As a child growing up in Regina, I remember my parents often welcomed newcomers from Japan to our home. My mother would miraculously prepare a tasty Japanese dinner from the “surprise” packages hidden away in her kitchen.

In the mid-1970s into the 1990s, photographer Yosh Inouye ran a successful studio in the middle of a thriving Toronto advertising scene where his specialty was table-top photography. This native of Gifu, Japan, first arrived in Toronto in 1968, with training from Tama Art School (1960-1962) and Kuwazawa Design School (1962-1964) under his belt. His first Canadian job was as a photographer’s assistant ...