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
