"Like many nisei, we lived in two cultures -- Canadian and Japanese -- and we were comfortable in both."
Education was key to the success of many Japanese-Canadians. However, only children whose parents owned property could attend school. The Dantai, or Japanese nationalist groups, approached the United Church Women's Missionary to establish the first Japanese Language Schools in British Columbia. These schools taught Japanese and English. Like many Japanese-Canadian children, Akira would often complain about having to go to school and then Japanese School.
Photograph 5. Graduation at a Japanese Language School in Vancouver.
The Japanese Hospital began treating Japanese-Canadians in 1894, and by 1900, a larger one was built. Japanese families could pay an $8 fee per year for medical coverage, making the Japanese Hospital the first medical insurance in Canada. Akira did not have to worry about getting sick in the cold, as his father had paid the fee to cover his whole family.
Photograph 5. Graduation at a Japanese Language School in Vancouver.
The Japanese Hospital began treating Japanese-Canadians in 1894, and by 1900, a larger one was built. Japanese families could pay an $8 fee per year for medical coverage, making the Japanese Hospital the first medical insurance in Canada. Akira did not have to worry about getting sick in the cold, as his father had paid the fee to cover his whole family.
Photograph 6. The Asahi Baseball Team.
As the Japanese communities flourished, many clubs dedicated to Japanese sports and cultures soon emerged. In Stevenston, the Sumo wrestling club opened up, which was popular amongst young Japanese men. Powell Street, Vancouver was a thriving residential and business district. The centre of this area was Oppenheimer Park, home to the first Japanese-Canadian baseball team, the Asahi. They won the Pacific Northwest Baseball Championship for five years straight. Akira would often bring his friends along to watch them play.
There was Japanese inspired architecture, to reflect its Japanese-Canadian ownership. Eventually a Japantown emerged, where Japanese-Canadians went for almost every type of business: groceries, jewellery, restaurants, and religious services. Akira joined his local Kendo club, which was dedicated to teaching young men the Japanese martial art of sword fighting.
As the Japanese communities flourished, many clubs dedicated to Japanese sports and cultures soon emerged. In Stevenston, the Sumo wrestling club opened up, which was popular amongst young Japanese men. Powell Street, Vancouver was a thriving residential and business district. The centre of this area was Oppenheimer Park, home to the first Japanese-Canadian baseball team, the Asahi. They won the Pacific Northwest Baseball Championship for five years straight. Akira would often bring his friends along to watch them play.
There was Japanese inspired architecture, to reflect its Japanese-Canadian ownership. Eventually a Japantown emerged, where Japanese-Canadians went for almost every type of business: groceries, jewellery, restaurants, and religious services. Akira joined his local Kendo club, which was dedicated to teaching young men the Japanese martial art of sword fighting.