Featured Articles – Page 3

Growing Up Japanese

Sending the Kid to Ikebata Nursery School

By Johnson Kong

When the time came for us to look at daycare options for the kid, a Japanese language environment for her social and cultural development was on the top of our lists. We felt that it was important for our child to have the experience of her Japanese identity as well as to build her language skills for communicating with family members. Currently, there are only two options in Toronto: Ikebata Nursery School, located in the same building as the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre at 6 Garamond Court (northeast of Don Mills and Eglinton), and the Japanese Academy of Cultural Exchange, or Hakobune, at 630 Spadina Avenue (southwest of Spadina and College). The only information that I have about Hakobune (416-599-2426) is that it takes children ages 2.5 to 6 years. A Japanese daycare may also be opening in Markham’s J-Town at Woodbine and Steeles. (more…)

Japanese Supermarkets In Toronto

Missing Japanese home cooking? Need some ingredients you can’t seem to find anywhere? How about checking out the many options we lucky Torontonians have at our disposal. Explore the various Japanese supermarkets in Toronto. Ashley Haley breaks it down for you.

J-Town

3160 Steeles East / 404 & Steeles

J-Town, should you be close enough to access it, should always be your first stop for authenticity. This shopping complex encompasses a supermarket, restaurant, bakery, fishmonger, cafe, izakaya, kitchenware store, cosmetics store, beauty salon…it is, essentially, a tiny Japanese mall. The prices are consistent with what you might find at Sanko, though slightly higher than the Korean grocery stores that stock Japanese products. Still, for the experience – especially for expats fighting homesickness – this place is the Promised Land. It’s also the only store I know of in the city that sells melon pan, fresh or otherwise.

Access it by the 53 Steeles East bus at Finch Station – the stop you want is “3381 Steeles Avenue East,” immediately afterWoodbine Avenue.

Sanko

730 Queen Street West / Queen & Bathurst

Sanko is the more well-known of the two purely-Japanese shops in town, open since 1968 and run by a local family. For downtowners, it is a much more sensible choice than J-Town, especially as it has a fantastic stock of both drygoods and fresh ingredients, including burdock root and shiso leaves. Rice balls and takeout obentou available too. Sanko also carries an extensive stock of Japanese dishware; priced for imports but of excellent quality.

Access it via the 511Bathurstor 501 Queen streetcars.

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A Tearful Final Journey

Recently JETAA partnered with the JCCC in their newly created Toronto Japanese Film Festival to sponsor the movie Ending Note: Death of a Japanese Salaryman.

This story is about the final months of a Japanese salaryman, Tomoaki Sunada, who had retired from the board of directors of the company he worked for his entire life. He had recently been diagnosed with cancer and decided to live life to the fullest until he passed away.

The director of the film is the youngest daughter of Sunada-san. While the film starts and ends with the passing of Sunada-san, it is one of the most heartwarming testaments to life, family and love. A man who had spent his days focused on work and is estranged from his family discovers what is truly important to him — being a husband, father, grandfather and son. However, true to himself and ever the organized Japanese businessman, he begins to document and plan for his passing and types out his “ending notes”.

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Interview: Hitoshi Murakami

kocho
June 18, 2012
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Hitoshi Murakami is a JET who has started his own photography school in downtown Toronto. How can a person be this brave? Who is this quiet genius? You will surely only find out by reading our interview with Hitoshi.

Q. What made you decide to start your own school?

It just kind of happened… It was one of those things where we started talking about it on a whim and as we continued the conversation we realized that we could actually make something out of it. It all came together when we planned out the curriculum and found that we had something that we really wished was available when we first started out.

Q. You are an administrator at the school, how did you find your teachers? Who are they?

The teachers are actually co-owners who I felt had the ability to impart their knowledge. Stephen Caissie has taught photography workshops in the Beaches and is doing some amazing work with product and portrait photography. Johann Bona is a fashion photographer who trained in Milan and I love his visual signature. You can find out more on our website www.focalpointphotoschool.ca

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From Our Chair: Year In Review

kocho
May 1, 2012
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Commendation

In April we officially started our new fiscal year. There is a lot of excitement about our plan for the year. It also is wonderful to see so many new faces on the executive committee, many of whom have just returned recently from Japan. This time of year also brings us some departures which always comes with mixed emotions. Many of the departing executive are becoming busier with their life, career and grad school – but hopefully not too busy to still come out to our events!

David Namisato, Website Coordinator (6 years)
Benjamin Singer, Communications Coordinator (2 years)
Angela Libby, Membership Coordinator (1.5 years)
Yuriko Fujita, Events Coordinator (1 year)
Kaki Narh, Conference Coordinator (1 year)
Samantha Russell, Treasurer Support (1 year)

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