Presented by the Victoria Nikkei Cultural Society, the Japanese Friendship Society and the Victoria Japanese Heritage Language School Society Sunday, January 20, 2019 Esquimalt Rec Centre 2:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. MEMBERS ONLY EVENT
Please join us for a potluck dinner, entertainment and interactive participation which includes mochi-pounding and traditional games to celebrate this New Year.
As this is a popular community event for all ages, there are a few guidelines that will be in place:
Attendees must be Active Members of the Host Organizations
Admission with a Main Course Dish to share: Please bring sufficient food to feed your family plus 2 (two) other people.
As well, please LABEL your serving dish and utensils with your name and your food item with an ingredient list.
A big thank you to all the sponsors and volunteers that made this year’s Japanese Cultural Fair a big success! お疲れ様でした！And to all you who made it out to the festival we hope you enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed putting it on!
Proudly Sponsored By:
An event like the VNCS Japanese Cultural Fair is only possible when many people work together. Here the VNCS would like to express a big thank you to our Sponsors/Donors. ARIGATOU!
PLATINUM Level Sponsors
Bento Sushi Campus Auto Group (Acura, Honda, Infiniti, Nissan) CFAX 1070 (Exclusive Radio Sponsor) CTV Vancouver Island Fudo Japanese Restaurant Fujiya Japanese Foods Jim Pattison Auto Group (Toyota, Lexus, Subaru) Kool FM (Exclusive Radio Sponsor) Monday Magazine Township of Esquimalt Victoria News
GOLD Level Sponsors
Jaga Silk Sushi Rice Studios Sushi Story
SILVER Level Sponsors
Aiko Sutherland Art Gallery of Greater Victoria Blenkinsop Valley Golf Centre Butchart Gardens Carlton Plaza Hotel, Best Western Plus Carole Smith Curtis Cross Diane McNally Eiko Larsen Eric Wang Gerry Bell Happy Smith Heart and Hands Health Collective Henry Shimizu Jack & Elizabeth Watanabe Jean Murata & Ken Jo Brooks Jo Caragata Joyce Matzke (Kimono Closet) Joyce Pearlstone Joyce’s Kimono Closet Junko Hicks Kodo, The Way of Fragrance Maureen Bird Melody Cornell Miho Lindley Obara & Company Chartered Accountants Pacific Mazda Patti Ayukawa Rose Oishi Roy Katsuyama Royal BC Museum Scott MacDonald Silk Road Tea Susan Kurushima Vancouver Island Bonsai Club Yoshi Sushi Japanese Restaurant
BRONZE Level Sponsors
Amy Kawano Ann-Lee Switzer Boa Bon Sushi (Royal Oak) Buckerfield’s Feeds & Pet Supplies (Saanich Store) Connie Izard Cristina Shore Dale Brougton Deborah Shepherd Gayle Nye Gardens at HCP Golden City Restaurant Grace Kamitakahara Hiroko Currie J&J Wonton Noodle House Japanese Village Restaurant Jasmine Restaurant Koto Japanese Restaurant Kuma Noodle Japan Kuniko Brauss Kunio Yamagishi Linda Burtch Linda Phillipsen Lisa Okada Margaret Hoyle Marilyn Whitehead Mieko Fedrau Miichiko Seguev Milestones Grill & Bar Munro’s Books Nana Spence Nessa Herman Noodle Box Pacific Shiatsu Picnic (coffee shop) Russell Nursery Sen Zushi Japanese Restaurant Sherry Goshinmon Shiki Sushi Shirley & Bruce Gorle Shizen Sushi Japanese Restaurant Susan Ikeda Sushi Plus Restaurant Sushi Time Express Taste of Tokyo The Pedaler Cycling Tour The Roost Farm Centre Tomoko Okada Uchida Eatery/Shokudo Umi Nami Farms Wildwood Outdoor Living Centre (Cannor Nursery)
It is with heavy hearts the VNCS has learned that Dick Nakamura passed away on October 8th, 2018. Dick was a prominent leader in the Nikkei community not only in the greater Victoria area but also throughout Vancouver Island. During the 1980’s he worked tirelessly to mobilize the Japanese-Canadians on Vancouver Island in the fight for redress. It was because of Dick’s vision and hard work that the Victoria Nikkei Cultural Society was established and got off the ground. We are forever indebted to Dick. He will be sorely missed and certainly not forgotten.
Sunday, October 28th, 2018 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm Beach House Restaurant 5109 Cordova Bay Road, Victoria BC.
Dick’s family has requested that in lieu of flowers or koden, please consider supporting the Victoria Nikkei Cultural Society, the Victoria-Morioka Friendship Society, the Nikkei National Museum or the Broadmead Care Society.
CFAX Interview on the Gorge Park Tea House Initiative (Thursday, August 16th)
Click the link below to hear Adam Sterling of CFAX 1070 Radio interviewing VNCS president Tsugio Kurushima on the recent research by UVIC’s Landscape of Injustice Project (https://www.uvic.ca/news/topics/2018+japanese-teahouse-gorge+news) that is helping to inform/support the intitiative to rebuild a commerative Tea House of somekind in the Esquimalt Gorge Park through the McLoughlin Amenity Funds.
10:00am – Grave Washing (meet at the Kakehashi Stone) 12:30pm – Picnic Lunch (bring your own bento) 2:30pm – Obon Buddhist Service
Hosted by the Victoria Nikkei Cultural Society and the Japanese Friendship Society with support from The Old Cemeteries Society – we invite you to come and participate with us in honouring those who have gone before.
Ross Bay Cemetery Map showing Japanese Grave clusters.
10:00am – Grave Washing
2013 Grave Washing
Everyone meet at the Kakehashi Stone at 10:00am (donations of flowers are welcome, please bring at this time) and then cleaning teams will be assembled to proceed with:
Cleaning of gravestones
Laying flowers and toys for children’s graves
Preparing the Kakehashi Stone
12:30 pm – Picnic Lunch
After the grave washing is complete we invite all to stay for a picnic lunch. Please bring your own bento and the VNCS will provide light snacks, tea and water. This will be a time for folks to get to know each other better.
2:30 pm – Obon Service
Obon Service 2011
Obon service led by Reverend Grant Ikuta, Resident Minister of the Steveston Buddhist Temple and Bishop of the Jodo Shinshu Buddhist Temples of Canada
“Obon is a Japanese Buddhist custom to honour the spirit’s of one’s ancestors. This Buddhist-Confucian custom has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people return to ancestral family places and visit and clean their graves. It is when the spirits of ancestors are supposed to revisit the household altars. It has been celebrated in Japan for more than 500 years and traditionally includes a dance, known as Bon-Odori.” – from Wikipedia
This is a time for us to get in touch with our past, expressing our true joy and gratitude to not only our immediate ancestors, but to all past causes and conditions that have allowed us to be here today. It is the ultimate recognition and celebration of the oneness of life that has existed in the past and that we continue to be a part of today.
Japanese-Canadian Graves at Ross Bay Cemetery
The Japanese-Canadian community in Victoria was exiled by the Canadian Government during the Pacific War (WWII) and very few ever returned. Therefore, there are no descendants to care for the graves in Ross Bay Cemetery. The VNCS and Victoria Japanese Friendship Society are pleased to continue the work of the Kakehashi (Bridge Building) Project along with the Old Cemeteries Society in caring for the Japanese graves. For more information please read: http://www.jccovictoria.ca/rossbay.html.
Come join us at Broadmead Village Shopping Centre on Saturday, July 28, 2:30 to 4:30 PM for Japan Fest. Enjoy an afternoon of taiko featuring Uminari Taiko , bon odori by Furusato Dancers and some delicious Japanese cuisine from FUDO Japanese Restaurant. FUDO will be offering a special $6 snack menu for this occasion and 50% of the proceeds will go to the VNCS. Hope to see you there!
VNCS Summer Social Tanabata (Star) Festival Family Picnic Esquimalt Gorge Park Saturday July 7th 11am – 2pm
This event is open to all VNCS members and their friends. This event is less structured to allow folks to get to know each other better.
Please bring your own bento (lunch) to Esquimalt Gorge Park at 11:00am. The park has large picnic tables, lots of parking and full restroom facilities at the Gorge Waterway Nature House.
Make a wish to celebrate Tanabata
We’re pleased to provide tanzaku (coloured paper for writing wishes), origami paper for decorations and small bamboo for hanging the tanzaku that each family will be able to take home with them. Tanabata (Star Festival) – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanabata
Cherry Blossom Festival at Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (AGGV)
This year’s Sakura: Cherry Blossom Festival will be hosted at AGGV as part of their Family Sunday. Date: Sunday, March 18 Time: 1:00-4:00 PM Location: Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (1040 Moss Street) Admission by donation
All ages, everyone welcome! Join us for an afternoon of art making, performance and poetry!
A collaboration with the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Victoria Nikkei Cultural Society, City of Victoria and Haiku Arbutus. With support from Silk Road Tea, Jaga Silk and Ume Silk. Admission by donation for this special Family Sunday.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: Please contact Yukari Peerless at yukaripeerless@gmail.com if you can help at the Cherry Blossom Festival. Many hands make light work! We thank you in advance.
VNCS Summer Social
