Sedai Corner - January 2012
January 26th, 2012
The Sedai Project is committed to collecting, documenting, preserving and sharing the history of the Japanese Canadians. We, the Sedai Committee, collect and preserve the Japanese Canadian history through audio and video recordings in a relaxed interview format. We continue to search for all Japanese Canadians who were born in the pre-war and war years to come and share their stories with us.
As of December 31, 2011, the Sedai Project is pleased to announce 133 individuals have documented their stories with us in a Sedai interview, totalling approximately 322 hours. We would like to extend our heartfelt thank you to Kay Mitsui, Kaz Nishio, Paul Omoto, Tin Goto, Arthur Kobayashi, Kuni Fukusaka, Nana Nishimura, and Sam Baba for allowing us to preserve their unique stories.
A special thank you is given to Joe & Fumi Ohori and to Dr. Henry & Joanne Sugiyama for their kind donations to the Sedai Project. We are happy to congratulate Dr. Henry & Joanne Sugiyama who recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. In lieu of gifts, the Sugiyama’s asked friends and family to donate to the Sedai Project. A sincere thank you is extended to them and to their friends and family for their generosity.
We greatly appreciate and understand that every contribution made to the Sedai Project helps us create a lasting legacy for the younger generations. We hope you will help us create a lasting archive for the younger generations by continuing to support Sedai through your donations and by sharing your stories, photographs and memoirs with us.
We are pleased to announce that our Sedai Project coordinator, Lisa Uyeda, has been selected as the Toronto delegate for this year’s Japanese Canadian Leadership Program, hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Following in the footsteps of Sharon Marubashi (Secretary, JCCC Board Member, and Toronto delegate 2011) and Lorene Nagata (Chair of Sedai, JCCC Board Member, and Toronto delegate 2010), Lisa will be travelling to Japan in February 2012 and for the first time, will experience Japan. Lisa looks forward to visiting Japan where she awaits experiencing the Japanese culture, traditions, people, food, and reconnecting with her heritage roots.
The Sedai Project continues to collect the Issei & Nisei story, anyone who wishes to share their story or who wishes to learn more about Sedai please contact Lisa Uyeda at 6 Garamond Court, Toronto, ON, M3C 1Z5 or lisa.uyeda@jccc.on.ca or by telephone at 416-441-2345 ext 303. In the meantime you can also find more information about the project at www.sedai.ca.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Sedai Corner - November 2011
December 14th, 2011
Sedai Corner
The Sedai Project is committed to collecting, documenting, preserving and sharing the history of the Japanese Canadians. We, the Sedai Committee, collect and preserve the Japanese Canadian history through audio and video recordings in a relaxed interview format. We continue to search for all Japanese Canadians who were born in the pre-war and war years to come and share their stories with us.
As of October 31, 2011, the Sedai Project is pleased to announce 125 individuals have documented their stories with us in a Sedai interview, helping us collect another 21 hours worth of stories. To date, the number of documented stories in total has now reached an approximate 297 hours. We would like to extend our heartfelt thank you to Harold Miwa, Goro Kawaguchi, Keray Itaya, John Onizuka, Hisako and Steve Hamamoto, and Fumiko Kanbara for allowing us to preserve their unique stories.
Given the upcoming holiday season, the Sedai Project is collecting stories about the holidays and family celebrations. “What do you remember about the holiday season before the war years? How did the holidays change during and after the war years? What holidays did you celebrate? What holiday traditions do you continue to celebrate today?” Tell us how your experience was different and how the holiday celebrations have remained or changed over the years. Do you have pre war and war year photographs of the holiday season? If so, we would love to see them!
The Sedai Project is devoted to creating the Japanese Canadian legacy for the younger generations and we can’t do it without you. We hope you will help us create a lasting archive for the younger generations by sharing your stories, photographs and memoirs with us.
Anyone who wishes to share their story or who wishes to learn more about Sedai please contact Lisa Uyeda at 6 Garamond Court, Toronto, ON, M3C 1Z5 or lisa.uyeda@jccc.on.ca or info@sedai.ca or by telephone at 416-441-2345 ext 303. In the meantime you can also find more information about the project at www.sedai.ca.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Sedai Corner - October 2011
December 14th, 2011
Sedai Corner
The Sedai Project is committed to collecting, documenting, preserving and sharing the history of the Japanese Canadians. We, the Sedai Committee, collect and preserve the Japanese Canadian history through audio and video recordings in a relaxed interview format. We continue to search for all Japanese Canadians who were born in the pre-war and war years to come and share their stories with us.
As of September 30, 2011, the Sedai Project is pleased to announce 119 individuals have documented their stories with us in a Sedai interview, helping us collect 20 hours worth of stories. To date, the number of documented stories in total has now reached an approximate 276 hours. We would like to extend our heartfelt thank you to Joe Ohori, Mary Kawasaki, Shank Kuroyama, Manabu Doi, Tosh Usami, and Mark Honkawa for allowing us to preserve their unique stories. A special thank you goes to the Prime Timers Group for inviting Lisa to a group meeting to discuss the Sedai Project. Sincere thanks are extended to the Prime Timers for a wonderful evening full of food, fun, and conversation. Now that we have everyone in the group talking, we look forward to hearing many stories!
A special thank you goes to Susan Hidaka for her generous donation to the Sedai Project. Every contribution is significantly beneficial in our progress. Whether your support is a story or a monetary donation, it is greatly appreciated by the Sedai Committee.
The Sedai Project continues to collect your stories and we want to hear how your story is unique. Tell us how your experience was different in the prewar days growing up, going to school, going to work, and family migration. During the war years, where were you, what were you doing, where were your family and friends? What happened during the postwar years; where did you travel, where did you live, did you go to school, did you go to work, where were your family and friends? Everyone’s story is different and we want to learn about your unique experience.
We greatly encourage you to leave your legacy by sharing your stories and your family’s stories with the Sedai Project. The Sedai Project is devoted to creating the Japanese Canadian legacy for the younger generations and we can’t do it without you.
Anyone who wishes to share their story or who wishes to learn more about Sedai please contact Lisa Uyeda at 6 Garamond Court, Toronto, ON, M3C 1Z5 or lisa.uyeda@jccc.on.ca or info@sedai.ca or by telephone at 416-441-2345 ext 303. In the meantime you can also find more information about the project at www.sedai.ca.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Sedai Corner - September 2011
December 14th, 2011
Sedai Corner
The Sedai Project is committed to collecting, documenting, preserving and sharing the history of the Japanese Canadians. We, the Sedai Committee, collect and preserve the Japanese Canadian history through audio and video recordings in a relaxed interview format. We continue to search for all Japanese Canadians who were born in the pre-war and war years to come and share their stories with us.
The Sedai Project is pleased to report that as of August 31, 2011, 112 individuals have assisted us in documenting and preserving the Japanese Canadian history by sharing their stories with us in a Sedai interview. We would like to extend our heartfelt thank you to Bert Mendelson, Frank Shimada, Umeko Kuba, Josie Yoshioka, John Yoshioka, Kunio Suyama, and Fumi Kono for allowing us to preserve their unique stories. A special thank you goes to Sam Baba and Sam Nishiyama for providing a copy of their written memoirs to the Sedai Project. The Sedai Project looks forward to continuing to collect the history of the Japanese Canadians through stories, documents, and photographs over the next year.
Over the past month, Natalie Higashi has been tirelessly assisting the Sedai Project with the monstrous task of editing, digitizing, organizing, encoding and converting the video footage from the memorable Japanese Canadian Experience Conference: Sharing your experiences of the war years, November 2010. Natalie’s expertise in the field is greatly appreciated and because of her help we look forward to updating the Sedai website with the stories collected at the November 2010 Conference. Please check the Sedai website – Sedai Archive (www.sedai.ca) for our “JCCC Conference Report” by Natalie Higashi and Ross Halliday.
We greatly encourage you to leave your legacy by sharing your stories and your family’s stories with the Sedai Project. The Sedai Project is devoted to creating the Japanese Canadian legacy for the younger generations and we can’t do it without you. Anyone who wishes to share their story or who wishes to learn more about Sedai please contact Lisa Uyeda at 6 Garamond Court, Toronto, ON, M3C 1Z5 or lisa.uyeda@jccc.on.ca or info@sedai.ca or by telephone at 416-441-2345 ext 303. In the meantime you can also find more information about the project at www.sedai.ca.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Sedai Corner - August 2011
August 23rd, 2011
Sedai Corner
The Sedai Project is committed to collecting, documenting, preserving and sharing the history of the Japanese Canadians. We, the Sedai Committee, collect and preserve the Japanese Canadian history through audio and video recordings in a relaxed interview format. We continue to search for all Japanese Canadians who were born in the pre-war and war years to come and share their stories with us.
The Sedai Project is pleased to report that as of July 31, 2011, 105 individuals have assisted us in documenting and preserving the Japanese Canadian history by sharing their stories with us in a Sedai interview. We would like to extend our heartfelt thank you to Masako Okawara, Nancy Endo, and Yoshiye Kosaka for allowing us to preserve their unique stories. A special thank you goes to Ruby Fukumoto and Kay Fujiwara for completing part two of their interviews.
Recently, Natalie Higashi has agreed to assist in editing interviews for the Sedai Project. Natalie is a freelance journalist and filmmaker from Toronto, Canada. She studied International Relations at the University of Toronto, followed by Photograph and Spanish in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Natalie went on to train with the New York Film Academy and the London Film School in England where she graduated as a Producer in 2007. Her graduation film, Wings of Blue Angels, was filmed in Bangkok, in partnership with one of Thailand’s foremost production companies, and won several accolades at festivals around the world, including the Trailblazer award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in 2008.
In 2010 Natalie received a second Masters in Journalism at London’s City University. She reported on the high rate of intermarriage in the Japanese Canadian community for her thesis project, which was subsequently commissioned by the CBC and made into a documentary for the national radio program, The Current.
Natalie is a member of the Heritage Committee at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre and we are fortunate to have her expertise for the project. From the help of Natalie, we look forward to updating the Sedai website with the stories collected at the Japanese Canadian Experience Conference: Sharing your stories of the war years, November 2010.
We are pleased to have surpassed our goal and we would like to thank you for your continued support and interest in the project. We look forward to continuing the project and completing another 100 interviews. Anyone who wishes to share their story or who wishes to learn more about Sedai please contact Lisa Uyeda at 6 Garamond Court, Toronto, ON, M3C 1Z5 or lisa.uyeda@jccc.on.ca or info@sedai.ca or by telephone at 416-441-2345 ext 303. In the meantime you can also find more information about the project at www.sedai.ca.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Sedai Corner - June/July 2011
July 29th, 2011
Sedai Corner
The Sedai Project is committed to collecting, documenting, preserving and sharing the history of the Japanese Canadians. We, the Sedai Committee, collect and preserve the Japanese Canadian history through audio and video recordings in a relaxed interview format. We continue to search for all Japanese Canadians who were born in the pre-war and war years to come and share their stories with us.
The Sedai Project is pleased to report that as of June 30, 2011, 102 individuals have assisted us in documenting and preserving the Japanese Canadian history by sharing their stories with us in a Sedai interview. We would like to extend our heartfelt thank you to Mary Katsuno and Eleanor Maruno for allowing us to preserve their unique stories. We would also like to thank Mary Ikeda and Marie Ikeda for sharing the history of Sumi-e.
Here are a few more questions to help you continue to develop and compose your story. When you were growing up, which school(s) did you attend? Who were your teachers and classmates? How many Japanese children were in your class? What was your favourite subject? Where did you go to school during World War II? How was it different from before? Were you able to continue your studies during and after the war years?
We strive to collect and document countless stories because every life experience is unique to each individual and every story is important to our cultural heritage. We would like to ask those who have a story to please help us preserve the Japanese Canadian history for your family and our future generations. Anyone who wishes to share their story or who wishes to learn more about Sedai please contact Lisa Uyeda at 6 Garamond Court, Toronto, ON, M3C 1Z5 or lisa.uyeda@jccc.on.ca or info@sedai.ca or by telephone at 416-441-2345 ext 303. In the meantime you can also find more information about the project at www.sedai.ca.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Sedai Corner - May 2011
June 10th, 2011
Sedai Corner
The Sedai Project is committed to collecting, documenting, preserving and sharing the history of the Japanese Canadians. We, the Sedai Committee, collect and preserve the Japanese Canadian history through audio and video recordings in a relaxed interview format. We continue to search for all Japanese Canadians who were born in the pre-war and war years to come and share their stories with us.
The Sedai Project is pleased to report that as of April 30, 2011, 97 individuals have assisted us in documenting and preserving the Japanese Canadian history by sharing their stories with us in a Sedai interview. We would like to extend our heartfelt thank you to Patricia Adachi, Mickey Maikawa, and Akio Oda for allowing us to preserve their unique stories. A special thank you goes to our oldest Sedai interviewee, Mickey Maikawa. We congratulate Mickey on celebrating his 100th birthday later this year!
Here are a few more questions to help you continue to develop and compose your story. Did you attend Japanese language school? Did you learn Japanese in Canada or did you go to Japan to learn? Who was your teacher? How many children were in your class? What did your non-Japanese friends think about Japanese school? Did your siblings and friends attend Japanese language school?
We look forward to completing our goal of 100 individuals soon! Remember, every story and life experience is unique to each individual and every story is important to our cultural heritage. We would like to ask those who have a story to please help us reach our goal and preserve the Japanese Canadian history for our future generations. Anyone who wishes to share their story or who wishes to learn more about our history as Japanese Canadians please contact Lisa Uyeda at 6 Garamond Court, Toronto, ON, M3C 1Z5 or lisa.uyeda@jccc.on.ca or info@sedai.ca or by telephone at 416-441-2345 ext 303. In the meantime you can also find more information about the project at www.sedai.ca.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Sedai Corner - April 2011
May 12th, 2011
Sedai Corner
The Sedai Project is committed to collecting, documenting, preserving and sharing the history of the Japanese Canadians. We, the Sedai Committee, collect and preserve the Japanese Canadian history through audio and video recordings in a relaxed interview format. We continue to search for all Japanese Canadians who were born in the pre-war and war years to come and share their stories with us.
We express our sincere thoughts, hopes, and wishes to everyone who have been affected by the devastating occurrences in Japan. These events demonstrate how important family, friends, community, and history really are to a culture; this is the foundation of the Sedai project. We are deeply saddened for those who lost loved ones, friends, homes, and communities. We send our best wishes to everyone.
The Sedai Project is pleased to report on another successful month. As of March 31, 2011, 95 individuals have assisted us in documenting and preserving the Japanese Canadian history by sharing their stories with us in a Sedai interview. We would like to extend our heartfelt thank you to Dr. Arnold Arai, Margaret Adamson, Thomas and Shizue Matsui, Nori and Blanche Kanashiro, and Tomi Kadonaga for allowing us to preserve their unique stories.
Here are a few more questions to help you continue to develop and compose your story. Did you have a nickname when you were growing up? What was your favourite activity/sport/hobby? Did you create any games, or make any toys? What are some activities/sports/hobbies that you remember seeing or doing when you were growing up, that you don’t see the younger generations doing today? Remember, every story and life experience is unique to each individual and every story is important to our cultural heritage. Reminisce through photographs and documents to help refresh your memory and don’t dispose of them in the garbage. If you have items, documents and photographs that you no longer wish to keep please donate them to the JCCC Heritage. It is important for us to keep track of Heritage items so we ask that you please fill out a Donation Agreement Form.
The Sedai Project’s current goal is to complete over 100 interviews before the end of April 2011. We would like to ask those who have a story to please help us reach our goal and preserve the Japanese Canadian history for our future generations. Anyone who wishes to share their story or who wishes to learn more about our history as Japanese Canadians please contact Lisa Uyeda at 6 Garamond Court, Toronto, ON, M3C 1Z5 or lisa.uyeda@jccc.on.ca or info@sedai.ca or by telephone at 416-441-2345 ext 303. In the meantime you can also find more information about the project at www.sedai.ca.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Sedai Corner - March 2011
March 17th, 2011
Sedai Corner
The Sedai Project is committed to collecting, documenting, preserving and sharing the history of the Japanese Canadians. We, the Sedai Committee, collect and preserve the Japanese Canadian history through audio and video recordings in a relaxed interview format. We continue to search for all Japanese Canadians who were born in the pre-war and war years to come and share their stories with us.
The Sedai Project is pleased to report on another successful month. As of February 28, 2011, 88 individuals have assisted us in documenting and preserving the Japanese Canadian history by sharing their stories with us in a Sedai interview. We would like to extend our heartfelt thank you to Susan Hidaka, Byron Tanaka, Bob and Shirley Takagi, Tats and Kim Sakauye, and George Nakamura for allowing us to preserve their unique stories.
A special thank you goes to Betty Nishizawa for her generous donation to the Sedai Project. Every contribution is significantly beneficial in our progress. Whether your support is a story or a monetary donation, it is greatly appreciated by the Sedai Committee.
Many individuals have been inquiring about the information collected and documented for the Sedai Project. To help get your story started here are a few questions that are generally asked throughout the interview. When and why did your family migrate to Canada? Where were you born/where did you grow up and what do you remember about those years? What do you remember about the Japanese community before the war years? Remember, every story and life experience is unique to each individual and every story is important to our cultural heritage. A picture is often said to represent a thousand words. Reminisce through photographs and documents to help refresh your memory and don’t forget to share what you find with your family!
The Sedai Project’s current goal is to complete over 100 interviews before the end of April 2011. We would like to ask those who have a story to please help us reach our goal and preserve the Japanese Canadian history for our future generations. Anyone who wishes to share their story or who wishes to learn more about our history as Japanese Canadians please contact Lisa Uyeda at 6 Garamond Court, Toronto, ON, M3C 1Z5 or lisa.uyeda@jccc.on.ca or info@sedai.ca or by telephone at 416-441-2345 ext 303. In the meantime you can also find more information about the project at www.sedai.ca.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Sedai Corner - February 2011
March 17th, 2011
Sedai Corner
The Sedai Project is committed to collecting, documenting, preserving and sharing the history of the Japanese Canadians. We, the Sedai Committee, collect and preserve the Japanese Canadian history through audio and video recordings in a relaxed interview format. We continue to search for all Japanese Canadians who were born in the pre-war and war years to come and share their stories with us.
The Sedai Project is pleased to report on another successful month. As of January 31, 2011, 81 individuals have assisted us in documenting and preserving the Japanese Canadian history by sharing their stories with us in a Sedai interview. We would like to extend our heartfelt thank you to Pollie and Tak Nishino, Arthur Ikeda, Masashi Shin, Miyoko Nakamura, and Nick Yoshida for allowing us to preserve their unique stories.
A special thank you goes to Dr. Arnold Arai, Mickey Matsubayashi , Keo Shibatani, Hideo Takahashi, and Toshiko Usami for their generous donations to the Sedai Project. Every contribution is significantly beneficial in our progress. Whether your support is a story or a monetary donation, it is greatly appreciated by the Sedai Committee.
Many individuals have been inquiring about the footage documented at the Japanese Canadian Experience Conference: sharing your stories of the war years on November 19-21, 2010. Currently, we are in the process of transcribing the stories that were shared the weekend of the conference. The Sedai Project would like to thank Megan Marubashi for volunteering to assist us on this enormous task. Megan plays an integral role in the post-conference work and we appreciate her dedication to the conference and Sedai Project.
The Sedai Project’s current goal is to complete over 100 interviews before the end of April 2011. We would like to ask those who have a story to please help us reach our goal and preserve the Japanese Canadian history for our future generations. Anyone who wishes to share their story or who wishes to learn more about our history as Japanese Canadians please contact Lisa Uyeda at 6 Garamond Court, Toronto, ON, M3C 1Z5 or lisa.uyeda@jccc.on.ca or info@sedai.ca or by telephone at 416-441-2345 ext 303. In the meantime you can also find more information about the project at www.sedai.ca.
We look forward to hearing from you!