cho-No-Ie, whose main church is Jabaquara. A small but elegant Russian Orthodox church is also present in the section, and on Maestro Cardim street, the German Baptist church has services in German translated into Portuguese. Near Bela Vista/Liberdade/Paraiso, the Fellowship Community church caters to English speakers in the morning and services are spoken in Portuguese in the evening. Calvary Baptist church in Campo Belo features services in American English and Saint Paul's Anglican in Alto da Boa Vista, in British English.

There are projects of restoring Liberdade, as it is not a particularly well kept section beyond the touristic Oriental section where businesses and restaurants are and where parades, ceremonies and fairs happen. Real estate entrepreneurs started building as well, to take advantage of cheap land, comparing to other sections, and the proximity to the center of it all, the Old Centro, the Paulista avenue region and easy subway and highway connections to the East, South, North, & West sides.Liberdade means "liberty" in Portuguese.

[edit] Get in

• Stations São Joaquim and Liberdade of Line 1 - Blue.

[edit][add listing] See

• The Chinese New Year celebration is held every year at Liberdade.

[edit] Theaters

• Teatro Célia Helena, Rua Barão de Iguape, 113 - Liberdade, +55 11 3209-0470.

[edit][add listing] Do

[edit][add listing] Buy

Stuff you would find only there or in Tokyo.

[edit][add listing] Eat

• Chi Fu, Praça Carlos Gomes, 168, tel. (11) 3104-2750. The hard part is understanding the menu.
• Kabura, Rua Galvão Bueno, 346, tel. (11) 3277-2918.
• Deigo, Praça Dr. Almeida Júnior.
• Hong He, Rua da Glória, 622A.
• Aska, Rua Galvão Bueno, 466, tel. (11) 3277-9682

[edit][add listing] Drink

• Choperia Liberdade, Rua da Glória, 523, tel. 11 3207-8783. A mix of restaurant, karaoke and snooker bar, this unimaginable place packs on Thursdays and Fridays and is often featured on TV. Get in after 10PM.

[edit][add listing] Sleep

• Akasaka Hotel, Praça da Liberdade, 149, tel. 11 3207-1500. [1]

[edit] Contact