Expanding Access to History: Mitsubishi Canada Ltd. Signs MOU to Strengthen TAIKEN Field Trips Program
We are pleased to share an exciting development for the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre (NNMCC)!
On February 14, 2025, the NNMCC officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Mitsubishi Canada Ltd., launching a three-year partnership that will enhance and expand their TAIKEN Field Trips Program.
Pictured: Memorandum of understanding (MOU) signing ceremony between NNMCC and Mitsubishi Canada Ltd., witnessed by Consul General Takahashi
The TAIKEN Field Trip offers an immersive educational program that brings Japanese Canadian history and culture to life, exploring key moments from early immigration to the internment era and beyond. Through this partnership more students will participate in enhanced activities supported by the expansion of educational resources, providing an improved field trip experience.
Thank you to Mitsubishi Canada Ltd. for their dedication to education and cultural understanding. Together, we are making Japanese Canadian history more engaging, accessible, and impactful for future generations!
A Lasting Legacy: Nikkei Centre Events Hall Renamed The Mitsuo & Emmie Hayashi Hall
On May 6, 2023 a commemorative event was held in honour of Mitsuo and Emmie Hayashi.
A Lasting Legacy: Nikkei Centre Events Hall Renamed The Mitsuo & Emmie Hayashi Hall
Mitsuo & Emmie Hayashi
林光夫・恵美子夫妻
Nikkei Place and the Japanese Canadian community in Vancouver are grateful for the many contributions by Mitsuo and Emmie Hayashi. They leave behind a lasting legacy that will continue to inspire and enrich future generations. In their honour, Nikkei Centre’s Event Hall was renamed the Mitsuo & Emmie Hayashi Hall.
On May 6, 2023 a commemorative event was held in honour of Mitsuo and Emmie Hayashi. The couple was known for their tireless efforts to build strong relations between Canada and Japan, as well as their dedication to the Nikkei Place community since the 1990s. To honour their legacy, the Event Hall was renamed the Mitsuo and Emmie Hayashi Hall. About 50 attendees, including volunteers, Board Directors, Auxiliary, and friends, gathered to pay tribute.
L-R: Frank Kamiya, Akiko Gomyo, Kohei Maruyama, Kayoko Ihara, Herbert Ono, Ruth Roles, Karah Foster
(左より、敬称略) フランク・カミヤ、五明明子、丸山浩平、伊原香代子、ハーバート・オノ、ルース・コールズ、ケーラ後新門フォスター
Photo by Manto Artworks.
Keiko Funahashi, the Development Director of the Nikkei Place Foundation, delivered welcoming remarks, and special guest Kayoko Ihara, Mits Hayashi's niece from Japan, was in attendance.
Karah Foster, the Executive Director of NNMCC, spoke about the couple's generous contributions to the Nikkei Place community from the early days of visioning and fundraising to its opening and development as an active cultural gathering place. Upon their passing the couple left a generous legacy gift.
Consul General Maruyama paid tribute to Mitsuo and Emmie Hayashi's significant contributions to Nikkei Place and the Japanese Canadian community, including Mr. Mitsuo Hayashi’s receipt of the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays by the Japanese government in 2012 for his outstanding contributions to the Japanese Canadian community and the Japanese in Canada.
Frank Kamiya, who served on the board of NNMCC with Mits and knew the couple since the beginning, spoke about their involvement with the centre and how they supported the NNMCC Auxiliary. He also highlighted Mits's role in building bridges between Nikkei Place and Japan through his business network.
Akiko Gomyo, past President of NNMCC, expressed gratitude for Mits's contributions, including his establishment of the Nikkei Community New Year's celebration, and described him as her mentor in volunteering in the community.
Ruth Coles, past President of the Nikkei Seniors Health Care and Housing Society, highlighted their support for the development of the organization through financial contributions, mentorship, and team building. She described them as dignified and respectful individuals who left an enduring legacy for the community.
The event concluded with the unveiling of the Mitsuo Emmie Hayashi Hall sign, followed by the display of exquisite Ikebana in the newly named hall. The commemorative event was a touching tribute to the Hayashi’s significant contributions and lasting legacy.
2023年5月6日、林光夫・恵美子夫妻を称える記念式典が行われました。夫妻は、カナダと日本の関係構築や、日系プレースと日系カナダ人コミュニティへの献身で知られていました。この式典では、夫妻の遺贈を称え、イベントホールが「林光夫&恵美子ホール」と改称されました。50人の参加者が集まり、日系プレース基金の船橋敬子氏が司会を務め、林夫妻の姪である伊原香代子さんが日本より特別ゲストとして出席されました。
日系文化センター・博物館の事務局長のケーラ後新門フォスター氏は、夫妻が設立初期のビジョンと資金調達から、センターの活発な文化的な集会場としての発展に至るまでの、日系プレースと日系カナダ人コミュニティへの多大な貢献について語りました。丸山浩平在バンクーバー日本国総領事は、林夫妻が日系プレースと日系カナダ人コミュニティに与えた重要な影響、特に2012年に日本政府より旭日双光章を授与したことについて言及しました。
林光夫氏とともに日系文化センター・博物館（以下、NNMCC）の理事を務め、NNMCC活動補助グループの一員であるフランク・カミヤ氏は、夫妻のグループへの貢献や、林氏がビジネスネットワークを通じて日系プレースと日本の架け橋をになったことを強調しました。
NNMCCの前理事長である五明明子氏は、林氏が日系コミュニティ・ボランティア活動のリーダーであり、林氏が設立した日系合同新年会などへの貢献に感謝の気持ちを表しました。また、日系シニアズ・ヘルスケア＆住宅協会前理事長のルース・コールズ氏は、林夫妻が財政的な貢献やメンターシップ、チームビルディングを通じて組織の発展を支援したことを強調し、夫妻を尊敬し、品格ある人物であると表現しました。
当日「林光夫&恵美子ホール」の看板の除幕式に続き、新しく名前が付けられたホールで生花ショーが開催されました。
A Tribute to Cathy Makihara: Dedicated Leader, Philanthropist, Friend
After 25 years of dedicated service to Nikkei Place, Cathy Makihara retired from her role as Executive Director of the Nikkei Seniors Health Care and Housing Society (NSHCHS) on February 28, 2021.
We hope that Cathy continues to create joy in her retirement and we look forward to her continued support and leadership at Nikkei Place.
After 25 years of dedicated service to Nikkei Place, Cathy Makihara retired from her role as Executive Director of the Nikkei Seniors Health Care and Housing Society (NSHCHS) on February 28, 2021. Cathy has devoted her professional work to the Japanese Canadian community, having held roles at the National Association of Japanese Canadians, Tonari Gumi, Powell Street Festival Society, the Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre, and the NSHCHS. She served an instrumental role in establishing the Nikkei Place Foundation in 2002 and worked behind the scenes to secure major leadership gifts to support the three societies at Nikkei Place. Both Cathy and her late husband Robert Banno have made lasting impacts at Nikkei Place through their generous philanthropic contributions.
On March 10, a plaque unveiling commemorated Cathy’s decades of service to the wellbeing of seniors in our community. The plaque reads:
“In recognition of Cathy Makihara’s years of service to Nikkei Place and Nikkei Seniors Health Care and Housing Society. It has been service marked by dedication, leadership, team-work, and cooperation with the broader community. Compassion and respect for seniors have been her hallmark.”
When Cathy was overseeing the opening of the Kenko Wellness Lounge at Nimi Nikkei Home, a dedicated activity space for seniors, she expressed the importance of cultivating joy and care through the physical space and through the seniors’ programming. We hope that Cathy continues to create joy in her retirement and we look forward to her continued support and leadership at Nikkei Place.
“It has been an honor to work with Cathy Makihara over the past five years as a colleague, donor, and mentor. I would personally like to acknowledge and thank her for her sound advice and guidance. I also appreciated how she values research to practice and integrates her values of respect and dignity to her professional work. On behalf of the Foundation staff and Board of Directors, we extend our sincere gratitude and appreciation to Cathy.”
Naomi Kawamura
Executive Director, Nikkei Place Foundation
Cathy inspires us to always stay passionate in work and in life.
Gordon Kadota's Life Remembered
Gordon was a great story teller and often started by saying “It’s a long story”. On Sunday, September 22, a large number of the Nikkei community gathered at Nikkei Place to celebrate the life of our dear friend…
Gordon Kadota's Life Remembered
His life, leadership, and lasting legacy in the Japanese Canadian community will never be forgotten.
Gordon was a great story teller and often started by saying “It’s a long story”. On Sunday, September 22, a large number of the Nikkei community gathered at Nikkei Place to celebrate the life of our dear friend and longtime supporter Gordon Kadota, and remember his story.
Gordon was born on January 15, 1933 in New Westminster, B.C., the 8th child of Kantaro and Shigeno (nee Kunita) Kadota. At the age of 7 he was taken to Japan for a visit, but the outbreak of World War II prevented his return to Canada. He spent 12 years in Japan, graduating from Kwansei Gakuin University High School and later returned to Canada in 1952.
“Gordon always struck me as unusual among JCs. As a Nisei who was trapped in Japan during the war and was educated there, but who returned to Canada as a young man, he had the ability to navigate both worlds with ease. He himself carried values from both Japan and Canada, and he was able to serve as a bridge between cultures and generations. He was at once blunt and diplomatic, sometimes at the same time, and he had a strong sense of duty to community, while never seeking credit for himself. As the second editor of The Bulletin, he set a tone and a standard that hopefully carries through to this day.”
—John Endo Greenaway
Editor, The Bulletin
Beginning in the mid-1950’s, he volunteered and became a leader in the Japanese Canadian community, serving both in organizations at the local and national levels. Over the years, Gordon received numerous awards for his work in the Japanese Canadian community, in business and tourism and the betterment of relations between Japan and Canada.
In 2016, Gordon received Nikkei Place Foundation’s Thomas Shoyama Lifetime Achievement Award.
In 2000, his dream of creating a gathering place for the Japanese-Canadian community was realized with the building of Nikkei Place in Burnaby, B.C.
“Gordon was a very unique man — he championed causes and worked with everyone. Like so many great leaders, he was patient and he worked tirelessly to prove that Nikkei Place was a dream that we needed to pursue.”
— Robert Banno
President, NPF
He had a big heart, kind words and a sense of humour that made it possible for him to continue for so many years in public service.
“Gordon Kadota will be remembered for his important work on behalf of the Japanese Canadian community. We will also remember his kindness, good humour and generosity.”
—Lorene Oikawa
President, NAJC
Donor Spotlight: Frank H. Hori Charitable Foundation
Read about Frank Hori's life and the philanthropic endeavours of the Foundation he established.
Thank you to the Frank H. Hori Charitable Foundation
Nikkei Place Foundation graciously thanks the Frank H. Hori Charitable Foundation for their generous donation to our community this year! We are happy to share with you a letter from the Trustees of the Frank H. Hori Charitable Foundation, and the biography of Frank Hori. Learn about their philanthropic endeavours, and about the person who started it all.
Frank Hiroshi Hori
(February 2, 1927 – April 15, 2011)
Frank was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, to Haruye and Zenya Hori, originally from Shiga-ken, Japan. They were merchants of Japanese goods on Powell Street, at the centre of the city’s Nikkei (Japanese) community. Frank and his seven siblings grew up in a home filled with love, warmth, and the camaraderie of family and many Japanese friends.
During the war, the Hori family was sent to the Slocan Internment Camp (Bay Farm) for
a two-year period, where Frank attended a makeshift school. Eventually the family relocated to Regina, where he attended Regina College before moving to Montreal. He attended McGill University from 1951 to 1954, studying business and accounting.
Frank always remembered the funding support provided by his siblings towards his post-secondary studies.
Frank launched his 30-year career with Premium Forest Products, a Toronto-based door manufacturer, which was renamed Premdor Inc. when Frank and partners purchased the company. In 1986, Frank was instrumental in leading the company to public ownership with eventual international opportunities. He retired as Executive Vice-President and CFO of Premdor Inc. and as Vice-Chairman and Director of its subsidiary, Masonite International.
Frank was a highly proficient individual with a stellar acumen for business.
During his retirement, Frank acquired various real estate properties and became
a world traveller and a philanthropist with a deep passion for his cultural roots and heritage.
In 1999, Frank established The Frank H. Hori Charitable Foundation to promote charitable endeavours in general but mainly those aligned with his philanthropic ideals for Japanese culture: a caring society; post-secondary learning; and the honouring of meritorious Canadians of Japanese ancestry for their contributions to Canada.
The Frank H. Hori Charitable Foundation: Letter from the Trustees
In 1999, The Frank H. Hori Charitable Foundation was established to promote charitable endeavours in general but mainly those aligned with his philanthropic ideals for Japanese culture: a caring society; post-secondary learning; and the honouring of meritorious Canadians of Japanese ancestry for their contributions to Canada.
We the trustees of The Frank H. Hori Charitable Foundation are honoured to have been chosen by Mr. Hori for our various skills, acumen and personal philosophies towards his many passions and interests.
Our commitment and assurances to Frank that his philanthropic endeavours will continue to be supported along with the development of new programs are paramount.
The efforts to abide by our foundation charter and the diligence in preforming our research into all venues before we commit and support all programs are essential to ensure suitable sponsorship and funding can occur.
The responsibility of trustee to The Frank H. Hori Charitable Foundation is not only an honour but a serious position which we value and protect, and look forward to serving this foundation for many years.
Paul Uchikata Donna J. Hori Stella Chomiak
Trustees of The Frank H. Hori Charitable Foundation