Category Featured

3.11.3 Commemorating the Third Anniversary of Japan’s Triple Disasters

Presentations of its On-going Effects Based on Research and Residence in Tohoku Cities and Communities Tuesday, March 11, 2014, 4:30-6:00 Choi Building, University of British Columbia (UBC) Commemorating the third anniversary of Japan’s March 11, 2011 (3.11) triple disaster and…

Yumiko Hoyano came to Canada in 1965 from Sapporo, Japan, where she was born and raised. Having graduated from Hokkaido University with a BSc in Chemistry she was looking for opportunities that would remained out of reach had she stayed…

It was twenty years ago this January that Roy Kiyooka died suddenly and unexpectedly, leaving behind an incredibly diverse body of work that speaks to the restless creativity and curiosity that drove him over the course of his lifetime and his career as an artist.

It is an Italianate-style building, which was a significant structure when it was built, and was one of the first brick-clad buildings in the Powell Street area. It was home to the Uchida family whose daughter, Chitose was the first Japanese Canadian woman to attend UBC, and whose niece, Dr. Irene Uchida, became a world-renowned geneticist and was awarded the Order of Canada. It also housed a Japanese Hospital.

Alan called me up to express his admiration for New Denver and to ask me to join a group of like-minded Sansei in a “rap” session to discuss issues common to Japanese Canadians – identity, racism and the internment. I did and my world opened up.

June 23, 2014 officially marks the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre (NIMC). Spearheaded in the early 1990s by the late Mrs. Chie Kamegaya, a former teacher, Kaslo internee and respected community elder, this important community project involved the collective efforts ...

Whether by choice or coercion, Inouye became an interrogator of Canadian POWs held in Japanese-occupied Hong Kong. There, it cannot be disputed, Inouye earned a reputation for being violent and unpredictable. In some cases, he beat prisoners so severely that a few of them died as a result.

Started as a knitwear company by their parents in 1978, Granted Clothing is now run by siblings Brian and Amy Hirano. Their beautifully designed, 100% wool chunky-knit sweaters are locally knitted by hand and sold internationally. Each sweater takes 10 to 15 hours to make and features branded wooden zipper pulls made of salvaged yew wood from Lasqueti Island.

She told me of her grief and pain when her husband died. His ghostly voice she claimed gave her comfort and strength in facing the challenges of the funeral arrangements.

Terry Watada is a poet, novelist, playwright, musician, recording artist, historian, activist, and teacher. Long-interested in the history of Japanese Canadians, he has explored the various facets of the community through his art, often tapping into little-known or talked-about stories…