Discover Nikkei Logo

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/users/Stankirk/

@Stankirk
Nima of the month: June 2018

I grew up in a small conservative town in western Canada and am now teaching English at Konan University in Kobe, Japan. During my college days at the University of Calgary, I met a few Japanese Canadians, including an office administrator who was a sister-in-law to Joy Kogawa. After coming to Japan I was fortunate to come in contact with several fascinating Japanese Canadians who had been illegally deported to Japan after the war and have lived in Japan ever since. A couple years ago I started my present research on the life histories of these exiles and am finding it to be the most fulfilling research I have ever done. I hope to continue this research and eventually develop some English language education materials around these life histories.

Nikkei Interests

communities families festivals food Japantowns taiko
Article
en
ja
es
pt
Exile and Back: The Story of the Hirai Family
Chapter 6—Life after Retirement and Vision for the Japanese Canadian Community
Read Chapter 5 >> From 2019 Shig and Akemi gradually started to retire from their groce…

Feb. 25, 2024

en
ja
es
pt
British Columbia Burnaby Canada generations Japan Japanese Canadians Japanese prefectural associations Kika Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre Nisei Shiga Prefecture youth
British Columbia Burnaby Canada generations Japan Japanese Canadians Japanese prefectural associations Kika Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre Nisei Shiga Prefecture youth
Article
en
ja
es
pt
Exile and Back: The Story of the Hirai Family
Chapter 5—Struggle to Adjust
Read Chapter 4 >> In stark contrast to Shig, who had previously lived in Canada till ag…

Feb. 18, 2024

en
ja
es
pt
barbering British Columbia Canada exiles families family histories genealogy generations Japanese Canadians Kika Nisei schools Vancouver (B.C.)
barbering British Columbia Canada exiles families family histories genealogy generations Japanese Canadians Kika Nisei schools Vancouver (B.C.)
Article
en
ja
es
pt
Exile and Back: The Story of the Hirai Family
Chapter 4—Return to Canada
Read Chapter 3 >> Arrival in Vancouver At some point in the mid-1950s, Hyoshiro and Fujiye …

Feb. 11, 2024

en
ja
es
pt
Canada families generations Hirai family Japan Japanese Canadians Kika Nisei Miki Hirai Nisei Shiga Prefecture Shigeru Hirai Taga (Shiga, Japan)
Canada families generations Hirai family Japan Japanese Canadians Kika Nisei Miki Hirai Nisei Shiga Prefecture Shigeru Hirai Taga (Shiga, Japan)
Article
en
ja
es
pt
Exile and Back: The Story of the Hirai Family
Chapter 3—Childhood Experiences in Taga, Japan
Read Chapter 2 >> Miki had no problem adjusting to Japan due to being only two-years-old w…

Feb. 4, 2024

en
ja
es
pt
education elementary schools families generations Hirai family Japan Japanese Canadians Kika Nisei Miki Hirai Nisei postwar postwar Japan schools Shiga Prefecture Shigeru Hirai students Taga (Shiga, Japan) World War II
education elementary schools families generations Hirai family Japan Japanese Canadians Kika Nisei Miki Hirai Nisei postwar postwar Japan schools Shiga Prefecture Shigeru Hirai students Taga (Shiga, Japan) World War II
Article
en
ja
es
pt
Exile and Back: The Story of the Hirai Family
Chapter 2—Life in Postwar Japan: Hardships and Neighborly Support
Read Part 1 >> Difficult Relations with Relatives On October 2, 1946, the Hirai family boar…

Jan. 28, 2024

en
ja
es
pt
barbering families generations Hirai family Japan Japanese Canadians Kika Nisei Miki Hirai Nisei postwar postwar Japan Shiga Prefecture Shigeru Hirai Taga (Shiga, Japan) World War II
barbering families generations Hirai family Japan Japanese Canadians Kika Nisei Miki Hirai Nisei postwar postwar Japan Shiga Prefecture Shigeru Hirai Taga (Shiga, Japan) World War II
Article
en
ja
es
pt
Exile and Back: The Story of the Hirai Family
Chapter 1—Family Background, Life in Canada Before and During War
This series narrates the history of the Hyoshiro1 and Fujiye Hirai family, especially focusing on t…

Jan. 21, 2024

en
ja
es
pt
British Columbia Canada Canadian internment camps families forced removal Hirai family Japanese Canadians Lemon Creek internment camp Miki Hirai Shigeru Hirai Slocan Extension internment camps World War II World War II camps
British Columbia Canada Canadian internment camps families forced removal Hirai family Japanese Canadians Lemon Creek internment camp Miki Hirai Shigeru Hirai Slocan Extension internment camps World War II World War II camps
Article
en
ja
es
pt
A Japanese Canadian Teenage Exile: The Life History of Takeshi (Tak) Matsuba
Part 7: Formation of JC Exiles Group in Kansai, Life after Retirement
Involvement in forming and leading the JC Exiles Group in Kansai Following the official apology in…

April 20, 2020

en
ja
es
pt
Canada Japan Japanese Canadians Kansai Region (Japan) migration
Canada Japan Japanese Canadians Kansai Region (Japan) migration
Article
en
ja
es
pt
A Japanese Canadian Teenage Exile: The Life History of Takeshi (Tak) Matsuba
Part 6: Career in the Private Sector - Santai Trading Company & Fujicopian
Employment with Santai Trading Company After seven years with Sogo, in 1959 Tak moved to the texti…

April 13, 2020

en
ja
es
pt
Berlin Fujicopian Co. (firm) Germany Santai Trading Company, Ltd.
Berlin Fujicopian Co. (firm) Germany Santai Trading Company, Ltd.
Article
en
ja
es
pt
A Japanese Canadian Teenage Exile: The Life History of Takeshi (Tak) Matsuba
Part 5: Career in the Private Sector - Amerex & Sogo Department Store
Employment with Amerex As the Japanese economy began to re-emerge during the postwar years, there …

April 6, 2020

en
ja
es
pt
Amerex Trading Company (firm) Japan Osaka (city) Osaka Prefecture Sogo & Seibu Co.
Amerex Trading Company (firm) Japan Osaka (city) Osaka Prefecture Sogo & Seibu Co.
Article
en
ja
es
pt
A Japanese Canadian Teenage Exile: The Life History of Takeshi (Tak) Matsuba
Part 4: Employment with the US Occupation Forces
Soon after moving to Japan Tak found work with the US occupation forces. While it included room and…

March 30, 2020

en
ja
es
pt
Allied Occupation of Japan (1945-1952) Haneda Air Base (Japan) interpreters linguists U.S. Occupation Army
Allied Occupation of Japan (1945-1952) Haneda Air Base (Japan) interpreters linguists U.S. Occupation Army
Nima since 2018
Location Canada
Discover Nikkei brandmark

New Site Design

See exciting new changes to Discover Nikkei. Find out what’s new and what’s coming soon! Learn More

Discover Nikkei Updates

NIKKEI NAMES 2
Vote for Nima-kai Favorite!
Read the stories and give a star to the ones you like the most! Help select our Community Favorite.
PROJECT UPDATES
New Site Design
See exciting new changes to Discover Nikkei. Find out what’s new and what’s coming soon!
NEW SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT
We’re on Instagram!
Follow us @discovernikkei for new site content, program announcements, and more!
Newsletter Sign Up Sign up for our newsletter and get exclusive content.
Support This Project To continue to grow this project, we need your help! Ways To Help