Nikkei Voice

01/04/2024

A monument in Victoria, the province’s capital, is being planned to honour all 22,000 Japanese Canadians who were forcibly uprooted and displaced from their BC coastal homes.

Send information that needs to be changed in the monument database to [email protected] by January 23, 2024.

For more information:

Monument Monument | joint initiative with BC Government A monument in Victoria, the province’s capitol, is being planned to honour all 22,000 Japanese Canadians who were forcibly uprooted and displaced from their BC coastal homes. The monument will be overseen by the BC Ministry of Citizens' Servi...

08/17/2023

"Living in the southern Alberta prairies is humbling because it constantly reminds that the world does not revolve around you, rather you revolve around nature. With this kind of sensibility, the land is a major character," says author Darcy Tamayose.

Tamayose shares how influences from the prairie landscape, Okinawa, and folklore came together to inspire her new series of short stories, Ezra's Ghosts.

For more:

Left: Author Darcy Tamayose. Right: The cover of Tamayose's novel Ezra's Ghosts. While Tamayose explores and experiments with storytelling pace, density, and flow, each story is linked with the cha...

08/09/2023

“Having [history told] in colour and illustrations gives it a closer feel. It makes it feel more present. This happened to people that could be people in our family, could be our neighbours,” says artist, illustrator, and historian Kimiko Fraser.

Fraser brings history to life with illustrations layered with symbolism and meaning in a series of new children's books, created with author Haley Healey.

For more:

Left: Illustrator, artist, and historian Kimiko Fraser. Photo credit: J King York. Right: The cover of "Kimiko Murakami: A Japanese Canadian Pioneer." Photo courtesy: Heritage House Publishing. “Ha...

08/08/2023

The Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre's collection is filled with treasures that document and preserve Japanese Canadian history. The NNM shares a peek into how it protects and preserves these previous artefacts in its collection.

For more:

Title: "Collection conservation." Collection: Banno Family Collection. Repository: Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre. Accession Number: 2016.30. BURNABY — The Nikkei National Museum &...

08/04/2023

Review: Dance artist and choreographer Mayumi Lashbrook's Enemy Lines is a must-see performance for all Canadians.

"As a Sansei, viewing this immersive, incredibly moving performance in the dark, intimate theatre was a sad emotional experience, and many tears were shed. I believe my empathetic reaction would be collectively experienced by any descendant of the Japanese Canadians whose families were affected in this dark chapter of Canadian history."

For more:

Mayumi Lashbrook in Enemy Lines, which ran at McMaster's Black Box Theatre in Hamilton on May 26 to 28. Above is Lashbrook during the Toronto performance at Theatre Centre, May 12 to 14. Photo cred...

08/03/2023

Bayview United Church On June 25, the members of Bayview United Church began joint worship with Cu**er Avenue United Church at 53 Cu**er Avenue.

Below is a brief history of Bayview United Church's role within the Japanese Canadian community.

For more:

Bayview United Church members now worship at Cu**er Avenue United Church. Photo courtesy: Bayview United Church. Due to a decline in the number of people able to provide leadership for the Bayview ...

08/02/2023

Mata Ash*ta: The Japanese Canadian Writers' Circle welcomes Erica Isomura and Megan Wray as new workshop facilitators and program curators for an exciting third season.

The writing workshops invite Japanese Canadians of all ages to come together to write, share, and learn from established authors and storytellers. Below Isomura and Wray share a bit about themselves in an introductory conversation.

For more:

Mata Ash*ta, the Japanese Canadian writing circle, welcomes Erica Isomura (left) and Megan Wray (right) as new workshop facilitators and program curators for the forthcoming season. Photos courtesy...

07/31/2023

Calling all Nikkei! We invite you to take a survey being conducted by Discover Nikkei to find out what Nikkei are interested in. 🗾🛫

Discover Nikkei, a project of the Japanese American National Museum, is a website that connects communities of Japanese descent globally. 📝

Fill out the survey now!
English:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Nikkei2023-English
日本語:
https://jp.surveymonkey.com/r/Nikkei2023-Nihongo
Share and tag friends who might be interested! 🙇‍♂️🙇‍♀️

07/13/2023

Through song, dance, and storytelling, Kiki Moritsugu chronicles her liberating journey of self-discovery in A Woman Is... a solo cabaret performance at Toronto Fringe Festival until July 16.

Inspired by stories from Moritsugu's life, she explores her complex relationship with her mother and experiences as a mixed-race performer in a profession (and world) that wants to put a label on her.

For more:

Kiki Moritsugu stars in A Woman Is..., running at Toronto Fringe Festival until July 16. Photo credit: Kiki Moritsugu/Toronto Fringe Festival. Born in Montreal and raised in Toronto, Moritsugu is a...

07/04/2023

Opening this week at The Toronto Fringe Festival:

A Woman Is ... a cabaret about family, identity, and becoming who you are.

Triple-threat performer, Kiki Moritsugu, holds forth on her relationship with her larger-than-life mother. Sharing three generations of backstage stories from summer stock, Broadway, and shopping malls in Canada, Kiki reveals how one multi-racial woman defines herself in a world dominated by stereotypes.