Bus Tour visits Japanese Canadian internment sites and Nikkei communities in beautiful British Columbia

Have you ever wondered where Japanese Canadians were interned during the Second World War? Do you have family members who were uprooted from the coast in 1942?

The Nikkei National Museum is making it easy for you to access these remote locations.  Its bi-annual bus tour will visit WWII Japanese Canadian internment sites in BC from Monday, July 13 to Friday, July 17, 2015. This fascinating 5-day bus tour drives through some of British Columbia’s most gorgeous scenery.  It also offers a unique opportunity to learn about the first difficult days at Hastings Park in Vancouver, and to visit historic communities, such as Greenwood, Christina Lake, New Denver, Kaslo, Kamloops and Lillooet.  In these towns, existing buildings were repurposed to house Japanese Canadians.  The tour will also locate remote town sites that no longer exist, including Tashme, Lemon Creek, Popoff, Slocan, Sandon and Rosebery. While they have a solemn past, several of these locations still have small but thriving Japanese Canadian communities. 

During the tour, Nikkei National Museum staff will present comprehensive information, and local historians and residents will also fill in local details. And you never know who will be on the bus to share a great story.
“This trip was everything and more than I expected.  Good food and accommodations and lovely travelling companions.  I learned so much about what my mother & family went through…” says a previous participant.

We welcome everyone interested to join in - from past internees who would like to go down memory lane, to family members who would like to know more about what their parents and grandparents experienced, and teachers and students working in this field. The tour will be both educational and enjoyable, with tons of great information, including slideshows and Nikkei films during the bus ride, as well as  comfortable accommodations and good food.

Museum admissions, all breakfasts and lunches, and some community dinners are included. This 5-day bus tour departs and ends at NNMCC in Burnaby. Maximum capacity 53 people, minimum 40. Application deadline April 30. Double Occupancy: $800, NNMCC members $750. Single Occupancy: $1000, NNMCC members $950. Prices include tax. Application forms are available to download at www.centre.nikkeiplace.org/internment-bus-tour-2015/ . Contact Nichola Ogiwara with any questions 604.777.7000 ext 109 | jcnm@nikkeiplace.org.