Episode 19 – Place Names

Outdoor Portrait of a Group of Men with a Large Fish; Ikeda Bay, BC, 1913. NNM 2010.23.2.4.176

Samurai on horseback in Vancouver; circa 1930

NNM 2010.23.2.4.707

SJCTM - 19 - Place Names

In this episode, Raymond and Carolyn discuss the who, what, where, when, and why of Japanese place names in Canada, from Ikeda Bay in Haida Gwaii to Bonsai Street in Vancouver, and even "Matane" in Quebec. While some are named in honour of early immigrants from Japan, others are more like tributes from afar to the idea of Japan and Japanese culture, or arrived at their names through a variety of interesting and surprising occurrences.

Further reading:

Friends of the Richmond Archives. "What's in a Name - Minoru Park". Outside the Box - the Richmond Archives Blog. Web: 17 December 2015.

Gill, Mark. "The Naming of Oyama". Lake Country Museum and Archives. Web: 24 October 2014.

Hashizume, William T. Japanese Community in Mission: A Brief History 1904-1942

Home Town Saskatchewan. "Mikado, Saskatchewan". YouTube. 3 February 2012.

"Island Mountain to be renamed "Nikkei Mountain". The Bulletin, Nov 2002. 9-10.

Matas, Robert. "Former B.C. mayor honoured over efforts for Japanese Canadians". The Globe and Mail. Web: 20 July 2011.

Nakayama, Gordon G. Issei. Toronto: NC Press Ltd., 1984.