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The rooms are out of another era, with eccentric touches, each one a little different: on the original iron bedsteads are thick mattresses, fluffy comforters, and piles of pillows. Japanese themed prints hang on the walls, and on each dresser sits a globe and a bottle of Mt. Fuji spring water.

With so many organizations in our community, our Committee recognized the significance and value of hearing and documenting the stories of the issei and nisei—those who remember the years immediately before, during and after the Internment.

When Katari Taiko celebrates its 30th Anniversary with a concert at the newly refurbished Cultch (formerly the Vancouver East Cultural Centre) on November 1, it will mark three decades of dedication to not only the art of drumming, but the community that gave birth to the group.

The wartime experience is an important part of Canadian history. On a practical level, I need to remember Lemon Creek and to know the nuts and bolts of this history so I can educate future generations of all Canadians. On a more personal level, I feel the need to understand Lemon Creek because that experience indirectly has shaped me and my world view.

Throughout my mother’s childhood and into adolescence I believe it was her steadfast positive outlook on everything that kept her out of trouble and I am happy to report that she remembers those years as any other fun loving child.

So how do I feel about internment? The bitterness gives way to pride, pride that my ancestors battled tremendous hardship and came through with heroic dignity. The other feeling that emerges is gratitude.

Suggested topics for future workshops included a thorough discussion of the grammatical differences between English and Japanese and a seminar on what it takes to make a living as a translator or interpreter.

Recording a family history is a great hobby, it is a very social activity and it is fun. It draws family members together; it gives you things to talk about, to ask about and to wonder about. It makes your family closer and stronger and the interest spans generations.

The military at that time made lots of errors and delays in their warnings. Because the weather was good that day, I lay on top of an air raid shelter and slept. However, when I looked up at the sky, I saw enemy aircraft nearby with bombs failing out from underneath them.

When I met Oyama Seishin, head of the Canada Association of Okinawa my first night in Naha this April, he told me he wanted me to meet an elder, a Mr. Roy Oshiro. A field trip to explore the origins…