Contact Info

_jcaap

The Japanese Canadian Arts and Activism Project (JCAAP) studies the intersections of artistic practice, community building, and JC history.

Thank you so much to everyone who came out to join

Thank you so much to everyone who came out to join us at our Grab Your Senbei launch event!! 🍘

It was so incredible to see everyone in person and on zoom. We hope you had as much fun as we did. If you weren’t able to make it, don’t worry —we’ll be posting the videos on our website in the coming days, so keep your eyes peeled!

We also want to extend a massive thank you to MOMOTea ( @momoteatoronto ) for graciously donating such a wonderful selection of teas for the event. If you enjoy sipping on Japanese teas, from traditional matchas to flavoured senchas, check out their online store! 🍵

Have you got your tickets yet for the FREE, hybrid

Have you got your tickets yet for the FREE, hybrid launch event of Grab Your Senbei yet? Grab Your Senbei is an educational video series about Japanese Canadian arts, culture and identity 🍘 The event is next Friday so grab your in-person or online tickets using the link our bio, if you haven’t already 🎟️

🎥 Here is a message from the filmmaker 🎥

Hi! I’m Mitsuko Noguchi, a mixed heritage, yonsei (fourth-generation) Japanese Canadian. I’m currently an undergraduate Visual Studies student at the University of Toronto, and my work spans performance, paper art, animation, and film. I’ve also worked in the film, tv, and advertising industry for six years, both behind-the-screen and on-screen. I’ve worked in production teams for Netflix, DC Universe, and Disney; and have appeared in ads with Bell, Interac, Turbotax, and more.

I personally experienced a disconnect to my Japanese Canadian heritage growing up, and since joining the Japanese Canadian Arts and Activism Project (JCAAP) in 2022, I have gained a connection that I wish I had throughout my youth. My personal struggle to connect with my heritage and cultural identity is also echoed in the stories of Nikkei storytellers, artists, and activists across the country… speaking to culture-wide, multi-layered dissociations. “Grab Your Senbei” is a response to this alienation. My video series aims to inspire and connect; each video unpacks nuanced expressions of Japanese Canadian identity and revels in the strength and beauty of our community.

Today is the UN World Day of Social Justice! It's

Today is the UN World Day of Social Justice!

It's the perfect opportunity to honour Setsuko Thurlow, an incredible Japanese Canadian activist and atomic bomb survivor who has fought tirelessly for global nuclear disarmament.

Check out the link in our bio to visit the website for "The Vow from Hiroshima," a documentary chronicling Setsuko's incredible journey!
@uoftfifsw
@uoftalumni
#uoftalumni

While on the West Coast, we also conducted focus g

While on the West Coast, we also conducted focus groups in Vancouver as part of our SSHRC-funded BRAID JC project!

We are beyond grateful to Masako-san and @tonarigumi.ca, Emiko Morita and @powellstfest, and everyone who participated in our research.

Thank you so much for having us!

The JCAAP team presented at the Society for Social

The JCAAP team presented at the Society for Social Work and Research 29th Annual Conference (SSWR)!

In our roundtable, "Diverse Pathways to 'Ethnic' Identities in a Rapidly Diversifying Ethnic Group: Searching for Belonging and Forging Community Among Japanese Canadians," our team presented findings from our studies into different facets of the JC community, from the experiences of (mis)socialization experienced by mixed JC individuals to the experiences of Japanese-speaking adults and queer JC youth!

Thank you so much to everyone who joined our discussions! We truly appreciated your profound and thought-provoking questions and insights!

Team members who presented:

1st and 2nd photos: from the left, Izumi Niki, Izumi Sakamoto, Viveka Ichikawa

3rd photo: Sofia Callaghan

Unpictured: Boomba Nishikawa

@uoftfifsw

Abandoned: The Stories of Japanese War Orphans in

Abandoned: The Stories of Japanese War Orphans in The Philippines and China film screening this Saturday, December 7th at 2:30pm EST and Zoom panel at 10:00pm EST!

Please go to bio for the links, scan the QR code (bottom right corner of the posted) or follow the linktree in @philippinenikkeijinkai bio to register for the in-person film screening in Toronto, Canada and our virtual Zoom panel discussion:

👥 Here is a short bio for each of the panelists for the virtual panel discussion:
Dr. Patricia Okubo Afable is a Sansei (third generation) Filipino-Japanese descendant and anthropologist whose research and writing mainly focus on language, ethnohistory, and cultural history in the northern Philippine Cordillera. Her works include editing the book “Japanese Pioneers in the Northern Philippine Highlands” (2004) that flowed from her personal links to Baguio City’s colonial-era Ibaloy, Japanese, and Tagalog communities. Currently, she is engaged in curatorial research at the Yale Peabody Museum in New Haven, Connecticut.

Roger Raymundo is a migrant rights activist based in Saitama, Japan. A Yonsei (fourth generation) Filipino-Japanese descendant, his family’s return-migration to Japan and his own experiences as a factory worker had led him to advocate for the rights of all migrants through his work at the KAFIN Migrant Center.

Dr. Yui Ibuki is a researcher at the Institute of Social Theory and Dynamics, specializing in migration studies with a focus on immigrants in contemporary Japanese society. Her work centres on Japanese return migrants, including Japanese war orphans in China, Japanese Brazilians and their descendants, and their integration into Japanese society. Since 2015, she has conducted extensive fieldwork in a city historically noted for its significant “migration” to Manchuria. Her latest article explores the identities of third- and fourth-generation descendants of Japanese war orphans in China, particularly those born in Japan.

Please DM us if you have any questions. Hope to see you there!

Please get in touch with Izumi Niki at izumi.niki@

Please get in touch with Izumi Niki at izumi.niki@mail.utoronto.ca to register or to receive further details!

Looking for great JC literature this Fall? 🍂 Do

Looking for great JC literature this Fall? 🍂
Don't forget to check out Terry Watada's new book: Hiroshima Bomb Money!

Since 1977, Powell Street Festival has brought tog

Since 1977, Powell Street Festival has brought together Japanese Canadian arts and activism in former Paueru-gai located in Vancouver’s DTES.

Here, long-time festival volunteers discuss how the festival has evolved across generations.

Speakers: Mayumi Takasaki, Lucy Komori, Connie Kadota

In this clip, two Sansei women involved in the org

In this clip, two Sansei women involved in the organization of the first-ever Powell Street Festival discuss the slide tape that they created, which captured Japanese Canadian history.

Specifically, they discuss how the slide tape was put together in response to other organizers’ attempts to source performers from Japan.

Speakers: Lucy Komori, Connie Kadota

Happy Powell Street Festival everyone! In this au

Happy Powell Street Festival everyone!

In this audiogram reowned playwright and former Powell Street Festival Coordinator, Rick Shiomi, speaks about the amazing volunteers that make the festival a reality.

Powell Street Festival is tomorrow! Don't forget t

Powell Street Festival is tomorrow! Don't forget to stop by the JCAAP booth 💜

BBQ Salmon, Kakigori, Yakisoba, Takoyaki, Spam Musubi...the list goes on and on! The Powell Street Festival is famous for the countless, delicious food choices!!

The memories in this post showcase just that! What foods at the Powell Street Festival are your favourite? What does sharing food, preparing food, eating food at the Powell Street Festival mean to you?

We'd love to hear in the comments below what PSF food you're craving right now! 🍧

✨️Only 7 More Days 'til Powell Street Festival

✨️Only 7 More Days 'til Powell Street Festival!!! ✨️

Many of the memories from Powell Street Festival that were shared with us on the display map surrounded the idea of (re)-connecting. (Re)-connecting with culture, (re)-connecting with identity, (re)-connecting with friends, (re)-connecting with family.

The memories shared here highlight the different ways the Powell Street Festival was a setting for participants to (re)-connect to something.

We haven't posted for a while, but we're back and

We haven't posted for a while, but we're back and counting down the days til Powell Street Festival!

"What is one of your first memories of the festival?" This was one of our most used prompts to get participants of the festival last year to think about what to add to our map display.

There were many who shared that it was their first time at the festival! Others shared memories from years, and even decades before. In this post, you'll even see some memories from folks who co-ordinated and supported the first festival in 1977!

What are some of your first memories of the festival? We'd love to see them in the comments 💭

Register at the link in our bio!

Register at the link in our bio!

Register at the link in our bio!

Register at the link in our bio!

And a final BIG BIG thank you for all of the folks

And a final BIG BIG thank you for all of the folks who shared their time and stories with us. It was so great to get to connect with so many of you!! We hope to continue to connect with more folks! If you are interested in sharing your memories of Powell Street Festival with us, send us a DM!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Slide 1: A photo from set-up day! Left to right: Kathy Shimizu (PSFS), Eddy Takayanagi (PSFS), TSL, Izumi Sakamoto, Ai Yamamoto, Momo Ando. @etakayanagi @ai_not_al @momo.ando @izumiskmt
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Slide 2: Sean Gunn (left) posing with one of our JCAAP researchers, Mitsuko Noguchi (right).
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Slide 3: A group photo of a conversation with long-time PSF volunteers, as well as the current Executive Director of Powell Street Festival Society (PSFS). The back row left to right: TSL, Momo Ando, Connie Kadota, Emiko Morita (PSFS), Lucy Komori. Front row left to right: Ai Yamamoto, Izumi Sakamoto. @mevancouver
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Slide 4: A photo from a conversation with Masako Arima of Tonari Gumi. Left to right: Masako Arima, Izumi Sakamoto, Momo Ando. @tonarigumi.ca
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Slide 5: A photo of the research team with a member of Kokuho Rose Prohibited. Left to right: Ai Yamamoto, Mitsuko Noguchi, Linda Uyehara Hoffman, Momo Ando, Izumi Sakamoto @lindahoffman1457
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Slide 6: A photo of Rick Shiomi (left) with our head researcher, Izumi Sakamoto (right).
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Slide 7: A photo from a conversation with Takeo Yamashiro. Left to right: Momo Ando, Takeo Yamashiro, Izumi Sakamoto.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
We cannot say thank you enough to @powellstfest for having us and everyone else for sharing their stories!

On Day 2 of the @powellstfest, we were able to cat

On Day 2 of the @powellstfest, we were able to catch more performances! 🎶 And, of course, collect more stories from festival go-ers!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Slide 1: The research team (from the left: Ai Yamamoto, Momo Ando, Mitsuko Noguchi, TSL, Izumi Sakamoto) posing with the final map with all of the memories of PSF! @izumiskmt @momo.ando @ai_not_al
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Slide 2: A close-up of Oppenheimer Park on our map where people shared their memories. Most participants shared a memory that took place at this park 🌳
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Slide 3: A performance by Ten Ten - a trio consisting of (left to right) Heidi Chan, Aki Takahashi, and Kiyoshi Nagata @tenten.shamisen @nagata.kiyoshi
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Slide 4: A performance by Kokuho Rose Prohibited - a band from the 1970's consisting of (from left to right) Rick Shiomi, John Endo Greenaway, Lynda Uyehara Hoffman, Joyce Chong, and Sean Gunn. @johneg @lindahoffman1457
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Slide 5: A performance of Shansho Daiko closing off the festival! @johneg @sanshodaiko
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Slide 6: The research team and volunteers posing in front of the final map! Thank you for sharing all of your stories!!

We know it’s been over one week since the @powel

We know it’s been over one week since the @powellstfest and we’re still thinking about our amazing time! Here are some photos from our first day with the festival 👹🎏🍧

Photo 1: Our beautiful map designed by our Research Assistant, Mitsuko Noguchi, before participants added their memories of the festival. Over the weekend, research assistants asked festival go-ers to add their memories of the festival to the map using cards and yarn!

Photo 2: Long time PSF volunteers at the Information Booth (left to right) Lucy Komori, Mayumi Takasaki @mgtakasaki, Connie Kadota

Photo 3: Two map participants who were kind enough to help us roll up our yarn! 🧶

Photo 4: Our set up for interviews with festival go-ers 🎙️ @sofiacallaghan

Photo 5: A close up of a few of the PSF memories collected on the first day. Peep the creativity with origami!

Photo 6: The map at the end of day 1!!

We will be at the Powell Street Festival on August

We will be at the Powell Street Festival on August 5 and August 6 from 12pm - 5:30pm! Come visit us at the Vancouver Buddhist Temple to share your stories of the festival ☀️🌻✨

Load More Follow on Instagram