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Upcoming Events

Master Class Exhibition: November 21 – December 31, 2025

Art Works Gallery

1536 Venables St.
Vancouver, B. C. V5L 2G9
(604)688-3301
Toll Free: 1-800-663-0341

Opening Reception: Sat. November 22, 11:00-4:00

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Feature Artist: June 8 – August 21, 2026 (11 weeks)

Vancouver Art Gallery: Art Rental & Sales

750 Hornby Street Vancouver BC  V6Z 2H7: (604) 662-4700‬‬‬ x 7

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My Legacy Book

What is the book about?

This narrative is a reflective account of significant events that have shaped my life and the lives of two generations before me. It is the story intertwined with the social fabric of British Columbia, Canada and World War II, which had a profound impact on my family’s experiences and, subsequently, my own psyche. I can’t call it a hard life, because that would diminish the real hardships and humiliation my parents and grandparents suffered. But the legacy of those difficulties, and therefore the conditions and circumstances, opened the doors for me to experience and live in a very rich culture in Japan. And I’m thankful for that.

My story spans two generations, beginning with my ancestors’ experiences. It covers government-sponsored discrimination, our family’s relocation from Texada Island to Steveston in Canada, my birth in Steveston, and the forced evacuation to Lemon Creek internment camp. Following the loss of citizenship, I am detailing our move to war-torn Japan, and the hardship and destitution my family faced there. Finally, I am recounting our return to Canada—Montreal, then Richmond—and the early challenges of adapting to a new culture. 

I am 83 years old as I write this story. When I turned 80, I began to record in my computer, memories of my history of the what, when, where and perhaps why of my life to leave a written legacy to my two children, Vivienne and Darren.  However, as I delve deeper into my past, I am reminded of the importance of timing, and I cannot help but wish I had started this project sooner, when my mother and cousins in Japan were still with us, for now, some vital pieces of my history remain lost forever.

This story is told through the lens of my personal experiences and recollections.  I have also relied heavily on the stories and recollections of my mother and grandmother to fill in the gaps of our family’s narrative.