2010.7 July Archive

  • By Judy Hanazawa The Japanese Canadian Hastings Park Project continues to progress now that the redevelopment of Hastings Park has been approved and implementation has begun. Already new signage throughout...

    Update on the Hastings Park Project

    Posted on July 28, 2011 | No Comments
    By Judy Hanazawa The Japanese Canadian Hastings Park Project continues to progress now that the redevelopment of Hastings Park has been approved and implementation has begun. Already new signage throughout...

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  • Hi everyone! I hope you’re all enjoying the great weather! Here on the West Coast, the great weather is especially nice as it allows us to enjoy to views of...

    President’s Message

    Posted on July 29, 2010 | No Comments
    Hi everyone! I hope you’re all enjoying the great weather! Here on the West Coast, the great weather is especially nice as it allows us to enjoy to views of...

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  • A few weeks back I was driving my daughter Kaya to school. Normally she takes the school bus, but given that it was her birthday and that she would also...

    Finding Joy

    Posted on July 5, 2010 | No Comments
    A few weeks back I was driving my daughter Kaya to school. Normally she takes the school bus, but given that it was her birthday and that she would also...

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  • Fortunately, there is no wind. The sky has darkened, however, and a few small drops of water start to create small explosions on my skin. Around me are the white-painted bodies of more than twenty other beings, naked like myself. We appear to be walking slowly, but inside time has a different velocity. With each step, a week goes by. In one step we travel 100 kilometers. Our bodies lean forward to fight with resistance against the force of energy that confronts our bodies. We edge toward the ocean.

    Wreck Beach Butoh

    Posted on July 5, 2010 | No Comments
    Fortunately, there is no wind. The sky has darkened, however, and a few small drops of water start to create small explosions on my skin. Around me are the white-painted bodies of more than twenty other beings, naked like myself. We appear to be walking slowly, but inside time has a different velocity. With each step, a week goes by. In one step we travel 100 kilometers. Our bodies lean forward to fight with resistance against the force of energy that confronts our bodies. We edge toward the ocean.

    Continue Reading...

  • In the Japanese language, the name is pronounced “Japadoggu” Because long words both foreign and Japanese are often abbreviated, “Japa,” as short for Japan or Japanese, is sometimes used. At an international university I attended in Tokyo in the 1960s, students from abroad were officially referred to as “non-Japanese” to avoid using the word “foreigner.” Japanese students and staff found “non-Japanese” too much of a mouthful, so they all said “non-Japa” instead. Pretty soon, Japanese students with mixed cultural and educational background were being called “han-Japa,” meaning “half-Japanese.”

    Does “Japadog” Sound Offensive?

    Posted on July 4, 2010 | No Comments
    In the Japanese language, the name is pronounced “Japadoggu” Because long words both foreign and Japanese are often abbreviated, “Japa,” as short for Japan or Japanese, is sometimes used. At an international university I attended in Tokyo in the 1960s, students from abroad were officially referred to as “non-Japanese” to avoid using the word “foreigner.” Japanese students and staff found “non-Japanese” too much of a mouthful, so they all said “non-Japa” instead. Pretty soon, Japanese students with mixed cultural and educational background were being called “han-Japa,” meaning “half-Japanese.”

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  • The Japanese Language Interest Group of the STIBC, with the Japanese Language Committee of Greater Vancouver JCCA as a sponsor, held the 3rd Annual Translation/Interpretation Workshop on May 15, 2010...

    Annual Japanese Language Workshop

    Posted on July 4, 2010 | No Comments
    The Japanese Language Interest Group of the STIBC, with the Japanese Language Committee of Greater Vancouver JCCA as a sponsor, held the 3rd Annual Translation/Interpretation Workshop on May 15, 2010...

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  • Born and bought up in Vancouver’s Japantown, I aspired to join the Japanese Army as Kagoshima Prefecture had produced famous soldiers and my dad had served in the Russo-Japanese War, but in my late teens, when I discovered the atrocities committed against Chinese civilians, I decided to join the Canadian Army. However, I wasn't accepted in Vancouver, so I moved on to Moose Jaw, riding the box cars. When fellow hobos broke into an empty passenger coach, we were all arrested and charged. Instead of paying a fine, I chose to be jailed for seven days.

    Japonica – Eri Yoshida

    Posted on July 4, 2010 | No Comments
    Born and bought up in Vancouver’s Japantown, I aspired to join the Japanese Army as Kagoshima Prefecture had produced famous soldiers and my dad had served in the Russo-Japanese War, but in my late teens, when I discovered the atrocities committed against Chinese civilians, I decided to join the Canadian Army. However, I wasn't accepted in Vancouver, so I moved on to Moose Jaw, riding the box cars. When fellow hobos broke into an empty passenger coach, we were all arrested and charged. Instead of paying a fine, I chose to be jailed for seven days.

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  • A gathering of the representatives of three Asian community groups—Chinese, Japanese and South Asian—plus the Musqueam First Nation and the Vancouver Labour Council, who had formed the Anniversaries ’07 Steering...

    Anniversaries 07 Receives Social Studies Resource

    Posted on July 4, 2010 | No Comments
    A gathering of the representatives of three Asian community groups—Chinese, Japanese and South Asian—plus the Musqueam First Nation and the Vancouver Labour Council, who had formed the Anniversaries ’07 Steering...

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  • The GVJCCA will once again be participating in the Powell Street Festival on July 30 and August 1, 2010 at the newly renovated Oppenheimer Park, Vancouver. The GVJCCA through The Bulletin will again be providing the program guide for everyone attending the festival. The Powell Street Festival is the largest event of its kind in Canada and has over the past three decades provided a wonderful blend of Japanese Canadian arts, culture, and heritage. We hope to see you all there again this year.

    President’s Message

    Posted on July 4, 2010 | No Comments
    The GVJCCA will once again be participating in the Powell Street Festival on July 30 and August 1, 2010 at the newly renovated Oppenheimer Park, Vancouver. The GVJCCA through The Bulletin will again be providing the program guide for everyone attending the festival. The Powell Street Festival is the largest event of its kind in Canada and has over the past three decades provided a wonderful blend of Japanese Canadian arts, culture, and heritage. We hope to see you all there again this year.

    Continue Reading...

  • Divide bean paste into 24 portions. Mix mochiko, sugar and water to make a smooth dough, start with 3/4 cup water, increase amount if necessary for a pliable dough. Lightly grease a flat surface, Knead dough on flat surface until smooth. Shape dough into a long roll about 1 inch in diameter. Chop the roll into 24 pieces with a cleaver. Flatten each piece into a 2 inch circle. Place the piece in your palm and place a bean paste portion in the centre. Gather the edges around the filling. Roll into a ball. Repeat to make 24 balls.

    Community Kitchen

    Posted on July 4, 2010 | No Comments
    Divide bean paste into 24 portions. Mix mochiko, sugar and water to make a smooth dough, start with 3/4 cup water, increase amount if necessary for a pliable dough. Lightly grease a flat surface, Knead dough on flat surface until smooth. Shape dough into a long roll about 1 inch in diameter. Chop the roll into 24 pieces with a cleaver. Flatten each piece into a 2 inch circle. Place the piece in your palm and place a bean paste portion in the centre. Gather the edges around the filling. Roll into a ball. Repeat to make 24 balls.

    Continue Reading...

  • As a Japanese Canadian Mormon, I was always conscious of being a minority within a minority and, therefore, I was always a little different. As a Mormon, I was different from many of the other Japanese within the community, as most of them attended the Buddhist Church. As a Japanese Canadian, I was one of only a small group within the Mormon Church. However, it was something that I got used to and was able to bridge a number of different cultural, ethnic and religious divides.

    David Iwaasa: re-energizing Tonari Gumi

    Posted on July 4, 2010 | No Comments
    As a Japanese Canadian Mormon, I was always conscious of being a minority within a minority and, therefore, I was always a little different. As a Mormon, I was different from many of the other Japanese within the community, as most of them attended the Buddhist Church. As a Japanese Canadian, I was one of only a small group within the Mormon Church. However, it was something that I got used to and was able to bridge a number of different cultural, ethnic and religious divides.

    Continue Reading...