The Third Annual JCAM High School Japanese Speech Contest was held on March 29, 2025. 10 contestants spent countless hours writing, editing, and practicing their speeches. It was a nerve-wracking 3 minutes, but they all excelled in their presentations. Congratulations to all! Award winners were Olivia Havens, Yuna Ramirez-Kino, Ren Kehler-Yokobori, and Lisa Igarashi. Special thank you to Isekai Ramen for their generous donation.
The Japan Public Schools Program has been running for over 35 years. We have introduced thousands of Manitoba school children to Japanese dance (odori), Japanese writing (shodo), the art of paper folding (origami), as well as some of the culture and geography of Japan.
The program is run by a dedicated group of volunteers who will guide the children through the various tasks. It is aimed at the Grade 3-4 level, where Japan is usually included in social studies, but can be adapted for other grade levels as well.
Shodo: Students will learn about Japanese pronunciation. After practicing on paper with pencils they will then write their names using Japanese characters on special paper with brush and ink. The students will leave with a headband with their name written in Japanese.
Origami: The students will fold a number of different items. Origami is always a hit with the children, who enjoy showing off their items to their peers.
Odori: Usually the coal miners dance (Tanko Bushi) is taught, which explains not only the method and hardships of the coal miners but teaches the steps of a folk dance danced at festivals in Japan. The steps are simple and therefore easily taught during the school program. Students will wear happi coats, traditional attire for festivals in Japan.
The cost for the 2-hour program is $5 per student. The program usually runs from 9:30 – 11:30 or 10 – 12, but accommodations can often be made for schools which need the time shifted slightly. Schools outside Winnipeg that are planning a day trip to the city can schedule our program in the morning with lunch at the Centre, before heading to their other scheduled events.
During Children’s week, which coincides with Golden Week in Japan, we celebrate Boys’ day and Girls’ day. A special activity is featured each day (such as Japanese dancers or Hinode Taiko,). These days usually book up quickly and there is less flexibility in the programming.
Please contact the Centre at (204)774-5909 or info@jcamwpg.ca if you have any questions or to receive the link to the application form.
On Tuesday August 6, 2024, at the Fountain on the South Side of the Legislative Building, over 80 people gathered to commemorate the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, to honour the lives of innocent victims who perished from these horrific assaults, and to work towards the abolition of nuclear weapons for global peace. This event was sponsored by Peace Alliance of Winnipeg, JCAM, Winnipeg Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of friends (Quakers) and the Mennonite Central Committee.
Junko Bailey, MC’d the event. Speakers included, David Pankratz, on behalf of Premier Wab Kinew, Tina Mai Chen, Vice Provost (Equity), University of Manitoba, Kristine-Claire Bolisay, student, Steinbach Regional Secondary School, Marta Bunnet Wiebe, Mennonite Central Committee.
Other speakers included Momoko St. Louis, who read the story of “Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes” and Terumi Kuwada, who read the Peace Declaration from the Mayor of the City of Hiroshima, Katsumi Mitsui.
The Lantern ceremony is a solemn event, derived from a Buddhist ceremony (Obon), when loved ones return from the spirit world, to visit their families. Attendees to the Lantern Ceremony are asked to make a lantern that represents their thoughts and feelings regarding personal losses, global concerns of peace, nuclear disarmament and any other issues relevant to keeping our planet safe. The lanterns are then launched in water, as a symbol of returning lives lost, on a safe journey back to the spirit world.
This yearly event honours and remembers the victims of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, who are known as hibakusha. It is their plea to the world to abolish nuclear weapons so that no one will ever experience the horrific suffering that they have endured and the long-term effects of the atomic bomb. We gather to answer their plea to the world to abolish nuclear weapons.
We stand together as global citizens to work towards world peace and make a brighter future for our children and generations to come.
Terumi Kuwada
On December 10, 2023, “International Day for Human Rights”, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights held an event to celebrate the book launch of Gaman/Perseverance – Japanese Canadians’ Journey to Justice by Art Miki. This event was graciously hosted by the Embassy of Japan in Canada (Ambassador H. E. Kanji Yamanouchi) and the Consul General of Japan in Calgary (Mr. Takahiko Watabe) in collaboration with the CMRH and the Japanese Cultural Association of Manitoba. In attendance was the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba, the Honourable Anita R. Neville and the Minister of Economic Development, Investment and Trade and Natural Resources, Mr. Jamie Moss.
We were very fortunate to receive this grant which is for centre renovations. Our centre is in need of much repair and thanks to the Government of Manitoba, we are a little closer to completing our many areas of need.
Thank you to everyone who made the kitchen renovation come to light. After surveying the membership, it was clear that the kitchen renovation was very important. We then reached out to you and our sponsors and we were able to raise over $78,000 in under one month allowing us to sign off on the start date. We officially started the process on Dec 5th, 2022. From floor to ceiling and all the electrical and plumbing were upgraded to meet the new standards! What a transformation, one that we can all be proud of. Watch the transformation take place in the slideshow gallery!
I want to thank SEVA International Charitable Foundation, our main sponsor, as well as the Frank H Hori Foundation and all the member who contributed to Kitchen Renovation Fund. We will have a plaque made and displayed proudly in the kitchen.
Diamond Sponsor
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Platinum Sponsor
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Gold Sponsor
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Silver Sponsor
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Bronze Sponsor
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| The Mitani Family | Ken and Debbie Harasym | |
| Kelly and Lisa Kaita | Theresa Oye | |
| Lester and Yayoi Brandt | Cathy and Terry Tully | |
| Ken Nishibata and Family | Nobuko Miyake | |
| Ryan and Shauna Mark | Rhea Miyake and Henry Parada | |
| Paul Prieur | Ruth Ooto | |
| Jim and Margaret Suzuki | Ron and Lily Kaita | |
| Tracey Suzuki | Phil and Sandra Mukai | |
| The Bell Giving Program (Bell Canada) | Pamela Okano | |
| Advance Services Group | Kumiko Yamashita | |
| Robert and Janet Okabe | Ken Matsukubo | |
| Sharon and Ron Buss | Mona and Ernie Hiebert | |
| Yoshimi Takeuchi | Steve and Pat Hanner | |
| Keiko and Art Miki | ||
| Takashi and Sanae Murakami | ||
| Sam and Clare Matsuo | ||
| Paul and Rosanne Yoshimasu | ||
| Bev Nagamori |
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| Jon and Emily Buss | ||
JCAM Builder Sponsor
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JCAM Supporter Sponsor
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JCAM Supporter Sponsor
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| Sheila Ozamoto | Diane Ooto | Monterrosa Takeuchi Family |
| Harvey and Sandra Kaita | Susan Oye | Leonardo Minoru Nozawa |
| Elizabeth Ready and Margaret McKenty | Terumi Sekihara | Roxanne Ilagan |
| James and Hasantha Sinnock | Eriko Tsuchi | Paula Klan |
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Akemi Miyahara
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Janie Omoto | Kuni Omotani |
| Sadao and Sachiko Ono | Joyce Dawydiuk | Diane Del Grosso |
| Doug and Laurie Taniguchi | Glenn Koga | Helen Garrod |
| Alena Matsuo | Michiko Singh | Howard and Brenda Mark |
| Iian Smythe | Shirley Teranishi | |
| Rie Ueda | Glenn, Kim, Owen and Emily Yoshino | |
| Bruce and Linda Koskie |
Lisa Shimoda-Loechner
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| Janis Kaminsky | The Omoto Family | |
| Jim Hisanaga | Randy and Lesley Hirose | |
| Cathy and Steve Cowen | Keith and Karen Tazumi | |
| Linda Meckling | Taeko Boorberg | |
| Yoshiko and Tad Matsubara | Kathy Grabowski | |
| Jane Hirose-Chochinov | Caroline Yamashita and Roy Nishimura | |
| Anonymous x 3 | Len and Janet Matsukubo |
Japanese Cultural Association of Manitoba and the Manitoba Buddhist Temple will host a dinner to pay respect to the survivors of the actions of the BC and Federal Governments before, during, and after World War II. Gaman (我慢) is a Buddhist term that means “enduring the seemingly unbearable with patience and dignity.”
Japanese Canadians endured openly racist actions by successive BC governments in the decades leading up to World War II. The Federal government’s actions in 1942 to forcibly uproot, intern, dispossess and disperse almost 22,000 Japanese Canadians from the west coast were undertaken primarily because of lobbying by BC politicians. In addition, Japanese Canadians in Manitoba and elsewhere were unable to return to BC until April 1, 1949—four years after the end of the War—solely because of lobbying by the BC government. An evening to honour our survivors for enduring such actions with patience and dignity has been made possible through a BC Redress grant from the Japanese Canadian Survivors Health and Wellness Fund.
The event was held on Saturday June 4, 2022 at Canad Inns Polo Park, 1405 St. Matthews Avenue from 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm. The date will mark the 80th anniversary of the arrival in Winnipeg of the third trainload of Japanese Canadians from BC, all of whom were destined to live and work over the next several years in sugar beet fields in rural Manitoba.
Picture Gallary – click HERE
Downloadable images – click HERE
May 1, 2022 is the 20th year anniversary for Asian Heritage Month in Manitoba. JCAM hosted the kick off luncheon at the centre. We heard from officials from all levels of government and key leaders from the organization. Lunch was prepared by Chef Ono and entertainment was by the Aurora dancers and a group from the India School of Dance, Music and Theatre.
On Friday March 11th, 2022, JCAM president (Kelly Kaita) and JCAM secretary (Yuhito Adachi) had the privilege of presenting a Senbazuru to Mayor Brian Bowman and Lisa Blake (Manager of Protocol) – City of Winnipeg. The 1000 crane mobile was presented to the Mayor as part of the “Every Child Matters” and the “Truth and Reconcilliation” movements. However, with all that is happening in the world it also symbolizes “World Peace.” The crane has come to represent peace, love, hope, and healing.
City of Winnipeg – Mayor Brian Bowman, JCAM Secretary – Mr. Yuhito Adachi, JCAM President – Dr. Kelly Kaita
A note from the Consul General of Japan in Calgary Mr. T Uchida.
“To celebrate the Emperor’s Birthday (National Day) in the 4th year of Reiwa, the Consulate-General of Japan in Calgary will deliver a message from Consul General UCHIDA. Additionally, we have prepared a message from the Honorary Consul Generals of each region under the jurisdiction of our Consulate, as well as a photo slideshow of our office in 2021. We would be grateful if you could take a look and celebrate with us.”
Shoto 4-6 (Grade4-6) class had a joint class with the students from the Montreal Japanese Centre. The students gave their own presentations of each other’s cities. The students practiced hard and made a successful presentation. It was a pity that the students couldn’t see their faces well because they were wearing masks. After the presentation, they played with quizzes. They all enjoyed it.
We had a similar setting through Zoom last year. Online tools gave us opportunities to be connected with some schools in other cities.
The Merriam – Webster dictionary defines volunteerism as “ the act or practice of doing volunteer work in community service.” This definition seems very short sighted because as I see it, volunteerism is much more than that. I feel that volunteerism is a gift of time which is by some standards so much more than the gift of money. Time in my mind is invaluable since we have so little of it in our busy lives. So when someone steps forward to help an organization or even more so without any prompting, it is an act of selfless giving, without any expectation of financial reward. This act is what brings communities together and strengthens our organization, Japanese Cultural Association of Manitoba. As your president, I have witnessed first hand volunteerism throughout our organization and have seen just how excited people get when asked for assistance to help in a variety of areas. I am always so grateful when individuals accept a challenge or come forward with ideas to better our organization and then volunteer countless hours of their time to bring to fruition these ideas or to assist us to keep our doors open. I only hope that the forward motion that we have worked so hard to achieve, will continue with our new members and groups. After all, there really is no “I” in team and we need the ongoing help from our volunteers to see JCAM succeed and prosper for many years to come!
While COVID – 19 has been so detrimental to so many businesses and charities, we at JCAM have been very lucky. We truly have weathered this storm well, thanks in large part to our volunteers! I wanted to give you some examples of what volunteerism looks like. These are just a few examples and I am certain that many will be left out (but not intentionally) because we have so many truly wonderful people who give of their time and as I sit and type this note I can’t possibly name everyone. So if I for get you, please accept my apologies. “Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!”
Our board of directors and executives have been tirelessly working behind the scenes and are planning a strategic planning meeting to make JCAM hopefully even better. Our many food volunteers have really stepped up with all the changes, from donburi in house lunches to curbside bento and ramen events. Especially Mr. and Mrs. Ono and their teams of sous chefs. So much goes into planning and executing these events so you can enjoy a truly authentic Japanese Bento box or bowl of ramen. Our cultural centre operations team have been hard at work making and following through with so many suggestions to make the centre cleaner, more organized, and a warmer place for members to visit. In fact we are hoping to see some significant changes to make the cultural experience even more authentic. We have an incredible group of individuals who ensure that our building maintenance keeps up to code and deals with the day to day needs of an aging building. Of course most of this goes unnoticed but we truly are grateful to the likes of Tom, Jim, Bob and all the other helpers.
I would be remiss if I didn’t thank a few people by name. You know them as Lucy Yamashita, Kelly Koga, Theresa Oye, Karleen Manchanda, Kathy Grabowski and Pamela Okano. When the chips were down and our office needed help quickly, these ladies stepped up to the challenge without ANY hesitation. Without our office staff the centre loses the heart of the organization. The board and I can not thank you enough for stepping up to fill the void left by the loss of our beloved Jake Marks. One final thanks goes out to a member who after reading about all our problems with vandalism, stepped forward and asked if he can help JCAM by utilizing his area of expertise. Colin Stammers, asked if he could volunteer his talents to upgrade our security system which he has completed so that we now have 24 hour video surveillance access of the entire building inside and out. Again the board and I cannot thank you enough for your generous act of kindness and “volunteerism.”
As we prepare the centre to once again welcome the public and as we prepare for our many cultural events like Folklorama, Bon Odori, Oshogatsu to name a few, you can easily see that our needs for volunteers will rapidly increase. So I am hopeful, that as a proud member of JCAM, we can also count on your support. Just send us a note and let us know that we can count on you and our office will keep your name for future needs of JCAM.
If you have a picture of a great volunteer for the slideshow, just send it to me and I will add it to the slideshow.
Yoroshiku onegaishimasu,
Your President
Kelly Kaita
ボランティア活動
Merriam – Webster辞書では、ボランティア活動を「コミュニティサービスで奉仕活動を行う行為または実践」と定義しています。私はボランティア活動とはそれ以上の意味があると考えており、この定義は非常に胆略的だと感じます。ボランティア活動は時間の享受であり、考え方によっては金銭での支援よりもはるかに重要な場合があります。多忙を極める私生活の中で時はかけがえのないものです。例えば、一個人が組織や団体に奉仕する一歩を踏み出す事、それは金銭的な報酬を期待せずに無私無欲で行動する行為です。この行為は、コミュニティを結びつけ、私たちの組織であるマニトバ日本文化協会を強化するものなのです。
皆様の会長として、私は組織全体でボランティア活動を直接拝見し、さまざまな分野で支援を求められたときに人々がどれほど意欲的にその声に応えてきたかを拝見してきました。一個人が問題解決に乗り出したり、組織を改善するためのアイデアを提案したりして、数え切れないほどの時間をボランティアとして提供し、アイデアを実現したり、会館の門を皆様の為に事業再開へ向けご支援を頂いたことに心より御礼申し上げます。我々が一所懸命取り組んできた活動が、新しいメンバーやグループとともに継続されていくことを志より願っています。このJCAMのチームには「わたくし」という考え方が存在しないという事、それが今後何年にもわたって成功の駆動力となり、コミュニティが繁栄するためには、上述のボランティアの継続的な支援が必要だと存じます。
COVID – 19は大変多くの企業や慈善団体に影響を及ぼしました。JCAMは幸運な事にボランティアの皆様のお陰様で、この難局を制覇することができました。JCAMで行われたボランティア活動がどのようなものか、いくつかご紹介させていただきます。ご紹介できるのはわずか一例であり、本来であれば奉仕活動をしてくだすった素晴らしい皆さん全員をご紹介するべきですが、一例だけのご紹介となることを前もってお詫び申し上げます。「よろしくおねがいします」。
理事会と経営幹部は舞台裏で精力的に活動しており、JCAMをさらに良くするための戦略的計画会議を計画しています。食文化委員会のボランティアは、ランチの丼物からお弁当やラーメンのイベントまで、日本食文化啓蒙の為の変革に力を入れてきました。特に大野夫妻とキッチンチームの皆様が日本食イベントの企画と実行に於いて多くの時間を使い、伝統的な和食のお弁当や日本にあるようなラーメンを楽しむことが可能になりました。私たちの文化会館運営チームは、センターをより清潔で、より組織化され、メンバーが訪れる際に居心地の良い場所を提供するために、非常に多くの提案を行い、その実現に向け熱心に取り組んできました。事実、日本文化体験をさらに本物に近づけるための努力を続け、変革を起こすことを望んでいます。また、建築基準法に則った改善を施し、建物の修繕を陰ながら行っているボランティアが多くおります。見過ごされやすい分野ではありますが、山下トム氏、久長ジム氏、岡部ボブ氏、他すべてのボランティアに心から御礼申し上げます。
また、会館運営の危機に際し、寛大な手を差し伸べてくだすったボランティアの皆様がおります。山下久美子ルーシー氏、古賀ケリー氏、大江テレサ氏、カーリーン・マンチャンダ氏、キャシー・グラボウスキー氏、岡野パメーラ氏、彼女たちは事務所の緊急時にすぐに駆け付けてその繋ぎをしてくださいました。事務員不在となれば会館は船頭を失うに等しく、ジェイクマークス氏の逝去という危機を全面的に支援いただいたことに心から感謝申し上げます。
最後に、コリン・シテマー氏をご紹介します。会館で起きた器物損壊事件の際にシテマー氏はすぐにボランティアとして会館の防犯対策を先導してくださいました。完成したセキュリティシステムは建物内外を24時間ビデオで監視できるように改善してくださいました。重ねてボランティア活動に心より御礼申し上げます。
文化協会の正常運航へ向け、フォクロラマ、盆踊り、正月などの多くの文化イベントの準備にはさらなるボランティアのご支援が必要となってまいります。今後ともご愛顧、ご支援のほどよろしくお願いいたします。ボランティアにご興味のある方は会館事務員までお知らせください。
また、ボランティアの皆さんの写真をお持ちの方がありましたら、ぜひ会館事務員または私までご連絡ください。スライドショーに追加させていただきます。
引き続きよろしくどうぞお願いいたします。
マニトバ日本文化協会会長
海田 ケリー
On Sunday November 28th, 2021, the Consul General of Japan in Calgary (Mr. Tatsukuni Uchida) and President of JCAM (Dr. Kelly Kaita) co-hosted the “Conferment Ceremony: The Order of the Rising Sun: Gold and Silver Rays” presented to Ms. Kumiko Lucy Yamashita.
The Order of the Rising Sun (旭日章, Kyokujitsu-shō) is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight from the rising sun. The design of the Rising Sun symbolizes energy as powerful as the rising sun in parallel with the “rising sun” concept of Japan (“Land of the Rising Sun”).
The order is awarded to those who have made distinguished achievements in international relations, promotion of Japanese culture, advancements in their field, development in welfare or preservation of the environment.
During the event we heard Consul General of Japan in Calgary, Mr. Uchida who then presented the prestigious award to Ms. Kumiko Lucy Yamashita. This was followed by speeches from brother, Mr. Thomas Yamashita and close friend, Ms. Theresa Oye. This was followed by a speech by Ms. Yamashita and finally a toast (Kampai) to “Lucy”. This was followed by a reception catered by Chef Sadao Ono.
CTV was there to interview Lucy and the Consul General – Click HERE to view the interview
The whole ceremony can be viewed on our YouTube channel HERE.
The hosts wish to thank the following
Mr. Yuhito Adachi (Secretary, Board of Directors) – Primary Organizer
Mrs. Debbie Tsuyuki – Ikebana arrangement
Mr. Ron and Lily Kaita – Table Centres
Chef Sadao Ono – Caterer
All our volunteer Kimono (Kitsuke) dressers
All the volunteers who helped complete the celebration.
SEVA International Charitable Foundation (for their generous support)
JCAM volunteer and Bell MTS Retiree Marlene Mori participated in the Bell Giving Program which resulted in a donation of $1000 to the Japanese Cultural Association of Manitoba(JCAM) from Bell. JCAM members who are Bell MTS pensioned retiree’s or current employees can track your volunteer hours on the the Bell Giving site. The Bell Giving Program will donate $1000 to a charity of your choice, JCAM or other registered charity. The Bell MTS Volunteers have developed a way to make the process easy for you. The deadline for the 2021 year is December 15th. The program is ongoing so you can track your hours next year for another $1000 donation.
The Japanese Cultural Association of Manitoba and the Manitoba Buddhist Temple presented a Senbazuru to the Canadian Museum of Human Rights in support of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and the “Every Child Matters” movement.
See the CMHR link HERE.
The five colours, Gogyo, 五行:
In Japanese traditional culture, the five colours (either combination of green, red, orange/yellow, white, purple, or blue, red, orange/yellow, white, and black) represent the harmony of nature. Green is the tree, red is fire, orange/yellow is earth, white is metal, and purple is water. Therefore it is called 木火土金水, “moku ka do kin sui” (each of these characters represents an element). This principle is also observed in ancient Chinese Taoism, and it is assumed that this belief is the origin.
There are 215 unique cranes colours which represent the first 215 children discovered in Kamloops BC.
The Gogyo principle can be found in several traditional Japanese occasions such as the tea ceremony, children’s festival, various imperial family ceremonies, samurai family festivals and Shintoism and Japanese Buddhism festivals.
Why are these colours important for children?
In Samurai culture, children’s wellness and success were crucial to wishing their family to be long-lasting. Samurais started flying their family clan flags during the children festival time, and the five colours streamer was also flown for wishing nature to protect those children.
Cranes’ colours are coordinated according to this Gogyo principle to represent the Japanese way of wishing the children’s wellness, in this case, for the repose of the victims’ souls through harmony.
The arrow shape.
The arrow shape was also derived from the children’s festival decoration “Yaguruma,” an arrow circle
An arrow is a symbolic tool for samurais, and it is also a symbol of protection from evil spirits. In this context, evil spirits are sickness and bad luck.
The cranes make the shape of an arrow so the children’s souls will be protected.
Left to Right: Yuhito Adachi (secretary JCAM), Kelly Kaita (President, JCAM) and Elder Robert Greene
All photos are courtesy of CMHR, Jamie Morneau
Our own Raymond Normandeau was interviewed by Colleen Zacharias from the Winnipeg Free Press. Please have a read of this wonderful article about our own Japanese Garden and see the wonderful pictures that we have been given permission to share with you.
Click this link to read the entire article.
On August 31st, 2021, JCAM President (Kelly Kaita) and Lisa Kaita, had the honour of meeting with and participating in a traditional drum ceremony at the First Nations Health Authority in Vancouver, BC. For First Nations Peoples, the drum represents the universal heartbeat of Mother Earth, the Universal goddess and mother to us all. The first sound that was heard in the world was the heartbeat of Mother Earth. First Nations Peoples manifest this heartbeat through playing a special rhythm on the drum. During this ceremony we presented to them a Senbazuru (1000 paper cranes) as a symbol of our memberships support of the “Every Child Matters” movement and the Truth and Reconciliations efforts. In the tradition of gift giving JCAM received a beautiful cedar Eagle feather. First Nations culture holds the Eagle among the most scared of creatures. They represent attributes they aspire to in their communities including; wisdom, courage, dignity and excellence. When an Eagle Feather is presented it is with great honour as it is felt the recipient embodies these qualities.
Greg Shea (Executive Director, Community Capital), Lisa Kaita (JCAM), Kelly Kaita (President JCAM), Kim Brooks (Regional VP, Vancouver Coastal), Syexwailya (Ann Whonnock – Knowledge Keeper)
Artist – Shain Jackson is Coast Salish from the community of Sechelt. He is a lawyer who has represented the interests of Indigenous communities and organizations throughout British Columbia in relation to a broad array of issues. After years devoted to the legal profession Shain has taken a break to follow his passion as an artist.
We have received this message from the Mayor of Setagaya, Mr. Nobuto Hosaka. Please enjoy the event and have a review of letter.
