VARIOUS LOCATIONS IN THE JAPANTOWN & POWELL STREET NEIGHBOURHOOD Produced by the Powell Street Festival Society • Tonari Gumi School & Japanese Hall and Vancouver Moving Theatre For information: 604-628-5672 or www.vjls-jh.com Greetings

On behalf of the citizens e are delighted to wel- Japantown Multicultural Table of contents of Vancouver and my come everyone to the Neighbourhood Celebration colleagues on Vancouver Japantown Multicultural Credits & Thanks ...... 4 City Council I am delight- Neighbourhood Celebra- Saturday March 28, 2009 Powell Street (Japantown) ed to welcome everyone Wtion! Today’s celebration arose from the Historical and Cultural Review ...... 5 to the fi rst Japantown vision to create a collaborative, com- 10am to 9pm The Japanese Community and the Multicultural Neighbour- munity-based event that explores the hood Celebration – an multicultural past and present of - Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement ... 8 event that celebrates the history, diversity town - and contributes to its future. My life in the Downtown Eastside ...... 8 and enduring promise of Vancouver’s Ja- The Japantown area is one of Van- Various locations in the Japantown A Field of Dreams ...... 9 pantown/Powell Street area. couver’s most interesting communi- and Powell Street neighbourhood History Walking Tours ...... 10 Neighbourhoods are a foundation ties: rich in history, culture, stories and Displays & Story Sharing ...... 11 of our City. The Japantown neigh- home to people who deeply care for Produced by Powell Street Festival So- Schedule at a Glance ...... 12 bourhood has vital historic and cul- their neighbourhood. By showcasing ciety, Tonari Gumi, Vancouver Japanese Daytime Activities ...... 14 tural signifi cance to Vancouver, and I the artists, art forms, organizations Language School & Japanese Hall and Procession ...... 16 am very pleased to see the local com- and cultures of Japantown we work to Vancouver Moving Theatre, in associa- Ceremony & Performances ...... 18 munity coming together to contribute strengthen the relationships between tion with a host of community partners to its future. neighbourhood residents and orga- Evening Performances ...... 20 Congratulations to the many people nizations, educate the general public www.vjls-jh.com or call 604-628-5672 Japantown Live/Work Studios ...... 21 and organizations that have helped to about the neighbourhood, and foster Other events ...... 22 All events are free admission. realize this event. Your efforts to contrib- community led renewal through arts, Historical Area Map ...... Back Cover ute to your community are greatly appre- culture and heritage. ciated and valued. The City of Vancouver Thanks to all the celebration artists, is proud to support this Celebration. historians, presenters, community part- Enjoy the history walks, displays, per- ners, volunteers and staff who have formances, ceremony and gala everyone! contributed to today’s celebration. The Japantown Multicultural Neigh- Yours truly, A special thanks to Celebration Co- bourhood Celebration acknowledges Gregor Robertson, Mayor ordinator Teresa Vandertuin who has and honours that our neighbourhood worked with such dedication to pro- lies within the Traditional Territory of It is my pleasure to duce this event. the Coast Salish people. congratulate the or- We trust that you will be inspired by ganizers on the open- today’s sharing of the history, culture ing of the Japantown and people of Japantown. Enjoy the Multicultural Neigh- celebration everyone! borhood Celebration in recognition of the Kristen Lambertson 80th anniversary of Ja- Powell Street Festival Society Front cover pan- diplomatic relations. Such a Photos David Cooper, Terry Hunter, Joji Kumagai community-based cultural promotional Michelle Richard, creative commons Tonari Gumi event is commendable because of its Design Big Wave Design contribution to the deepening of mu- Rika Uto Appearing in the photo Oppenheimer tual understanding among the different Vancouver Japanese Language Totem Pole, Vancouver Japanese Lan- cultural and ethnic communities’ people School and Japanese Hall guage School (archive), DTES Samba Band, Morimoto doorway design (ar- in Canada. Best wishes for a very success- Terry Hunter chive), Stephen Lytton ful celebration. Vancouver Moving Theatre Seiichi Otsuka Consul General of Japan in Vancouver Photo: Michelle Richard 2 3 Producing Partners Powell Street (Japantown) Historical and Cultural Review In 1977, the Japanese Canadian centen- Established in 1906, the Vancouver Japa- By Savannah Walling • Welcoming Community; nial year, the first Powell Street Festival nese Language School & Japanese Hall • Powell Street Cycles of Prosperity and Loss; was initiated in an effort to celebrate Ja- (VJLS-JH) is a community centre dedicat- The Report • Exclusion, Perseverance and Resistance; pantown and produce an event similar to ed to promoting Japanese language and The Powell Street (Japantown) Historical • Church and Cultural Precincts; the summer festivals in Japan. Today, the culture, Japanese Canadian heritage and Cultural Review was prepared for • Housing and Home; mission of the Powell Street Festival So- and cross-cultural understanding. It of- the City of Vancouver by a team led by • Japanese Canadian Settlement; and ciety is to celebrate the arts and culture fers classes to all age groups, organizes Strathcona resident James Burton. This • Gathering at Powell Street Grounds. of and Asian Cana- cultural events, and provides a gather- involved a community consultation pro- dians, to encourage Asian Canadians to ing place for local community groups. cess to review the historical and cultural Historical context take a leadership role in the develop- heritage of the Powell Street area com- The Powell Street (Japantown) area is ment of the arts in Canada, and to foster Vancouver Moving Theatre (VMT) is an monly known as Japantown. I was one the place from which Vancouver began community development through cul- award winning Downtown Eastside of the co-writers. and grew. Some stories about Vancou- tural events, including the annual Powell based professional theatre company The team was guided by the wisdom ver’s early development are to be found Street Festival in August every year. founded in 1983 by residents Terry Hunt- of an Advisory Group: individuals with only in its streets and buildings—and er and Savannah Walling. Recognized a deep understanding of the physi- in the memories of its residents. Powell Tonari Gumi (Japanese Community Volun- nationally for its innovative arts based cal place and its cultural history. Many Street (Japantown)’s history is part of teers Association) was established in the community development projects tai- community members generously shared the founding story of this city and there- DTES in 1973 to help (first generation) lored with and for its home community, through their writing, interviews and fore the common heritage of all who Japanese Canadian seniors who suffered VMT’s activities include original theatre conversations. They told us about the live in Vancouver—the site of many his- from cultural and economic alienation in productions, community festivals and area’s history, identified some of its criti- toric events, waterfront industries and the Japantown area. Today, it provides so- cultural services. cally important stories and the spaces cultural institutions key to the city’s de- cial services and a variety of cultural, recre- and buildings needed to tell them, and velopment. It’s also the story of a partic- ational and seniors-based programs from shared ways to do the telling. ular place and of the people who have its East Broadway location. We built on the research of other lived here and do so now. important projects such as the City of Powell Street/Japantown lies on Vancouver DTES Public Realm Plan and land within the unceded territories of Association, The Living Room, National the Strathcona Business Improvement the Squamish, Musqueam, and Tsleil- Credits & Thanks Nikkei Museum and Heritage Centre, Association’s Open Windows streetscape Waututh First Nations. One of the ear- Oppenheimer Park, Vancouver Heritage improvements project. liest European settlements - Hastings Staff Foundation The Review surveys the area’s history; Mill—was erected on an ancient Coast Producing Committee Terry Hunter, Joji its historical themes; places of heritage Salish site. This area was a hub of major Kumagai, Kristen Lambertson, Rika Uto Special Thanks value; cultural activities that celebrate trade routes between inland Coast Sal- Celebration Coordinator Teresa Vandertuin Rick Archambault, Tomi Asakawa, Ayex heritage; management tools for historic ish and interior groups: it was a “place Procession Coordinator Michelle Richard Bathan, Leo Cooper, Leah Diana, Kira and cultural management; and ideas for to meet other people who gathered and Procession Banners Diane Wood Gerwing, Leith Harris, Barb Hinton, Miko future planning. It concludes with lots of hunted with us.” There has always been Graphic Designer John Endo Greenaway Hoffman, Mari Honma, Jennifer John- community suggestions on “next steps.” a strong First Nations presence here and Publicist Sabrina Furminger stone, Vicki Joss, Sharon Kravitz, Cathy We hope this report will assist the there still is today. Production Manager Simon Garber Kwan, Jim Leyden, Helen Liang, Ali Lo- community to argue on behalf of its Within 30 short years of settlement, Production Assistants William Butler, Ruthie han, Sandy MacKeigan, Chisaki Muraki- own rights and goals. native power over this area had col- Sumiko Tabata, Doug Vernon, Elwin Xie Valdovinos, Nichola Ogiwara, William lapsed; Japanese immigrants began to On-site Photographer Ken Tabata Oksanen, Holly Page, Laura Saimoto, Sis- Historical themes replace Aboriginal workers and take res- ter Elizabeth, Sister Margaret, Paul Taylor, The report describes ten powerful idence; thousands of immigrants arrived Community Partners Erika Thomas, Mike Uyeno, Kathy Walker, themes experienced in one form or an- by train and ship. Victoria capitalists Dr. The Bulletin, Carnegie Community Ac- Savannah Walling, Nathan Wiens, Ryoko other over the years by the neighbour- Israel Powell (Superintendent of Indian tion Project, Chapel Arts, DTES Neigh- Wilkings, Deanna Wing, Y. Richard Yagi, hood’s residents: Affairs) and David Oppenheimer (Van- bourhood House, Firehall Arts Centre, Elana Zysblat and thanks to those won- • First Nations presence; couver’s first mayor) bought up most Kalayaan Centre, Japantown Live/Work derful people who will step in to help af- • Heart of the City; of the land east of Carrall St. to Clark. Studios, Japanese Canadian Citizens’ ter the program guide has gone to print. • Hastings Mill and Waterfront Industry; Here, Vancouver’s first cultural institu- 4 5 tions and churches were established and and Jackson Streets. First Nations who from New Westminster to Vancouver; a to restore retail and treatment centres. the area’s cycles of fabulous boom times felt unwelcome in Stanley Park made third-crossing over Burrard Inlet—plans Residents are initiating grassroots self- and ongoing decline set in motion. As it their home. Nearby ethnic commu- that would have wiped out big chunks help projects such as the Kalayaan (Free- wealthier residents left in the 1890s for nities used it as their outdoor space. of today’s Downtown Eastside. dom) Centre for Filipino Canadians and the West End, mixed use buildings be- It’s been home to the award-winning However the community refused the intentional cooperative community came the norm—with small family busi- Asahi baseball team, the DTES Slo-Pitch to die. In the mid-1970s, a grassroots formed at Jackson and Cordova. Over nesses on street level and rooming or League, the Vancouver Dream Catchers protest movement forced government and over again, community involvement boarding houses above. Homeless Soccer Team and martial arts policy to change. Freeway and high-rise has improved the neighbourhood as resi- The area exhibitions. It’s tower plans were abandoned. A gov- dents, with some government assistance, was famous, Today the area is “natsukashii” been an his- ernment funded neighbourhood im- have shown how people can help them- during the torical staging provement program assisted a cultural selves and each other. From the Kalayaan 1920s - 1930s, (a place of lots of memories) ground for renaissance, improving facilities at the Centre to the Firehall Arts Centre, from for its excit- protests and Japanese Language School and Buddhist the DTES Heart of the City Festival to the ing, bustling, and a mini-pilgrimage site. rallies by the Temple; and planting sakura cherry trees Oppenheimer Park programs and Pow- economically marginalized in Oppenheimer Park. During the 1970s, ell Street Festival, artists, cultural groups vibrant centre of the Japanese Canadian and unemployed. It’s been home to fes- Powell Street (Japantown) was enjoying and residents are producing art and giv- community—still influencing life here tivals, feasts and ceremonies. Today, it’s a renaissance: Tonari Gumi (Japanese Ca- ing voice to the community. Community more than 60 years after its social de- still the community’s “living room.” nadian Volunteers Association) drew in ceremonies honour the departed. struction. (In 1942 - despite no evidence By 1949, although the loss of Japa- descendents of immigrants who began Powell St. (Japantown) is a vibrant of disloyalty on the part of anyone of nese Canadians offered new oppor- recovering their community’s history and community with a lively cultural life, Japanese ancestry in the province - the tunities for other ethnicities, Powell culture. New social housing was built. retired seniors, people on disability, federal government yielded to demands St. seemed almost deserted. Declared The high-water mark was the creation of hard working residents, family homes from panicky white British Columbians an industrial zone by the city, loans the annual Powell Street Festival. and over 150 children. Powell St. and forcibly removed Japanese Canadi- for mortgages and home improve- This cultural Renaissance could not stem (Japantown)’s long-term residents and ans.) Not until the 1950s were laws that ments were stopped; infrastructure descending physical and social changes artists like to live, work and study in the were discriminating against Asian immi- was neglected. As a result, the neigh- straining the Powell St. (Japantown) social area for its history; its ethnic and eco- grants and Aboriginal citizens repealed. bourhood deteriorated physically. Re- fabric. Newly organized one-way streets nomic diversity; its live-and-let-live spir- A few young Japanese Canadians and zoning attempted to do away with made Japantown a “drive-through com- it and human scale; its quality of life, its seniors returned to settle in the area; an area historically used to entertain munity.” The redevelopment of Gastown cultural wealth and its potential. some stores and restaurants reopened. the city’s citizens and visiting resource pushed low-income residents east. Down- Consistent with its history, Powell The Japanese Language School and workers with services ranging from sizing of the mental hospitals led to an Street (Japantown) is still an amalga- Japanese Hall reopened, drawing Japa- restaurants and night clubs to gam- influx of unsupported mentally ill people. mation of communities sharing sev- nese Canadians from across the lower bling houses and brothels. Rezoning Zoning changes reduced ground-level re- eral city blocks that feature the oldest mainland. They continue to visit the undercut a well-functioning working tail opportunities. Welfare reduction poli- buildings in the city – including some of area for cultural programs and sea- class community that provided its resi- cies and social housing cut-backs left little its nicest Victorian houses, last of their sonal festivals. Today the area is “nat- dents with a variety of goods and ser- spare money for discretionary funding. kind. Here are some of Vancouver’s sukashii” (a place of lots of memories) vices. Traditional sources for jobs were Homelessness in the area, and the city as a most storied public spaces and impor- and a mini-pilgrimage site. in retreat: a decline in fishing stock whole, doubled. Self-medicating drug use tant centres for the Japanese, Chinese, The area was never ethnically ho- plus technological changes in the for- increased and so did the black-market in Aboriginal and other communities. De- mogenous however. First Nations always estry, railroad and shipping industries prescription drugs. Policing actions of the spite the low incomes of the majority maintained a working and seasonal meant fewer jobs. Warehouses moved 1970s and 1980s, that moved prostitutes of its residents, it’s a functioning and residential presence in the area’s water- to the suburbs. Unemployment rose lo- from the nightclubs and hotels to the stable neighbourhood. Year after year, front industries. Yugoslavs have resided cally. Streetcars disappeared, reducing streets, coincided with the beginning of it continues to survive and renew itself. on Cordova Street, and Scandinavians, the flow of customers. a series of murders and disappearances of The current debate around the area’s Chinese, Latinos and Afro-Canadians Inline with trends from the mid-1950s prostitutes, most who had worked in the future is but a continuation of the story have also lived here. to the 1970s that wiped out culturally DTES including the Powell Street area. of the place: how does the community The heart of the community is Op- lively communities across North Ameri- Once again, collective actions to over- share the place and accommodate long- penheimer Park (once known as the ca, the city was interested in urban re- come adversity are arising to work for term residents and others who also have Powell Street Grounds)—the block development with plans for high-rise more social and affordable housing, im- a stake in it? bounded by Cordova, Powell, Dunlevy towers; a super-highway to speed traffic proved welfare rates, zoning changes

6 7 The Japanese Community and the Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement A Field of Dreams by John Endo Greenaway by Sister Elizabeth Kelliher, S.A. Although we all have pivotal moments thirty years. in our lives—events that change, for On February 12 of this year, I watched On October 26, 1926 four Franciscan better or for worse, our circumstances— as one of the legacy sakura trees was up- Sisters of the Atonement arrived in Van- there are sometimes decisions we make rooted and moved to another part of Op- couver. They came to carry on the works that are so far-reaching in their impli- penheimer Park. Around me, watching of Katie O’Melia San who had worked cations that they inexorably alter the this mammoth undertaking, were many in the Japan town area for many years. course of our trajectory. Mine happened members of the community that has been Their initial work consisted of pro- when I was 19 years old and living with such an integral part of my life. Although viding classes in English as a second lan- my parents in a housing co-op on Union it was cold, the sun was shining brilliantly, guage, operating a day care program, Street. Takeo Yamashiro, a shakuhachi and it struck me at that moment that it all kindergarten, first and second grade, master and community activist, invited began for me, those many years ago, just providing religious education and visit- me to perform the songs I had written a few blocks from where I was standing. ing the sick. at a coffeehouse that Tonari Gumi was On Powell Street. The home of the Asahi In 1942, some of the Sisters accompa- opened a kindergarten. running out of the DERA (Downtown baseball team and the Powell Street Festi- nied the Japanese who were being in- Sports and dramatic performances, Eastside Residents Association) build- val. On our own field of dreams. terned in the town of Greenwood BC. The putting on festivals and promoting gar- ing on Cordova Street. At the urging Sisters accompanied the families to assist dening were activities the Sisters used to of my parents, I somewhat reluctantly John Endo Greenaway has been the edi- in these difficult and painful transitions. keep many occupied or entertained in agreed. After all, I didn’t know what tor of The Bulletin, a journal of Japanese To ease the pain of loss for the families, that very bleak environment. Tonari Gumi was. Or DERA. In fact, I Canadian community, history and culture, the Sisters provided storage for some of At the end of the war a few families barely knew Takeo. Following my per- for the past 15 years. He was a founding their furniture and other belongings. remained in Greenwood. Most left for formance, I was approached by a group member of Katari Taiko, Canada’s first When the Sisters realized that 700 eastern Canada, the West Coast or Japan. of folks who invited me to join their taiko group, and Uzume Taiko, Canada’s Japanese children would not be accept- The Sisters are very happy that we band, Kokuho Rose, an Asian Canadian first professional taiko group. He is cur- ed in the local Greenwood schools, the remain well connected to the Japanese folk band. And just like that, I was part rently assistant instructor with Chibi Tai- Sisters provided Elementary and High community and we continue to be an ac- of a community. It is a community that ko. Yes, Canada’s first youth taiko group. School classes, evening business cours- tive resource for the entire community of has shaped me and nurtured me, both In his spare time he is a graphic designer. es and piano lessons. The Sisters also the Downtown Eastside and Japantown. literally and figuratively, for the past He designed this program guide.

My life in the Downtown Eastside by Kathy Walker Each Sunday for the past 14 years I make warm the same benches week after endured over the past short while. I usu- the neighbourhood, it is simply that in my way from Jackson down Cordova week, sell their wares on the same cor- ally come home with some local news the midst of the suffering, the abuse to St. James church followed by a small ner (no matter how many times the cops about an event, an exhibit, a protest, a and the crime are the constant gestures crowd of happy kids who are perfectly move them along), gather around the trouble maker in the park or too often of hope, struggle, kindness and the resil- at home in this place, oblivious to the same picnic tables with the same friends the sad news of the untimely death of iency of people who just won't give in or dire commentaries of life 'down here'. year after year. When I stop by Oppen- a neighbour. give up or shut up. People who I would What 'down here' means to us, is what heimer for a chat there is warmth and a On the corner of Jackson and Cor- expect to be callous, bitter and violent is becoming rare elsewhere; a neigh- welcome that is not easily conveyed to dova in the big green house my family from years of sustained abuse have on bourhood that people actually live in. people who are accustomed to seeing and friends have for the past 12 years, many occasions surprised me with such This is a community of tremendous vi- this area through the sensational lens of five days a week, invited our neighbours tenderness and goodwill that I cannot tality. It has something to do with the the media. On a stroll to Sunrise Market for a community meal where we gather submit to despair. Just when you think depth of relationships between people I am met by a half-dozen acquaintances around the table to build and strengthen you've had enough, someone throws a who engage with one another so often, and friends who want to know how I the ties that make life more liveable. This party or a festival or they march down people who continue to gather and oc- am, how the kids are doing, what the is what I like to call 'crime prevention'! the streets, fully alive, making noise, cupy public spaces to socialize. I see my latest news on so and so is, or to tell me It is not that I am naive about the real beating drums, remembering... and I neighbours all the time because they a little of the hardship that they have issues down here, or that I romanticize know I am at home in a place that I love.

8 9 History Walking Tours Displays Story Sharing Meet at Chapel Arts, 304 Dunlevy 11am to 2pm 11am – 2pm Historical & Cultural Displays Chapel Arts, 304 Dunlevy 10am Chapel Arts, 304 Dunlevy This is an opportunity to listen to stories of people’s personal experiences. Take a Reminders of the Labour Movement • City of Vancouver Historical & Cultural seat for an informal and intimate gath- Review, Powell Street (Japantown) Geoff Meggs, Lorene Oikawa ering of story sharing. We hope to learn • Vancouver Japanese Language School Although the Downtown Eastside and from the depths of experience from our & Japanese Hall Hastings Street near Victory Square are invited guests and that you may be in- • Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement well-known for their heritage and la- spired to share a story of your own. Each • Central City Foundation bour history, the Powell Street district Photo: Ken Tabata hour will focus on a different theme and • Nikkei Place, Asahi Baseball Team around Oppenheimer Park is even more will change moderators. drenched in the history of the labour 1pm • Vanishing Baseball Diamond, DTES The Rolling History of Japantown - John Atkin Women’s Writing Group movement and the Japanese Canadian 11am community. Geoff Meggs, Vancouver The area of Japantown has a many-lay- • Philippine Women Centre City Councillor, brings a journalist’s view ered history and there are simple histori- • Open Windows, Strathcona Business Growing Up in the Neighbourhood and curiosity to the walk and Lorene cal and contemporary reasons for the Improvement Association – Personal Experience Oikawa, Vice President BCGEU, shares way that the community has developed. • St. James’ Anglican Church • Kathy Walker (moderator) & daughters her enthusiasm for the stories of the la- Join civic historian John Atkin on a living • Mary Kawamoto bour movement. This short walk will ex- history walking tour and learn how ge- • Ritsu & Cy Saimoto plore the dwindling number of remind- ography, industry, politics, policies and • Judy Hanazawa ers of this very historic district and the economic factors impact the ways that communities that brought it to life. the neighbourhood has changed over 12pm the years. And continues to change – Working In the Neighbourhood 11:30am walk through the streets of Japantown and see the years roll by. – Labour and the Working Class Powell Street Walking Tour - Judy Inouye • Joyce Rock (moderator) On the historical tour of Powell Street, • Takeo Yamashiro Judy Inouye will take you back in time • Bill Saunders to the vibrant pre-war community of • Toby Barazzuol Japanese Canadians and Japanese im- migrants who lived and worked in the area. The area grew and thrived over a 1pm fifty year period from the 1890s to its 11am to 1pm Activism and Community Building abrupt end in 1942. The tour will fo- Planning & Design – Personal Experience cus on the 300 and 400 blocks of Pow- Oppenheimer Park Field House • Kat Norris (moderator) ell Street, the commercial heart of the • Jean Swanson community. Judy’s grandparents moved 400 block Powell • Harry Aoki to Powell Street in 1908, her parents fol- • Vision Mapping Workshop • Grace Eiko Thomson lowed in 1923 and 1937 and her family Carnegie Community Action Project • Ayex Bathan lived here until the dispersement. She has been giving tours for over 10 years. 3pm to 9pm Historical Display & Future Plans Vancouver Japanese Language School & Japanese Hall, 487 Alexander • History, Renovation drawings • Vancouver Buddhist Church

Photo: Jason Vanderhill 10 11 Japantown Multicultural Neighbourhood Celebration - Saturday March 28, 2009

Chapel Arts 304 Dunlevy Oppenheimer Park Living Room 528 Powell 400 Block Powell 11am - 2pm 11am -12pm Crafts Workshop Sue Blue Historical & Cultural Displays 11am - 1pm Planning & Design 12pm - 12:30pm Poetry Stephen Lytton Poets Corner Vision Mapping Workshop - Carnegie Community Action Project 12:30pm - 1pm Song Isabel Ramirez

11am Music Kozue Matsumoto - koto STORYSHARING 11am - 2pm Activities 12pm Short Documentary Film 11am - 12pm Children’s Art Workshop Sakura Sakura - Linda Ohama Growing Up in the Neighbourhood Personal Experience 12:30pm Workshop Kathy Walker & daughters How to Use Sensu (folding fans) Mary Kawamoto • Ritsu & Cy Saimoto Judy Hanazawa 1:30pm Voice and Drum Dalannah Gail Bowen 12pm - 1pm Working in the Neighbourhood WALKING TOURS (MEET AT CHAPEL ARTS) Labour and the Working Class Joyce Rock • Takeo Yamashiro 10am Reminders of the Labour Movement Bill Saunders • Toby Barazzuol Geoff Meggs, Lorene Okinawa Breadline Gallery 386 Powell 1pm - 2pm ALL DAY WINDOW INSTALLATION 11:30am Powell Street Walking Tour Activism & Community Building Sean Arden - Bridging the Gap Judy Inouye Personal Experience Quin Martins - Lifeskills Film/Video Group Sawagi Taiko Kat Norris • Jean Swanson Danny Kostyshin - ceramics 1pm The Rolling History of Japantown Harry Aoki • Grace Eiko Thomson • Ayex Bathan John Atkin

487 Alexander Japanese Hall Okinawa Chorus 3pm - 9pm Historical Display & Future Plans VJLS & JH DTES Samba Band 2pm Procession leaves from Japanese Hall, returns to Japanese Hall Ladies in White Seniors from Tonari Gumi 3pm Ceremony and performances Philippine Women Centre MCs: Grace Eiko Thomson & Hannah Walker Saint James Music Academy Sekyu Siyam - Chief Ian Campbell • Okinawa Chorus • Okinawa Dance Oppenheimer Drum Group • Wushu Institute Buddhist Church Choir • Steveston Tera Taiko Saint James Music Academy

5pm - 6pm Food Sales

6pm - 7:30pm Gala Performances MCs: Margaret Gallagher & Stephen Lytton M’Girl • Kathara Dance • Moraima • Sawagi Taiko

8pm - 9pm Performance DTES Samba Band Bando-ryu Dance Group Okinawa Dance Ladies in White

12 13 meaningful places; what is the best hous- 12:30pm – 1pm Daytime Activities ing model; and what are the best food/ Workshop – How to use Sensu (folding fans) stores, we can have a way to prioritize 11am - 11:30am the answers. As the long-term vision of Chapel Arts, 304 Dunlevy A rare opportunity to learn how to use a Music – Kozue Matsumoto the Downtown Eastside is developing, the purpose of this workshop is to dis- sensu (folding fan) in the style of classi- Chapel Arts, 304 Dunlevy cover the neighbourhood’s priorities. The cal Japanese dance. With visiting Nihon work in the mapping sessions will build Buyo artists Yukimitsu Bando and Yukio- upon the first phase of visioning that mi Bando. Children and adults welcome. CCAP prepared with 1,000 low income

residents. To see the results in the report Photo: John Endo Greenaway Nothing About Us Without Us, visit www. ccapvancouver.wordpress.com. sage). For many Canadians, this limited edition became a symbol of the historic 11am - 2pm Redress campaign, which eventually led Poets Corner – Delayne Azrael to redress and a formal Government of Canada apology in 1988. Today’s view- Chapel Arts Courtyard ing is followed by a Q & A. corner of Dunlevy and Cordova The short video can also be viewed Born and raised in Japan, Kozue now Drop by to share, write and read poetry online at www.lindaohama.com. lives in Vancouver. She has played koto with Delayne Azrael, poet and artist. since she was 3 years old and since koto has always been around her, Kozue says 12pm – 12:30pm “koto is in a way a part of my body” and 11am - 2pm Poetry – Stephen Lytton one of her dreams is to “connect people Workshop – Children’s Art The Living Room, 528 Powell through my music.” An MA student at Oppenheimer Park Field House The aspirations of poet and community UBC, Kozue has performed both in Ja- 400 block Powell activist Stephen Lytton are captured in pan and Canada, including the Powell Children are invited to create masks, this quote: "I feel that every disabled Street Festival, the Fearless Festival and Photo: Ken Tabata streamers and other fanfare in prepara- person, Aboriginal or other, must be other Japanese community events. tion for the 2pm Procession. Workshop involved in the community. This involve- 1:30pm – 2pm led by Oppenheimer Park program staff. ment not only benefits the individual, Voice & Drum – Dalannah Gail Bowen 11am - 12pm but also strengthens and promotes the health of each community. Involvement Chapel Arts, 304 Dunlevy Crafts Workshop – Sue Blue 12pm – 12:30pm A musical activist, Dalannah is a versa- in government policies and decisions tile high-energy singer, songwriter, ac- The Living Room, 528 Powell Short Documentary Film – Sakura Sakura that affect our communities and that tor, playwright and poet. She has been Break the Cycle Now! a workshop with Chapel Arts, 304 Dunlevy of the country in general will, I know, handi-woman Sue Blue, the Queen of a vocalist for 40 years and has expe- Directed by Linda Ohama, Sakura Saku- make way for a much more productive Cordova. Share thoughts and questions rienced many highlights in her musi- ra (2008, 6”) was created to raise aware- and hopeful future for all Aboriginal while beading and other handicrafts. cal career and many challenges in her ness of the cultural significance of the people, and perhaps all people." personal journey. Dalannah continues Legacy Sakura (cherry blossom trees) in to write songs and two of her songs 11am - 1pm Oppenheimer Park. The park is being 12:30pm – 1pm are finalists in international songwrit- re-developed and it's important that the Vision Mapping Workshop Song – Isabel Ramirez ing competitions. Currently, she is lead- historical, spiritual and cultural value of – Carnegie Community Action Project ing an initiative to create a Downtown the trees be taken into consideration. The Living Room, 528 Powell Eastside Centre for the Arts. For more Oppenheimer Park Field House Since the early 1970s, Linda has worked Longtime neighbourhood favourite, information visit 400 block Powell as an exhibiting visual artist, educator folklorista Isabel Ramirez is in fine voice www.decentreforthearts.com. Wendy Pedersen of the Carnegie Com- and independent filmmaker. She helped these days and loves nothing better munity Action Project will lead a work- to initiate substantial funds in support than sharing her songs. shop to narrow down what is important of the national campaign for the Redress to residents and friends of Japantown. Movement for Japanese Canadians with By asking everyone: draw the most her artwork, Watari Dori (A Bird of Pas- 14 15 Procession 2pm – leaves Vancouver Japanese Language School & Japanese Hall, 487 Alexander Processes around Oppenheimer Park, with stops along the way Returns to the VJLS & JH by 3pm East Waterfront Road Participants • Downtown Eastside Samba Band Railway Street • Members of the Oppenheimer VJLS & JH Music Program Alexa nder Street • Okinawa Girls Chorus • Vancouver Japanese Language School ~ Students ~ Board of Directors ~ Moms & kids of Sun Run Training Group Powell Street ~ Members of the Aikido Club Saint James Music Academy on the move and Kyudo Club Oppenheimer Pa rk

• The Ladies in White Main Street Gore Avenue The Ladies in White migrant community in Vancouver. The • Seniors from Tonari Gumi Cordova Street The Ladies in White are an offshoot of Filipino word Kalayaan means "Free- • Philippine Women Centre a larger theatre collective - The Dusty dom," and was chosen as a demonstra- • Students of Saint James Music Academy map courtesy Flowerpot Cabaret - a group known in tion of the deep aspirations for genuine • AND YOU!! Vancouver Heritage Foundation Vancouver for their multidisciplinary freedom that Filipinos hold wherever

theatrical events (puppetry, mime, they may be. Organizations such as the Jackson Avenue Procession banners created by DTES artist, Hastings Street Dunlevy Avenue clown, original composition, choreogra- Philippine Women Centre of BC, SIKLAB poet and community activist Diane Wood. phy, art installation). Drawing from such (the migrants organization), Ugnayan Oppenheimer Music Program infl uences as traditional mime, contem- (Filipino-Canadian Youth Alliance), BC Downtown Eastside Samba Band porary and Balinese dance, and clown- Committee for Human Rights in the Phil- Last fall, in the month leading up to the With support from a Neighbourhood Small Grant to purchase musical instru- ing principles, the Ladies in White move ippines, Filipino Nurses Support Group 2008 DTES Heart of the City Festival, slowly throughout the crowds, leaving and Sinag Bayan (the cultural group), master percussion teacher Joseph ‘Pepe’ ments, the program began as the Home- less Band. After leading a procession to an entranced audience in their wake. work through educating, organizing Danza taught a large group of DTES in- This appearance by Ladies in White is and mobilizing, to empower the com- volved residents to play samba. This spir- Gallery Gachet and a performance at the 2008 DTES Heart of the City Festival, sponsored by the Japantown Live/Work munity to fully participate in Canadian it-lifting get-your-body-shakin’ popular Studios. society. Visit www.kalayaancentre.net or music of is springing up all over the band has developed into the Oppen- heimer Music Program. Led by Rudolf call 604-215-1103 for more information. the world. These workshops were fol- Philippine Women Centre lowed by very successful performances Penner, the weekly program takes neigh- The Kalayaan Centre is a Filipino com- at the 2008 Festival. Now the beat goes bourhood musicians on a musical journey Saint James Music Academy munity centre run through the commit- The Saint James Music Academy stu- on and the band is very pleased to again from rock, to country, to rap. Members of ment of volunteers. These volunteers dents are escorted to the Academy at present its infectious uplifting music in the program join in with the DTES Samba recognize the Centre's work as borne Saint James Anglican Church by volun- the streets, and for the residents and Band for today’s procession. out of the hard struggle of the Filipino teers – our "walking school bus" – and friends of our ‘hood. Today’s procession community in Canada for survival, digni- are picked up by caregivers after lessons. is led by Terry Hunter, the Band Co-ordi- Okinawa Girls Chorus ty and freedom. Since 1996, the groups To see the students travelling in the nator, and Artistic Producer of the DTES Visiting from Okinawa Prefecture, in the Kalayaan Centre have operated neighbourhood, some arm in arm, oth- Heart of the City Festival. the Girls Chorus joins the procession. Along with the Okinawa Dancers, we to serve the needs of the growing but ers carrying musical instrument cases, it’s are pleased to have the guests perform marginalized Filipino migrant and im- a procession in itself. Visit www.sjma.ca for us during the 3pm Ceremony at the for more information. Japanese Hall.

16 17 Oppenheimer Drum Group Led by Patrick Smith and sponsored by the Aboriginal Wellness Centre, the Op- penheimer Drum Group meets Thurs- days at the Oppenheimer Field House. We are pleased to welcome them to the Japanese Hall.

Steveston Tera Taiko Music Academy is located at St. James’ Anglican Church. In providing this space, the church continues its 125-year tradi- tion of excellence in music and commit- Photo: John Endo Greenaway ment to its neighbourhood. Visit www.sjma.ca for more information. 3pm – Japanese Hall, 487 Alexander Ceremony & Performances Wushu Taiji Qigong Institute, MCs: Grace Eiko Thomson, Hannah Walker of Japanese Canadian National Museum Grandmaster Shou-Yu Liang from 1999 to 2002. Wushu (Kung Fu) is the proper term for Welcome Seventeen-year-old Hannah Walker has Steveston Tera Taiko is the first orga- all the martial arts styles in . It has • Sekyu Siyam - Chief Ian Campbell, lived across from Oppenheimer Park nized taiko group in Richmond and been practiced in China for thousands Squamish Nation since she was two years old and a couple only the 2nd youth taiko group in the of years. Wushu consists of thousands of • Mayor’s Office, City of Vancouver years ago she received 1st place in the Lower Mainland. They were formed in different external and internal styles in- Pivot photography contest. Hannah is December of 2000 at the Steveston Bud- cluding bare hands and weapons. Aside dhist Temple. Their instructors were Mr. from a means of self-defense, Wushu Guest Speakers also interested in singing, music and so- cial justice. Shinobu Homma and Ms. Naomi Shikaze has also been developed into a sport. • Seiichi Otsuka, Consul General of for the first two and a half years. Ste- Wushu improves participants’ health Japan in Vancouver Okinawa Girls Chorus veston Tera Taiko has been performing and fitness, as well as reaction time, • Libby Davies, MP for Vancouver East for the last four years. Highlights in- agility, jumping ability, balance, flex- • Harry Bloy, MLA Burquitlam & Traditional Dance Group clude: Canada Day Festival, ibility, coordination, power and speed. • Jessica Chen, City of Vancouver Western University Culture Today, Wushu is also a presentation art. Planning Department Shock, CTV News In Your Neighbour- The Wushu Institute has been in the hood, Richmond Olympic Oval Opening neighbourhood since 1987 and their Performers Celebrations, and collaborations with main training hall is at 220 Jackson. • Okinawa Girls Chorus The Chen Ling Academy of Dance, Chibi www.shouyuliang.com. • Okinawa Traditional Dance Group Taiko, Uzume Taiko and Le Patin Libre. • Oppenheimer Drum Group • Vancouver Buddhist Church Choir Saint James Music Academy • Steveston Tera Taiko The Saint James Music Academy gives • Saint James Music Academy young people the opportunity to ex- • Wushu Taiji Qigong Institute Visiting from Okinawa Prefecture in Ja- pan, the Okinawa Girls Chorus gives us a plore their creative potential, gain self- Food confidence, get an academic head start, Past-president of the National Associa- taste of their choral talents. Also visiting from across the Pacific Ocean is the Okina- and develop good relationships, all of 5pm - 6pm Savoury Japanese Food tion of Japanese Canadians, Grace Eiko which will add to their success in life. Thomson previously taught Canadian wa Traditional Dance Group. The Vancou- Vancouver Japanese Language School ver Japanese Language School & Japanese At a time when Vancouver’s Downtown and Asian art histories at University of Eastside is rapidly changing, we have & Japanese Hall Manitoba and University of Saskatche- Hall will present a full program of perfor- mance on Sunday March 29 at 1:30pm. established a music education program, Minimal cost. Prepared by volunteer wan, worked as a curator of contempo- which will remain accessible to children team of VJLS & JH. Proceeds to the rary art, and was the Executive Director from low-income families. Saint James School and the Celebration. 18 19 Gala Evening 6pm – Japanese Hall, 487 Alexander Special Guests MCs: Margaret Gallagher & Stephen Lytton (Filipino martial artist) and guest Alcvin 8pm – Japanese Hall, 487 Alexander Ramos (shakuhachi). Performers Bando-ryu School of Dance Special dance performance with Yukimitsu M’Girl • Kathara Dance Moraima Bando and her son Yukiomi Bando of the Moraima • Sawagi Taiko Bando-ryu School of Nihon Buyo Founda- tion from . “The classical dance form Margaret Gallagher is an arts reporter of “nihon buyo” is performed in kabuki the- and a contributor to CBC Radio One. atre and by geisha. It focuses on elegance, Stephen Lytton is a DTES poet and com- precision and nuance, and is rich with com- munity activist. plexity.” Craig Takeuchi, Georgia Straight M’Girl M'Girl [pronounced ma-girl] is a fast-ris- ing award-winning Aboriginal women’s vocal ensemble. With an inspired fu- sion of harmonies, they incorporate the Moraima brings together Vancouver gui- Japantown Live/Work Studios 386 Powell Street sounds of R&B, blues, folk/roots, house tarist Peter Mole, Spanish-born singer Jose and world beat with traditional Aborigi- Lara, and Al Mozaico Flamenco Dance Japantown Studios, as it is commonly Bank Prize winner Etienne Zack. nal melodic phrasing, songforms and Theatre soloist Michelle Harding. Their known, was incorporated in 2005 by a Japantown Studios Ltd. is happy to rhythms. The message in the music is an high-energy flamenco performances have group of business people committed to participate in the Japantown Celebra- emergence of cultural ideals and world- been thrilling Vancouver audiences for sustaining the building and artistic com- tion and help this area grow. Japan- views from the perspectives of their Me- many years. Catch them live at the Kino munity in the area. The building at 386 town Studios is a for-profit business tis/Cree (Nêhiyawin), Ojibway and Mo- Cafe on Cambie Street and experience an Powell is over a hundred years old and is and does not rely on subsidies from any hawk backgrounds. For this evening’s evening of inspired flamenco. The eve- zoned for artist live/work studios since it level of government. They have recently performance M’Girl is Renae Morriseau, ning’s program will include Fandangos de underwent extensive renovation in the launched the Breadline Gallery which Tiare LaPorte and Jenifer Brousseau. Huelva; Rumbas; and Alegrias. mid-90s. A historical timeline is posted has two main components, regular win- in the front window and lists the previ- dow displays and a developing online Kathara Dance Sawagi Taiko ous occupants and uses. gallery to display and to market local Since 2002, Kathara Dance has been Formed in 1990, Sawagi Taiko is Cana- Famed Japanese Canadian artist, poet art, artistic productions and handicrafts. and university instructor Roy Kiyooka involved in an artistic and cultural ex- da’s first and foremost all-women's tai- For further information on artists, had studios on the upper floors in the change with the 21 year old Kathara ko group. The members of Sawagi Taiko please go to: [email protected] 1980s and 90s. Though there have been Dance Theatre Collective of the South- explore their different ancestral legacies japantownstudios.ca, sansoucie.ca, artists living and working in the building ern . Kathara Canada con- in the art form of taiko and the pieces oraearth.com, breadlinegallery.com since the early 1900s, Kiyooka's presence tinues to foster awareness of Philippine reflect their diverse experiences as East atomised.ca, bcpotters.com/members/ is generally acknowledged as the reason indigenous identity through theatre, Asian Canadian women. As a perform- danny_kostyshin for the artistic zoning today. Since 2005 traditional and contemporary music, ing group, they create an environment millenniumplateproject.wetpaint.com dance and martial art. Artistic Director where all members can initiate and ex- Japantown Studios has housed a variety and performance artist Babette Santos plore their artistic visions. Sawagi Taiko of working artists including: award win- Breadline Gallery continues the historical and cultural ning Katherine Souci, who produces her has returned from the Philippines in an Window Installations on Sat March 28 arts exchange with Ambala Aeta tribe connections amongst different Asian own line of clothing using specialized • Ceramics - Danny Kostyshin in Bataan. In the spirit of multicultural- cultures - the instrument originated in processes; Randi Obenauer, who creates • Looping video installation Bridging ism, Kathara invites guest artists to ex- China; the artistic form originated in the handbags and other goods from recycled the Gap - Sean Arden plore the Philippines and its historical rural communities of Japan. The mem- leather; and longtime local ceramic artist • short videos Lifeskills Film & Video links to , China, Islam, , bers of the group are Mariko Heidelk, Danny Kostyshin. Painters Eli Bornowsky, Group - Quin Martins and . Tonight’s performers are Rika Moorhouse, Jeanie Ow, Sachiko Mat Bushel, and Colin Johansen currently Michael Louw (percussion), Babette San- Yamaguchi and Linda Uyehara Hoffman. occupy the space once used by the world tos (percussion, dance), Oneal Mendoza famous Canadian Attila Lukacs and Royal 20 21 Congratulations and best wishes on this special occasion of the Japantown Multicultural Neighbourhood Celebration!

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF JAPANESE CANADIANS EXECUTIVE BOARD Other Events AND THE NAJC ENDOWMENT COMMITTEE Japan Fair at “Under the Cherry Tree” chitects' Haiku Cherry Tree Installations Sat March 28 & Sun March 29 and more. Garden entrance fee applies 10am - 5pm to “Sakura Days.” VanDusen Botanical Garden, 5251 Oak www.najc.ca [email protected] St. (37th & Oak) For more information: [email protected], www.vcbf.ca Bring on the blossoms at “Under the Cherry Tree” and enjoy the Japan Fair Presented by the Japan Fair Organiz- Neighbours helping with Japanese cultural arts, products ing Committee: Japanese Business As- neighbours since and demonstrations in addition to sociation of Vancouver (Konwakai); 1907 the best of BC’s fine crafts. Come ex- Vancouver Mokuyokai Society; Japanese perience the food, performances and Women's Business Association (JWBA); hands on demonstrations of a family Vancouver Japanese Business Associa- friendly sakura matsuri (cherry blos- tion (Kiyukai); Japan-Canada Chamber on ratulations som festival.) Free admission to “Un- of Commerce and The Canada-Japan So- C g der the Cherry Tree.” ciety; Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival The Strathcona Business Society; and Crackerjack; in conjunction to the Japantown Celebrate spring inside the garden at with the Consulate General of Japan in Improvement Association “Sakura Days” with a tea ceremony, Vancouver to celebrate the 80th Anni- is pleased to support the Multicultural sake tasting, garden tour, Bing Thom Ar- versary of Japan-Canada Relations. Japantown Multicultural Neighbourhood Other event announcements Neighbourhood Celebration Celebration. • Sunday March 29, 12pm to 3pm in the heart of our community Best wishes from Vancouver Buddhist Temple Spring Food Bazaar, 220 Jackson • Sunday March 29, 1:30pm Central City Okinawa Traditional Song and Dance Vancouver Japanese Language School & Japanese Hall, 487 Alexander Foundation. • April 14 to April 18 Cherry Blossom Festival, Oppenheimer Park 22 23 “Within 30 short years of settlement, native power over this area had col- lapsed; Japanese immigrants began to replace Aboriginal workers and take residence; thousands of immigrants arrived by train and ship. Victoria capital- ists Dr. Israel Powell (Superintendent of Indian Affairs) and David Oppen- heimer (Vancouver’s fi rst mayor) bought up most of the land east of Carrall St. to Clark. Here, Vancouver’s fi rst cultural institutions and churches were established and the area’s cycles of fabulous boom times and ongoing decline set in motion. As wealthier residents left in the 1890s for the West End, mixed use buildings became the norm – with small family businesses on street level and rooming or boarding houses above.” Savannah Walling

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