There was a good mixture of people at the conference—people from Ontario, Alberta, Winnipeg, small towns in British Columia, The States, a Japanese-speaking man from China, and even someone from The Yukon. My group’s workshop was very interesting, although most of the people were from Tashme and New Denver. I would have liked to have had some people from other places such as Lemon Creek, Kaslo, Greenwood, Angler, the self-supporting sites, road camps, etc., but there were none in my group.

Nevertheless, it was very edifying and I learned a lot more from the group. One woman told of being an expatriate to Japan and all the hardship she faced when she lived there just after the war. Others told of moving from place to place like vagabonds. Many discovered connections with others in the group. When I stated my name, the man seated to my right asked if I was the writer of the article on the Canadian internment camp tour that he had with him, and I told him I was the writer; then the persons to my left, a brother and sister team, said my name sounded familiar and asked if I was the person who wrote an article about their sister in the States, and I told them I was. What a small world!

I think this is a familiar occurrence with Nikkei in Canada as it is in the United States. Frequently when I attend Nikkei conferences, conventions, pilgrimages, reunions, etc. in the States, I run into people who know my relatives, who have mutual friends, who once lived in my hometown, who are indirectly related to people I know, who briefly went to school with my siblings, etc. Since Nisei in both Canada and the United States lived in close-knit communities, mostly associated with their own people, had the same WWII experiences, moved to the same places after the war, moved many times to so many different towns, etc., it’s not surprising that everyone seems to know or has some connection to everyone else in the Nikkei community. This is unique in the Nisei generation but will not be replicated in the Sansei generation because of different circumstances.

One of the listeners in my group was related to the Tasaka family that had 19 children, of whom 17 survived. She showed me a family history book that one of her relatives had printed and said he will be teaching a class on genealogy at Nikkei Place. Another person I met at the conference, Harry Mizuta, said he had printed his memoirs in a booklet and generously offered me a copy.

It’s gratifying to know that Nisei and the younger generation of Canadian Nikkei are doing research on genealogy, family history, etc. and writing their stories, videotaping the elderly Nisei, tape-recording their stories, printing a family history book, etc. This has been going on for quite a while in The States, and it seems to be happening in Canada as well.

A conference like Honouring Our Peole: Stories of the Internment is a good beginning to hear these stories, and they should be recorded in some form as I was told it was. Some are already delving into geneaology; others will interview their parents, grandparents, and relatives to come up with a family story. Some Sansei in the States are flying to Japan to see where their ancestors came from. Whatever form it takes, people should take the initiative to find out about their family’s history because the Nisei are getting older, and once this generation is gone, their stories, if not recorded, will go with them.

Ed Suguro, Seattle, WA

The script for Henry’s Glasses was awarded a small grant by The Directors Guild of Canada and has been receiving a lot of support by organizations and people such as The National Nikkei Museum & Heritage Centre and The Bulletin. It is the filmmaker’s goal to make the film as accurate as possible both in its broad scope and in the details that are so important for authenticity.

As an independent production, we are in serious need of financial support to educate people and to preserve this part of Canada’s history and the producers are now looking to the community for assistance in bringing this project to life. As well, we are looking for anyone who is able to donate time and help construct the buildings and sets that will be used during the filming.

For wardrobe, we need help sewing the costumes for the actors. If anyone has clothes left over from that era, and are interested in donating them for the production, that would really help us and would be highly appreciated. We also need to sew some Angler uniforms from scratch. Those were a standard dark blue uniform with a red target on the back and red strip down the side legs. If anyone has first-hand knowledge of those uniforms and would like to help us make sure they are as authentic as possible, we would like to speak with you about that as well.

For any financial donations contributed to the project, your company will receive a professionally made commercial in return for your contributions. As well, we will make sure it is aired with Novus TV to give you a large amount of publicity.

If you are able to help, please contact us asap at
risingsunprojects@gmail.com.
You can also visit us at henrysglasses.wordpress.com

Thank you
Brendan Uegama
Director/Producer
Black Tree Pictures

Nicole G. Leier
Producer
Black Tree Pictures

Tashme Set Construction

Wood: To build walls and roofs for 6 shacks and 1 complete shack for Henry’s home. These shacks will be covered by tar paper.

Other Supplies: Tar paper to cover the shacks

Carpenters: Build the set of Tashme Camp in Sunshine Valley, BC

Other Volunteers: Help carpenters to build the set, help art director to dress the set.

Costume
Wardrobe: Sew 1940s costume for Henry’s Family, Mr. Yamamoto and Angler uniform.

Tailors: Work with the costume designer to create costumes for the actors.

Fabrics: Fabrics in dark colours (grey, brown, etc) and beige would be great on camera.

All individuals’ names will be credited appropriately and be seen on screen at various Film Festivals around the world!

However, it might be a good idea for all of the participants to hear what happened in January and February 1942 when the War Measures Act was invoked. My Issei interviewees and contributors (30 to 40 People) are mostly deceased. I wonder who will tell their unheard stories to the younger generation at the Honouring Our Past event?

One of the problem of listening to the stories of surviving relatively younger Niseis is that many of them tend to think that they were contented and life in the ghost towns were enjoyable. In other words, they were young enough to be well looked after by their older siblings and carefully protected by their parents.

I am translating a book titled, Teaching in Canadian Exile, written by the ghost town teachers’ committee. In reading this book, I was moved by the tremendous effort those older Niseis and parents made for the younger Niseis during the time of the ordeal.

On the other hand, whenever I hear comments from 70ish Niseis who say that their memories of the ghost towns were positive or that the evacuation released us from the ghetto and pushed us into the mainstream society, I feel troubled. When I hear that it was a blessing in disguise, I feel like telling them to think of their parents’ struggles in trying to hide the misery of their lives from them. Although I am an Ijusha who did not experience the evacuation, I know how difficult it is for the Isseis to settle and raise children in a foreign country.

I am willing to be a facilitator or a panelist and will help in any way.
Best,
Yusuke Tanaka
Managing Editor, Nikkei Voice

Open Letter

Their Imperial Majesties the Emperor
and Empress of Japan
c/o Consulate-General of Japan in Vancouver
800-1177 West Hastings Street
Vancouver, BC, V6E 2K9

July 9, 2009

Your Imperial Majesties the Emperor and Empress of Japan,

We are writing to you as some representatives of groups of Canadians that make up the rich diversity of this country: Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Filipino, and European. We hope you enjoyed your visit to Eastern Canada, and we would like to extend you our warm welcome to Vancouver, Canada’s gateway to the Asia-Pacific region.

With so many immigrants from all parts of Asia, we believe that Canada is an ideal place from which to promote peace and understanding among the Asia-Pacific nations. For example, Japanese-Canadians, along with people from other cultural heritages, have been working to raise awareness of Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution. Here in Vancouver, one of the first Article 9 groups outside of Japan raised funds to send Canadian delegates to the world’s first Global Article 9 Conference held in Chiba, Japan.

As Canadians with Asian connections, we also work together to heal the wounds of Japanese aggressions in the Asia-Pacific region before and during the Second World War, and to learn from the history of devastating wars to create a peaceful future together. For example, every year a group of Canadian educators travels to China and Korea to learn about the history of the Asia Pacific War (1931-1945), including the Nanjing Massacre and Japan’s military sex slavery system. A group of Canadian students also travels to Japan every summer to learn about the history of atomic-bombing in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and these educators and students share their learning with the wider community when they return. Our aim is never to foster bitterness toward a specific country or group of people; instead, our goal is to create an environment for open-minded learning that transcends national borders and cultural differences.

While our educational activities have been well-received among communities in Canada, Asia and beyond, we have witnessed many non-reconciliatory responses from Japan to the global community’s efforts to help bring healing and justice to the war crime victims of this tragic chapter of history. The Japanese Parliament has yet to pass a resolution that fully admits and apologizes for Japan’s responsibility for the loss and suffering of the victims of the Asia-Pacific War, or to pass laws that stipulate compensation to those victims.

Canada is among the nations that are concerned with these issues. On November 28, 2007 the Canadian House of Commons unanimously passed a motion urging the Japanese government to take full responsibility for the involvement of the Japanese Imperial Forces in the system of forced “comfort women”, to offer a formal and sincere apology to these women, and to continue to address those who are affected in the spirit of reconciliation. Although Canada as a nation has not been perfect in addressing its own past wrongdoings, one of Canada’s achievements in this regard has been the compensation of Canadians of Japanese ancestry who were interned during the Asia-Pacific War. We would also like to see such redress offered Japanese government to the Canadian POWs captured in the Battle of Hong Kong and to the victims of China, Korea, the Philippines, and all the other countries and regions where Japan’s military committed war crimes. We would also like to see Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution remain as it is, as we and many people in Asia see Article 9 as Japan’s pledge to the world never again to engage in wars of aggression.

Your Imperial Majesties, we are aware and appreciative of how much you have demonstrated a commitment to peace and history issues. For example, your paying tribute to the Korean victims’ monument when you visited Saipan in 2005 was considered a gesture of reconciliation. When you visited China in 1992, you also expressed regret for the suffering that Japan brought to China during the Asia-Pacific War. Your words were a positive step toward healing a historical wound. Your 1993 visit to the Okinawa sites where tens of thousands of civilians died in the war was also appreciated by many people throughout Japan and beyond. We would like to appeal for your continued efforts to help bring healing and justice to the victims of atrocities committed by Japan before and during the Asia-Pacific War, and for your for support of the endeavours to keep Article 9 intact in the spirit of peace.

Thank you for your attention to our letter, and again, we would like to sincerely welcome you to Canada’s West Coast. We hope you will enjoy the beautiful sunshine, ocean and mountains of our land, and the rich and dynamic communities of our multicultural society.

Yours faithfully,

(Signed by the following organizations)

Thekla Lit
Co-chair, Canada ALPHA (Association for Learning & Preserving the History of WWII in Asia)

Tatsuo Kage
Member, Human Rights Committee of Japanese
Canadian Citizens Association

Fernando P. Salanga
President, Philippine War Veterans
& Ex-servicemen Society of BC

Jane Ordinario
Chairperson, Migrante-BC

Satoko Norimatsu
Founding Director, Peace Philosophy Centre

Ellen Woodsworth
President, Women’s International League
for Peace & Freedom, Vancouver

Beth Dollaga
Chair, Canada-Philippines Solidarity for Human Rights

Kevin Sung
Director, Korean Drama Club Hanuree

I am reacting to the President’s Report of the National Association of Japanese Canadians that was published in the May 2009 issue of The Bulletin.

Briefly, for the time that it takes to read a sentence, I harboured the hope that the Japanese Canadian community, as a community, had commenced the process toward developing a civic conscience going beyond the narrow parameters of Redress.

In her President’s Report of May 2009, the President of the NAJC commented on a recent talk given by human rights lawyer, Ros Salvador. After listening to the person (and I can only assume that if this person calls herself a human rights lawyer, her account of the position of the federal government with respect to the Khadr matter would be, at best, unflattering), the president of the NAJC provides the following observation:

(i)n speaking about specific issues that affect Canadians, such as Bill C-31 and the matters related to Omar Khadr, Ros added to greater understanding and awareness of these important issues.

And it stops there. That is it. No tiny step toward deeper reflection. No comment on the powers of state. What is the president’s message? If you robbed us of our livelihood and stripped us of our liberty, and sent us to internment camps over fifty years ago, shame on you. We will yell from the roof-tops for the next millennium about the terrible injustice that we suffered. But if you act unconscionably at the present time, regarding a topic that we consider too controversial, we will simply make the observation that “these are important issues.”

Undoubtedly, the Japanese Canadian community suffered terribly from the abuse of state power in Canada prior to, at the time of, and following WWII. Redress was an important step in addressing that abuse, and we must continue to be reminded of the reasons for Redress. However, is there any hope that the Japanese Canadian community will ever be able to offer its own experience, and add its own voice, in support of those who oppose the present abuse of federal government power in the Khadr matter, or controversial matters that arise in the future? By remaining mute or blind – for I cannot say whether it is out of fear or ignorance that the community remains silent – to contemporary government abuse, the stated altruistic concerns of the Japanese Canadian community for human rights rings quite hollow. By remaining mute or blind also relegates the Japanese Canadian community to irrelevance with respect to human rights issues.

Respectfully,
Peter Stieda, Lawyer, Ottawa

by Art Miki
While visiting Vancouver in March 2009, Keiko and I had the opportunity to visit the Historic Joy Kogawa House and meet with John Asfour, the first writer-in-residence, and Ann-Marie Metten, the Executive Director. Ann-Marie gave us a tour of the renovated facility and we were surprised at the spaciousness and the potential for workshops and discussion groups

I had met John Asfour shortly after redress in Montreal as we participated on a panel discussion at McGill University that included Dr. Desmond Morton, a McGill historian, a representative from the Canadian Jewish Congress. John Asfour, as president of the Canadian Arab Federation and myself, from the National Association of Japanese Canadians. One of the things that struck me at the panel discussion was an offer from Asfour to work harmoniously with the Jewish community to avoid conflicts in Canada that exist in the Middle East.

Asfour commented that he was pleased to be chosen as the first writer–in-residence at Kogawa House. “I’m here to learn how a community like Japanese Canadians would turn a part of their historical suffering into something positive by establishing a place where writers can live and work.”  He pointed out that Japanese Canadians through the NAJC were very supportive of the Arab Canadian community and what it had to endure after 9/11.

John Asfour is the author of four books of poetry in English and two in Arabic. He translated the poetry of Muhammad al-Maghut into English under the title Joy Is Not My Profession (Véhicule Press), and selected, edited and introduced the landmark anthology When the Words Burn: An Anthology of Modern Arabic Poetry, 1945–1987 (Cormorant Books).

The majority of the writer’s time in residence will be devoted to work on a book of poems entitled Blindfold, which exposes the “rich and strange” possibilities of a life that has undergone some frightening transformation and is displaced from its element. The book is partly autobiographical—born in Lebanon, Asfour was blinded in 1958 at age 13 during the Civil War there. The poems also explore feelings of loss, displacement and disorientation experienced by the disabled and relates them to immigrant themes that Asfour has previously addressed. Asfour suggests that the disabled often feel like foreigners in their own land, hampered by prejudice (sometimes well-meaning), communication barriers and the sense of “limited personality” that characterizes the second-language learner.

While in Vancouver between now until the end of May, Asfour will present poetry workshops to a variety of audiences, in collaboration with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, Simon Fraser University’s Writers Studio and the Vancouver Public Library.

Historic Joy Kogawa House is the former home of the Canadian author Joy Kogawa (born 1935). It stands as a cultural and historical reminder of the expropriation of property that all Canadians of Japanese descent experienced after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. Between 2003 and 2006, a grassroots committee fundraised in a well-publicized national campaign, and with the help of The Land Conservancy of BC, a non-profit land trust, managed to purchase the house in 2006. Together with Joy Kogawa, the various groups decided that the wisest and best use of the property would be to establish it as a place where writers could live and work.

Contact: Kogawa House Society
Ann-Marie Metten 604.263.6586

Honouring Our Past is a conference that will pay tribute to the lives of Japanese Canadians who experienced racism, alienation, betrayal, restrictions, uprooting and loss during and after WWII.  It will acknowledge the resilience and perseverance shown by Japanese Canadians who not only endured but often prospered after the war.

The purpose of this conference is to hear the stories of survivors, learn from these experiences and support families in preserving these stories for future generations.  This conference also seeks to create dialogue between generations and give descendants of survivors the opportunity to learn more about their family’s history.

Furthermore, the wartime experience of Japanese Canadians is part of community heritage and history.  Lessons learned from sharing our family stories and community history may not only benefit descendants of survivors but also other community members, such as postwar immigrants and all Canadians, regardless of ethnic background.

Questionnaire
To assist us in planning a conference which will be relevant to participant interests, and possibly evoke curiosity about your family story, we invite you to answer this questionnaire:

Note: Please do not feel that you have to know all the answers before sending this in and if you have more to say than space permits feel free to send in more pages.

1. Where was your family before the war? _______________________
_______________________________________________________________
2. Where was your family during the war?_______________________
______________________________________________________________
3.    Where was your family after the war? ________________________
_______________________________________________________________

4.    What would you like to ask your parents/grandparents about the period around World War II? ___________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

5.    What would you like to tell your children/grandchildren about your family history in Canada? __________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

Please send your response either by email or regular mail asap to:

Vancouver JCCA Human Rights Committee
#200-6688 Southoaks Crescent, Burnaby, BC V5E 4M7
gvjcca@shaw.ca

Valentine’s Day Dance
Saturday February 14 at Nikkei Place.
Second GVJCCA dance and first fundraiser for 2009.
There will be prizes, snacks and DJ music. Tickets ($25) and information are available through the GVJCCA at 604.777.5222 or Nikkei Place. The aim is to help raise funds for the GVJCCA so that we can provide information through workshops and sessions on various aspects of human rights, Japanese Canadian immigration laws and social justice issues pertinent to the Nikkei community.

GVJCCA AGM
Saturday March 14
GVJCCA office from 2-4pm. We are always looking for individuals who are interested in helping the community in all areas of community development, social justice, human rights, Japanese immigration and Nikkei community relations. Please come and attend. If you would like more information, please contact the GVJCCA office.

The opening event of the 2009 Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival (VCBF) is underway, with budding and established poets from around the world invited to submit one unpublished English-language haiku on the theme of cherry blossoms. The deadline for submissions is December 19, 2008.

This year’s winning haiku will come to life under the baton of Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Assistant Conductor, Evan Mitchell, at the VSOs March 28th Musically Speaking concert. Winning haiku will also be displayed on buses and SkyTrain cars during the Festival (March 28 – April 24, 2009).

Haiku is a one-breath poem that captures a moment, and like the Festival, teaches us to seize the day said Linda Poole, Executive Director, VCBF. As the cherry tree symbolizes friendship and the world turns its attention to Vancouver for 2010, the Haiku Invitational 2009 emphasizes this Olympic theme, inviting submissions in the spirit of international friendship on cherry blossoms. This is particularly fitting remembering Issa’s famous cherry blossom haiku and the Festival slogan because There is no stranger under the cherry tree…

Since it began in 2006, the Festival’s Haiku Invitational has attracted entries from more than 36 countries in North America, Asia, Europe, Africa and South America. In 2009, haiku will once again receive special recognition in the following categories: Best BC, Best Canadian, Best US, Best International, and Best Youth Haiku (age 18 and under).

The Haiku Invitational is at the heart of the Festival and has branched out with new programming including: Haiku Garden School Workshops at VanDusen Botanical Garden, Haiku Walks, and Under Heavens Dome: Sounds of Haiku—a celebration in words and music in the Bloedel Conservatory at Queen Elizabeth Park. In support of Haiku Garden, the Festival features educational haiku materials online with a teacher Study Guide on how to teach haiku at www.vcbf.ca.

The Haiku Invitational is the first of many VCBF events celebrating the return of spring and the exuberance of the blossoming of Vancouver’s 36,000 cherry trees. Inspired by the tradition of viewing cherry blossoms in Japan, the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival is uniquely West Coast. Other VCBF events include Plein-Air Blossom Painting, Cherry Jam Downtown Concert, Under the Cherry Tree, Blossom Trolley Tours, Tree Talks and Walks, and Bike the Blossoms.

For information on the 2009 Vancouver Cherry Blossom and submitting your haiku, visit www.vcbf.ca.

Yellow Sticky Notes, created on a budget of $100, was animated directly on over 2300 yellow sticky notes with nothing more than a black ink pen. After realizing that yellow sticky note “to do” lists were consuming his life, Chiba Stearns finally decided to visually self-reflect on his filmmaking journey by animating on the same sticky notes that caused him to ignore major world events for the last nine years. Animation meditation is blended with image, text, and an original musical score by Genevieve Vincent through the creation of a classically animated experimental film. The entire process of animating on these sticky notes took Chiba Stearns over nine months and was created through an animated stream of consciousness.

After a world premiere of Yellow Sticky Notes at the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival in November, where it took home the Animasian Award for Best Animated Film at the festival, the film continues to gain accolades worldwide. Yellow Sticky Notes has begun its worldwide theatrical release by joining the infamous Spike and Mike’s Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation 2008 tour. As well, the film continues to tour on the international film festival circuit.

Currently, Chiba Stearns is in pre-development of a 44-minute documentary on mixed-race identity and interracial marriage entitled One Big Hapa Family. The documentary explores the explosive statistic of how 95% of Japanese Canadians are in interracial marriages and asks Japanese children of mixed decent about their multiracial identities. Look for the new film by Chiba Stearns to be released in early 2009.

Check out www.hapanimation.com for current updates.