Tickets to the silent auction on April 9th are only $40. A creative buffet dinner will be provided by Chef Yamamoto from Hi Genki, Pings Wings Wandering Wok, Miku, The Eatery, and CAKE-YA. Performances by Yayoi (dance), Leslie Uyeda & Heather Pawsey (piano and vocals), and Nishihara & Kage (piano and taiko drums) will enliven the gorgeous Ellipse Lobby. The evening will be MCed by actor and radio personality Tetsuro Shigematsu.

Bring your wallets and be prepared for fantastic, high quality art at amazing deals, delicious and creative food, live performances and fabulous company – a chance to hob-nob with good taste!

Revisit our website for a complete listing of art available for auction.

Showcase: March 20-April 9, admission by donation

Silent Auction Fundraiser: Friday, April 9, 6-9pm | TICKETS $40 includes dinner and live entertainment
Tickets available at the National Nikkei Museum & Heritage Centre | 604.777.7000

A Tragedy of Democracy: Japanese Confinement in North America

Tuesday, March 9, 7pm
Intergenerational Room 105

Greg Robinson will present a talk on his recent book A Tragedy of Democracy. This is the first book to analyze official policy toward West Coast Japanese Americans within a North American context. Approaching Japanese confinement as a continental and international phenomenon, Robinson offers a truly kaleidoscopic understanding of its genesis and outcomes.

Copyright: Leonard Frank by Director Eli Gorn
Leonard Frank came from Germany to Canada in 1892. Overwhelmed by the beauty and grandeur of his new homeland, he started carrying a camera with him into the back country. Leonard Frank became one of Canada’s greatest photographers. 23 minutes.

Pilgrimage by Tadashi Nakamura
With a hip music track, never-before-seen archival footage and a story-telling style that features both old and new pilgrims, PILGRIMAGE is the first film to show how the WWII camps were reclaimed by the children of its victims. The Manzanar Pilgrimage now has fresh meaning for diverse generations of people.  It was failure of democracy that would affect all Americans. This film brings new and much-needed insight to the lessons of the past for our post-9/11 world. 22 minutes.

Vancouver’s premire event for: Anime, Comics, Gaming, Sci-Fi
Special guests: Alex Milne (artist for Transformers), Pia Guerra (Y The Last Man) and more!
For more info; www.hollywoodnorthexpo.com

A public screening of Ohanashi: The Story of Our Elders, a 10 part series of life stories of Japanese Canadian elders, directed by Susanne Tabata and produced by the Japanese Canadian National Museum.
Some screenings will be followed by a discussion about the Japanese Canadian internment lead by Leslie Komori.  Leslie Komori is a third generation Vancouverite. She is active in the Japanese Canadian community, creator of the Lemon Creek Map Project, and a member of several Taiko groups.

February 13, 2pm

Kazue Oye (30 min) and Alfie Kamitakahara (43 min)

After completing grade 8 in Steveston, Kazue Oye went to Japan for higher education. She married and had two children in Canada, but was widowed soon after. During WWII she worked at the self-supporting community of Christina Lake.

Alfie Kamitakahara grew up in Steveston and spent internment years in Slocan. Following internment, he worked on a farm in Alberta before starting his own insurance agency.

Kazue Oye and Alfie Kamitakahara will be in attendance.

March 13, 2pm

Tom Sando Kuwabara and Shig Kuwabara (47 min) and Susumu Tabata (44 min)

Brothers Tom Sando and Shig Kuwabara were born in Skeena River, and were sent to a prisoner-of-war camp during WWII.  After the war they were offered jobs in Northern Manitoba.

Susumu Tabata was born in Steveston and spent the internment years in Kaslo. He later worked in Nanaimo and earned a Masters in Oceanography from UBC, and a PhD from the University of Tokyo.

Shig Kuwabara and Susumu Tabata will be in attendance.

April 10, 2pm

Marie Katsuno (35 min) and Shirley Omatsu (44 min)

Marie Katsuno grew up in East Burnaby and West Vancouver where her family was part of a fishing village. During the internment her family lived in New Denver, and after the war they moved to Japan. She returned to Canada with her husband in 1994.

Shirley Omatsu grew up on Powell Street and went to the self-sustaining community of Notch Hill in the Okanagan Valley during WWII. Following internment, she returned to Vancouver and managed a high-end hair salon.

Marie Katsuno and Shirley Omatsu will be in attendance.

May 8, 2pm

Midge Ayukawa (33 min) and May Komiyama (34 min)

Midge Ayukawa grew up in a mixed-background neighbourhood in Vancouver until the interment separated her family. Her father was sent away to a labour camp and the rest of her family went to Lemon Creek. Later on, she earned her PhD at the University of Victoria studying Japanese Canadian history.

Born in Vancouver, May was raised in a non-Japanese neighbourhood. Her nursing school training was disrupted by internment and the family’s move to Kaslo. After internment she completed nursing at Guelph.

Midge Ayukawa will be in attendance.

June 12, 2pm

Irene Tsuyuki (45 min) and Tak Miyazaki (35 min)

Born and raised on Powell Street, Irene Tsuyuki and her family moved to Tashme during internment. After internment, her father’s poor health took the family to Japan, where he recovered. Irene worked there but never felt welcome, and she had to be sponsored by a family in Canada in order to return.

Born in Steveston, Tak Miyazaki spent time in the internment communities of Bridge River and Minto City. After internment, he returned to the coast to help his father in the fishing industry. He represented Steveston during the redress settlement and is active in the local Buddhist community.

Irene Tsuyuki will be in attendance.