John Endo Greenaway
John Endo Greenaway is a graphic designer based out of Port Moody, British Columbia. He is also the editor of The Bulletin: a journal of Japanese Canadian community, history + culture.
Updated August 2014
Stories from This Author
Interview with Emi Sasagawa, Author of Atomweight
May 10, 2023 • John Endo Greenaway
Emi Sasagawa is an award-winning Brazilian-Japanese journalist living in Vancouver. Her work has been published by a range of publications, from The Washington Post to Room. She’s a graduate of The Writer’s Studio at Simon Fraser University (SFU), and is currently completing an MFA in Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia. Recently listed in CBC’s 86 works of Canadian fiction to read in the first half of 2023, Emi Sasagawa’s debut novel Atomweight follows nineteen-year-old Aki from her home in …
As if They Were the Enemy: The Dispossession of Japanese Canadians on Saltspring Island
April 28, 2021 • John Endo Greenaway
On 22 April 1942, the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) ship the SS Princess Mary was docked at the wharf in Ganges on Saltspring Island. It was not a regular ferry run. The ship was chartered by the Canadian government to take all Japanese Canadian residents off the island to Vancouver where they would be held at Hastings Park, a temporary detention centre, before being shipped off to ghost towns in the interior of British Columbia and other points further east. …
Terry Watada: On Dreams, Mystery, and Writing What You Know
March 23, 2021 • John Endo Greenaway
Mysterious Dreams of the Dead, Terry Watada’s latest novel, features Mike Shintani, a Sansei (third-generation Japanese Canadian) who sets off to uncover the mystery of his father’s death in a plane crash north of Lake Superior when Mike was only fifteen. His father’s body was never found and, adding to the intrigue, wolves circled the crash site as if guarding the area. Now in his thirties, Mike’s journey of discovery begins with the uncovering of a diary in the basement …
In the Shadow of the Pines - a new film by Anne Koizumi
Aug. 25, 2020 • John Endo Greenaway
unearthing the memories that shape us In the Shadow of the Pines, a new animated short documentary by Anne Koizumi, explores the difficult relationship between the filmmaker and her father. Koizumi, a second-generation Japanese Canadian, draws on childhood memories to explore the idea of shame and how it can shape and define us, while also concealing who we can truly become. Using stop-action animation, family photos, and archival footage, the eight-minute film offers a poignant window into the often confusing …
Nikkei Ramen-ya: Fresh-made Noodles and Living Wages in the Heart of the Comox Valley
July 8, 2020 • John Endo Greenaway
When Greg Masuda and his wife Erin opened Courtenay’s first ramen shop in the fall of 2016, it was welcomed with open arms by the residents of this small British Columbia town nestled in the heart of the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island. Nikkei Ramen-ya, located in a former jewelry shop, serves their own handmade noodles, made daily. Frequent experimentation, and specials like ebi ramen, made with wild sidestripe shrimp and local pea shoots, have ensured that the menu stays …
Steveston Nikkei Memorial
July 8, 2019 • John Endo Greenaway
Sitting at the mouth of the Fraser River, the village of Steveston, although technically part of Richmond, BC, retains a unique small town flavour. It’s a flavour that’s heavily influenced by the Japanese immigrants who before the war made up more than two-thirds of the population. Within a few square kilometres are found the Steveston Buddhist Temple, Steveston Martial Arts Centre, Steveston Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre, Murakami House, Kishi Boatworks, Kuno Gardens, Japanese fisherman’s statue, Japanese Hospital plaza, and T. …
The Tashme Project: The Living Archives
June 6, 2019 • John Endo Greenaway
When Julie Tamiko Manning and Matt Miwa first in 2009 as members of the English Theatre acting company at Ottawa’s National Arts Centre, they discovered a commonality in their backgrounds as they began to compare notes. Both are mixed-race Japanese Canadians, and both their families were interned in Tashme, the western-most Internment camp, during World War Two. Out of those early conversations came The Tashme Project: The Living Archives. The self-described verbatim/documentary-theatre play traces the history and common experience of …
Kayla Isomura: Packing for Unknown Journeys - Part 2
March 9, 2018 • John Endo Greenaway
Read Part 1 >> Do you have any preconceptions walking into this project? I certainly had some preconceptions before I even posted my first call-out, but I think the sign-up process has changed that. Prior to the first few individuals signing up, I assumed most people in my generation (or who would sign up) would be under 30. However, I’ve had individuals and families sign up aged two to 60, identifying as Yonsei and/or Gosei. I’m one of a handful …
Kayla Isomura: Packing for Unknown Journeys - Part 1
March 8, 2018 • John Endo Greenaway
“CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS: Seeking yonsei and gosei in Greater Vancouver and Victoria regions for a photo project in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of redress.” When Kayla Isomura ran this notice in The Bulletin: a journal of Japanese Canadian community, history + culture and social media over the final few months of 2017 she couldn’t know what the success of the call-out would be. With a legacy of silence within the Japanese Canadian post-war community, there was no guarantee she …
Alejandro Yoshizawa: Crossing Oceans + Cultures in All Our Father’s Relations
Nov. 23, 2016 • John Endo Greenaway
How you identify culturally is almost an internal dialogue with yourself. But an eye-opener for me while making All Our Father’s Relations was how invested the Canadian government was in telling the Grant siblings what their identity was. In 1920, Hong Tim Hing left his village of Sei Moon in Guangdong, China, for Vancouver, BC, where he found work through his father on the Lin On Farm at Musqueam Indian Reserve 2. Chinese farmers had been leasing land under “buckshee …
