Canadian Nikkei Series
The inspiration for this new Canadian Nikkei interview series is the observance that the gulf between the pre-WW2 Japanese Canadian community and the Shin Ijusha one (post-WW2) has grown tremendously.
Being “Nikkei” no longer means that one is only of Japanese descent anymore. It is far more likely that Nikkei today are of mixed cultural heritage with names like O’Mara or Hope, can’t speak Japanese and have varying degrees of knowledge about Japan.
It is therefore the aim of this series to pose ideas, challenge some and to engage with other like-minded Discover Nikkei followers in a meaningful discussion that will help us to better understand ourselves.
Canadian Nikkei will introduce you to many Nikkei who I have had the good fortune to come into contact with over the past 20 years here and in Japan.
Having a common identity is what united the Issei, the first Japanese to arrive in Canada, more than 100 years ago. Even in 2014, it is the remnants of that noble community that is what still binds our community today.
Ultimately, it is the goal of this series to begin a larger online conversation that will help to inform the larger global community about who we are in 2014 and where we might be heading to in the future.
Stories from this series
Junji Nishihata: Following Jesse’s Path - Part 1
Oct. 13, 2014 • Norm Masaji Ibuki
When I reflect on why I have been involved as a writer with the Japanese Canadian community for almost 25 years now, I really have the late, great filmmaker and writer Jesse Hideo Nishihata to thank for much of this. It was more than 20 years ago when I rolled into Toronto in my camper van and met Jesse who was the editor of the Nikkei Voice newspaper that was born out of the 1988 Redress victory. This was when …
Toronto Woodcarver Kats Takada - Part 2
Sept. 26, 2014 • Norm Masaji Ibuki
Read Part 1 >>Title: “Cancer Notice” (butternut wood) Having retired only recently after working a long time, I was very excited. I could now do all the things I dreamed of doing, with all the time in the world to do it. That excitement turned to bitter disappointment though, when the doctor gave me the news. As I lay bored in the hospital bed, I couldn't help but wonder if there was some way that I could carve the feeling …
Toronto Woodcarver Kats Takada - Part 1
Sept. 25, 2014 • Norm Masaji Ibuki
Artists define culture. Nikkei artists have been helping to define ours for generations. A few who have made a personal impact are novelist/poet Joy Kogawa, writer Ken Adachi, American writers “No No Boy” John Okada of Seattle and “Yokohama, California” writer Toshio Mori, Canadian artists Roy Kiyooka, Kazuo Nakamura, architect Raymond Moriyama (e.g., Canadian War Museum and Ontario Science Centre) as well as the late great filmmaker Jesse Nishihata and emerging ones like Chris Hope and Brendan Uegama. In their …
The Indomitable Spirit of Keiko Mary Kitagawa - Part 2
July 31, 2014 • Norm Masaji Ibuki
Read Part 1 >>When I was 48 years old, I went back to the University of British Columbia (UBC) to study the Japanese language and Asian Studies. There I met Professor Rene Goldman who encouraged me to write about my family’s experience during WWII. This was the beginning of my journey into telling the story of what my family had endured after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. Professor Goldman encouraged me to write about the internment and to speak about it …
The Indomitable Spirit of Keiko Mary Kitagawa - Part 1
July 24, 2014 • Norm Masaji Ibuki
“...It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.” -- From poem “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley (1849-1903) Who has sacrificed any more to become Canadian than Japanese Canadians, particularly those who lost virtually everything during the World War 2 internment experience? I suppose that most of our families have similar stories of loss …
Fumi Torigai: Evolution of a Canadian Nikkei - Part 2
June 25, 2014 • Norm Masaji Ibuki
Read Part 1 >>Your group was involved in an extraordinary fundraising effort for the 3.11 tsunami and earthquake survivors. In response to 3.11 Tohoku earthquake/tsunami disaster, the JCAY (Japanese Canadian Association of Yukon) had organized a Japanese Village Festival, and raised over $40,000 to donate to the Japanese Red Cross. The support from Whitehorse and the surrounding community for this event was simply overwhelming! This event served as a catalyst for our association; it fundamentally changed and helped to shape …
