A Trip to Vancouver BC with NAP
By David Yamaguchi
NAP Contributor
Visiting Japanese communities in cities near Seattle, Washington is worthwhile for the perspective it provides on our own city and circumstances. Among such cities, Vancouver, British Columbia, is probably less visited by NAP readers owing to the need to cross the Canadian border.
The Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre, Burnaby, B.C. Photo courtesy: NNMCC
This new NAP/Hokubei Hochi Foundation fundraiser is a five-day, four-night trip that will explore the history and culture of the Japanese Canadian community in Vancouver. Its past is similar yet different from Seattle Japanese Americans. Key destinations include:
- Nikkei Museum & Cultural Centre (Burnaby)
- Brittania Ship yards National Historic Site (Steveston)
- Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site (Steveston)
- Japantown (Vancouver)
- Powell Street Festival, an outdoor Japanese festival in its 50th year (Vancouver)
- Japanese Canadian War Memorial, Stanley Park (Vancouver)
As travel will be via Amtrak and local public transportation (SkyTrain), participants must be able to walk well. The last one and one-half days of the trip include “free time” and optional sightseeing destinations such as the Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver.
Guides: Seattle Sansei (third generation Japanese American) Roger Yamaguchi, whose mother was Japanese Canadian, has made many trips to Vancouver throughout his lifetime. The Canadian history of his family is well described by Laura Saimoto (Roger’s cousin) at: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/point-of-view-mothers-day-laura-saimoto-japanese-canadians-internment-covid-19-1.5560516. Lead organizer, David Yamaguchi and Roger’s cousin, is a former NAP editor. David is presently helping NAP/Hokubei Hochi Foundation with its fundraising part-time.
- Dates: July 30 through August 3
- Estimated cost: $900 USD/person includes Amtrak travel, hotel, main-tour museum fees, and a $30 CAN SkyTrain card. Meals not included.
- Signup: Limit of 20 travelers who first place deposits of $200 each.
- Payments may be made by check to North American Post, P.O. Box 3173, Seattle WA 98114 or credit card by emailing accounting@napost.com (for an invoice with payment details). Please add 3% ($6) to cover processing fee.
- Deposits are 100% refundable until June 30. Partial refunds available afterwards.
Suggested background reading: “Landscapes of Injustice” (Jordan Stanger-Ross, ed., 2020) or see: www.landscapesofinjustice.com/book.
For more information, contact: davidyamaguchisea@gmail.com.
