Vancouver Japanese Language School–Japanese Hall: Japanese Hall Express your emotions about Canada’s unjust actions against Japanese Canadians in the 1940s through art, writing, drumming, and more. People can create postcards to lost relatives, make origami cranes to wish for peace, or bang out their intergenerational trauma by hitting a taiko drum. Patricia Ayukawa is a … Read more
Genki Bear: Memoirs of a Granddaughter is a heartfelt and hilarious theatrical journey following Misty’s evolving relationship with her Japanese grandmother, Baachan. Created by Kizuna Theatre, the play blends storytelling, physical theatre, and bunraku-inspired puppetry to explore identity, heritage, and intergenerational bonds. Leaping across time — from childhood visits to a life-changing trip to Japan … Read more
Hitotose is a Samurai performance group founded by Haruno and Yuki, specializing in Tate (殺陣), a traditional Japanese performing art that combines choreographed sword fighting with acting. Unlike martial arts or sports, Tate emphasizes storytelling through movement and is often featured in films and stage productions. With international experience in performance and workshops, Hitotose brings … Read more
As a predominantly trans and nonbinary group, Mujō Dream Flight (MDF) defies common gender scripts in ways that are expressive of their identities and values, telling personal stories of transness, immigration, and resilience under white supremacist patriarchy. They leverage dance, shinobue, taiko, and song to weave these stories with their multidisciplinary skills and the richness … Read more
The Jason de Couto Organ Trio is a Vancouver-based ensemble led by keyboardist Jason de Couto. Featuring three accomplished and versatile musicians active in the local scene, the trio brings a unique and dynamic sound rarely heard in the city, centered around the rich tones of the Hammond organ. Their repertoire blends Jazz, Funk, Pop, … Read more
Experience live poetry readings from The Gate of Memory: Poems by Descendants of Nikkei Wartime Incarceration, an anthology edited by Brynn Saito and Brandon Shimoda (Haymarket Books, 2025). This collection pays tribute to the 150,000 people incarcerated by the United States and Canada during WWII, offering poetic reflections from those living in the aftermath of … Read more
Vancouver Japanese Language School-Japanese Hall: Room #408 In the 1940s, Japanese Canadian Issei wrote hundreds of haiku, shared through publications circulated within and between internment camps. Poets Carolyn Nakagawa and Yoriko Gillard reflect on their experiences reading these works and developing a translation approach rooted in historical context, aiming to replicate the experience of reading … Read more
Vancouver Japanese Language School-Japanese Hall: Tatami Room Genbaku no Uta: Poetry after the Atomic Bomb is a newly published collection of 60 Tanka poems by poet Hideko Kono, chronicling her search for her husband and son in the aftermath of the Atomic Bomb. Originally written in Japanese, the book has been translated into English and … Read more
Vancouver Japanese Language School-Japanese Hall: Tatami Room Led by film industry veteran Vivien Nishi, An Afternoon at the Movies is an interactive script reading and development session centred on a screenplay rooted in Japanese Canadian history. With over thirty years of experience in art direction and design, Nishi presents this first draft script as a … Read more
In Our Grandparents’ Kitchens is a short film made by Djuna Nagasaki that explores the complexities of identity among young Japanese Canadians as they navigate reconnection and reclamation. Through food, the film reflects how cultural memory and intergenerational connection can bring communities together and deepen ties to the past. The screening will be followed by … Read more
A screening of File No. 2304, a short film by Alison Kobayashi, followed by an in-depth presentation on her multidisciplinary project Electric Neon Clock. The program will include a walkthrough of her archival research process, as well as an excerpt from the performance currently in development. Electric Neon Clock draws from Kobayashi’s family’s WWII-era Custodial … Read more
A film adaptation of the Naoki Prize-winning novel by Kadoi Yoshinobu, Father of the Milky Way Railroad, offers a moving portrayal of the family that supported poet and author Miyazawa Kenji. Directed by Narushima Izuru (Rebirth), the film delves into the personal and emotional struggles behind Kenji’s literary legacy. Kenji (Suda Masaki), the eldest son … Read more
Vancouver Japanese Language School-Japanese Hall: Japanese Hall This event gathers artists, writers, and community activists in creative response to the passage and legacy of poet, activist, teacher, and scholar Roy Miki (1945–2024). Reflecting on Miki’s collaborative, creative-critical, and political work, participants including artists, filmmakers, performers, activists, poets, and visual artists from different generations and communities … Read more
Saturday, 4:00 – 5:00 pm, Firehall Arts Centre Landscapes of Home explores the lives of two doctors in the mid-20th century: Henry Shibata, a Japanese Canadian born in Vancouver, and Stuart Cooper Robinson, a Canadian born in Nagoya, Japan. Their lives are upended by WWII when Shibata is interned in the Rockies, while Robinson … Read more
Vancouver Japanese Language School-Japanese Hall: Room #416 Join us at the JC Youth Mixer to mingle and connect with other young Japanese Canadians! Hosted by the PSF 2025 Japanese Canadian Youth Cohort, there will be activities, snacks, refreshments, and most importantly, community!
Vancouver Japanese Language School-Japanese Hall: Room #407 Led by Patricia Ayukawa, this project invites visitors into a temporary, white-painted phone booth — a quiet, reflective portal for connection and remembrance. Located in the Powell Street area, the booth offers space to write the names of loved ones who have passed and, for those who choose, … Read more
Vancouver Japanese Language School-Japanese Hall: Room #407 Led by Patricia Ayukawa, this project invites visitors into a temporary, white-painted phone booth — a quiet, reflective portal for connection and remembrance. Located in the Powell Street area, the booth offers space to write the names of loved ones who have passed and, for those who choose, … Read more
Yuki the Juggler brings a high-energy, interactive juggling show blending traditional Japanese artistry with modern skills. He captivates audiences with ball juggling, contact juggling, and Edo Daikagura, infusing humour and audience participation. The show builds to a breathtaking finale as Yuki balances atop a seven-foot taiko drum, performing a daring samurai sword stunt. Combining skill, … Read more
Take part in a variety of free, supervised children’s activities in the tent, Saturday & Sunday, 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm. Please sign up at the Children’s Tent for Suika Wari, Tug of War, and the Kiai Contest ahead of time; space is limited. (This is not a childcare program; please do not leave children … Read more
A fun magic show for all ages featuring the dazzling magical skills and sparkling wit of East Vancouver’s Travis Bernhardt. Since 2008 “East Van legend” Travis Bernhardt’s magic shows have been selling out houses and winning awards across Canada. When not performing, he creates magic for other magicians, with some of this work appearing on … Read more
Take part in a variety of free, supervised children’s activities in the tent, Saturday & Sunday, 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm. Please sign up at the Children’s Tent for Suika Wari, Tug of War, and the Kiai Contest ahead of time; space is limited. (This is not a childcare program; please do not leave children … Read more
The Powell Street Festival takes place on the traditional, unceded and occupied territories of the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations.
