Ron Nishimura

The month of January has come and gone by very quickly. As of February 3, 2011, the Year of the Rabbit begins. The Rabbit is said to be the happiest sign of the Zodiac—gifted, nice to be with, refined, reserved, ambitious but not too much and be virtuous. Nobody ignores the Rabbit, as the Rabbit is lucky. With intelligence and hard work, a Rabbit can go far in life. I hope we all know a person who is born in the Year of the Rabbit.

On behalf of the Greater Vancouver Japanese Canadian Citizens’ Association I would like to extend a “Happy New Year!” to our membership and their families. 2010 went by very quickly and it is hard to believe that we are at…

On November 19th at Nikkei Place from 6:30-8PM, the GVJCCA will be holding its Volunteer Appreciation Night to thank its many volunteers, donors, and advertisers. Since we are so reliant on our many volunteers for all our activities including the Powell Street Festival BBQ, Golf Tournament, Human Rights and Nihongo Committee workshops, and of course our dedicated Bulltin/Geppo mailout group, we annually present this special night for them. We hope that you can attend and will enjoy seeing many friends from events throughout the year. If you are planning to attend, please let us know by either emailing gvjcca@shaw.ca or calling 604.777.5222. Hope to see you there!

On October 18th, the GVJCCA is encouraging community members to come forth and voice their thoughts on the Hastings Park Redevelopment Project. The Hastings Park Redevelopment Project Management team would like input from the Japanese Canadian community on providing some historical, commemorative and cultural content in the Park. The Project Management team recognizes the historical connection for many Japanese Canadians who were placed at Hastings Park temporarily before being relocated elsewhere in BC and Canada during WWII. Suggestions have already been made on possible changes to the entranceway of Momiji Gardens and the Livestock Barn, along the lines of an interpretive centre. This meeting will be held at 6:30 PM at Tonari Gumi, at 511 E Broadway.

Hi everyone! The Greater Vancouver Japanese Canadian Citizens’ Association would like to extend congratulations to the National Nikkei Museum & Heritage Centre on its 10th Anniversary. The National Nikkei Heritage Centre opened its doors to the public September 22, 2000,…

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 the Coast Mountains and Pacific Ocean, often just by turning…

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.

Before going to press last month I managed to attend Richard Murakami’s receipt of the 2010 British Columbia Community Achievement Award at Government House in Victoria on April 28. Richard was selected for this honour as a result of his many acts of generosity and kindness on Salt Spring Island. His most notable act was the donation of land for the construction of Murakami Gardens, a recently-completed 27-unit affordable housing project. Murakami Gardens is serving as a template for many new affordable house projects provincially.

Hi everyone! Congratulations to Richard Murakami from Salt Spring Island, who, along with 44 other British Columbians, received a 2010 British Columbia Community Achievement Award at a gala ceremony in Victoria, BC, on April 28th. Richard was selected as a…

I hope you are ready to welcome our many visitors for this once-in-a-lifetime event. I was here in Vancouver for Expo 67 (86?) and although I was working much of the time, I did enjoy many of the activities and events when I had a chance. Although there are many issues associated with the Olympics here in Vancouver, I mainly support the many amateur athletes and their support staff who will have dedicated many long hours in order to represent their countries in their chosen sport (or sports!). It is amazing how much money and time is required in order for the athletes to be able to reach this level but also sad for the many who either just missed or are not ready to achieve success.