Originally published in The Bulletin, July 2019
ensoku 2019 brings young Japanese Canadians and Americans together in unprecedented Vancouver event
Over the May long weekend, 40 young-ish Japanese Canadians, Japanese Americans, and their friends came together to build community and explore our shared heritage and identity. What started as an idea to organize a regional young people’s conference (instead of a national conference as part of the NAJC annual general meeting) became an independently organized “un-conference.”
This community gathering welcomed local attendees from across the Lower Mainland and out-of-town visitors from Canadian cities including Victoria, Kamloops, Calgary, Regina, Winnipeg, Toronto, and Ottawa. This was truly an international event with Japanese American participants travelling from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, and Massachusetts!
Six members of Vancouver’s Kikiai Collaborative, Kayla Isomura, Erica Isomura, Davin Shikaze, Carolyn Nakagawa, Reiko Pleau, and Lisa Uyeda, formed an organizing committee and reached out to friends, family, and community members to produce this unforgettable experience for young people in the community.
The full weekend event included a gyoza-making workshop, an open mic with poetry and storytelling, dialogues on present-day Japanese Canadian experiences (connecting to culture, TLGBQ+ and multi-racial identities), a community lunch, a stop-motion animation workshop, cross-cultural walking tour of Strathcona, and optional day trips to the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre, Steveston, and Tashme. Lots of fun was had and many new meaningful relationships were built.
Participants shared the following about their experiences at ensoku:
“ensoku reinforced the importance of storytelling and creative expression for our community, which I’m coming to see as key.”
“There’s a lot of younger Japanese-Canadians who are interested in connecting (with each other and with their history and culture).”
“We need each other and are richer for having this community.”
“I am now hoping to find the Nikkei community within my own city and province.”
ensoku organizers were committed to making this event financially accessible and because of the support of so many organizations and individuals, we were able to provide subsidies for participants to attend and billets for out-of-town guests.
An event like ensoku is one-of-a-kind. While we have no current plans to turn this into an annual event, participants from other cities have expressed interest in organizing an event like this in their home cities of Regina, Ottawa, Seattle, and Toronto!
We will definitely take these memories and experiences forward into organizing new gatherings and community initiatives in the future.
On behalf of the organizing committee, our sincerest thanks to everyone who attended, volunteered, and donated goods or cash to make this event possible.
Sincerely,
ensoku organizers: Kayla Isomura, Erica Isomura, Davin Shikaze, Carolyn Nakagawa, Reiko Pleau, & Lisa Uyeda
