Immigrated to Canada in 1986. BA in Sociology from Waseda University. A freelance writer for the Japanese media; a regular columnist for Vancouver-based JCCA Bulletin and Fraser Journal since 2012. Former Japanese editor of the Nikkei Voice (1989-2012). Co-founder of the Katari Japanese Storytellers since 1994. Lecturer on the Nikkei history at various universities in Japan. His translation Horonigai Shori, the Japanese edition of Bittersweet Passage by Maryka Omatsu was awarded The 4th Canadian Prime Minister Award for Publishing in 1993.

Hajimemashite! My name is Mimi Okabe, and I immigrated to Canada when I was 11 months old. I identify as bicultural and bilingual, though I would like to be a polyglot one day! I hold a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of Alberta, where I've taught literature, pop culture and Japanese. As a scholar of Japanese cultural studies, my research and expertise lie in neo-Meiji and neo-Victorian adaptations of Sherlock Holmes! I am also one of the founders of Japanese for Nikkei, an online learning and teaching platform specializing in reconnecting Nikkei with their heritage language. I hope to show my support as a volunteer by writing articles in both English and Japanese and in any way Discover Nikkei sees fit! To learn more about me, please consider visiting mimiokabe.com and japanesefornikkei.com Yoroshiku onegai shimasu!

George Doi is a Nikkei born in a small mining town in British Columbia, Canada. He was just 9 years old when his family was uprooted and interned in Bay Farm camp. Now 88 years old, he still has sharp memories of those times and the hardships endured there. Upon retirement, George wrote a self-published volume chronicling the years during and after the war. Originally intended just as a family history, the book has been distributed more widely to Nikkei centres and places where historians may access the information. He has expanded on the book with shorter articles and stories which were published in the Nelson Star newspaper. He also wrote of a recent milestone achieved -- a cumulative walk of 40,075 km or the distance equal to the earth's circumference. That story was picked up by Black Press and featured in the newspapers around the province.

I was born in Havana City. My paternal grandfathers emigrated from Japan to Cuba in the mid 20th century. I live in Canada since 2005, where I came to pursue an academic career (Master and PhD degrees on Latin American cinema, literature and history). I created a website about Japanese immigration to Cuba, cubanonikkei.com. It has allowed me to connect with many nikkei in and outside Cuba, and share their stories.

The place to experience vibrant programs and exhibits about Japanese Canadian history, arts and culture. Nikkei Centre officially opened on September 22, 2000 in a beautiful multi-use facility in Burnaby, BC, conceptually designed by renowned Canadian architect Raymond Moriyama. Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre is an incorporated non-profit and charitable society which is community-based and primarily volunteer-run. Generally known as the Nikkei Centre, and as the Nikkei National Museum for museum programs. Our mission is to honour, preserve, and share Japanese Canadian history and culture for a better Canada. Nikkei National Museum produces several exhibits each year (balancing historical content with traditional and contemporary art) and collects, preserves and makes accessible archives, art and artifacts related to Japanese Canadian heritage. Currently the collection includes more than 3000 photographs, 350 oral history recordings, over 25 metres of archival and textual materials, and 1000 artifacts. The collections are accessed by scholars and community researchers on a regular basis. Each year, over 1000 students participate in our educational programs. In addition to public programs and exhibits, Nikkei Centre provides community services, weekly cultural programs, produces several publications, and makes our facilities available for public use and special events. We are a well-known “boutique”-style rental facility for weddings, parties and corporate meetings. Nikkei Centre serves all Japanese Canadians across the country, and is an important resource for other communities to learn about the Japanese Canadian experience.

Founded in 1987 as a vehicle to inform the Nikkei (people of Japanese descent) of the then burgeoning Japanese Canadian redress movement, Nikkei Voice is a national Japanese Canadian newspaper that has evolved into an important medium for Japanese Canadian expression and communication. Covering news, arts, culture, entertainment, food as well as a focus on Japanese Canadian history, Nikkei Voice aims to connect the Japanese Canadian community that has been dispersed across Canada. It is published 10 times a year in Toronto by the Board of Directors of Nikkei Research and Education Project of Ontario, and operates as a non-profit organization. Find Nikkei Voice online at www.nikkeivoice.ca, as well as on Facebook and twitter.