By: Charlene Aviles, Peak Associate
This May, Vancouver is celebrating Asian Heritage Month with a full list of cultural programming. Running until June 10, the 25th annual explorASIAN Festival features museum and art exhibitions, podcasts, performances, and more. One of these special events is a collaboration between The Hafu It podcast hosts, Kiyoko Sugimoto and Sakura Yoshida, and the Vancouver Japanese Language School and Japanese Hall (VJLS–JH) — VJLS–JH x The Hafu It: A Homemade Pilgrimage.
During my childhood, mainstream media had few BIPOC and mixed-race protagonists. What drew me in the most about The Hafu It podcast is that the hosts amplify mixed-race people’s voices. Hafu translates to “half” in English and refers to people who are half-Japanese. In it, Sugimoto and Yoshida detail their experiences of rediscovering their Japanese heritage as mixed-race Japanese Canadians. At the same time, they educate the audience on Japanese culture and history. Although I am not Japanese, I found the experiences described by Sugimoto and Yoshida reminiscent of my own as a Eurasian woman.
The first episode, “Our Issei,” explains the history of Japanese immigration to Canada, as well as each hosts’ family histories and their experiences with racial impostor syndrome.
Sugimoto and Yoshida begin by recounting the history of Japanese immigration to Vancouver. The first wave of immigrants travelled by boat and built a community concentrated around Powell Street. They gave birth to the Issei, which Sugimoto defines as the “first generation of [Japanese] people to be born in Canada.” But in Vancouver, they faced discrimination and oppression, as reflected by the 1907 anti-Asian riots, limited job prospects, and internment camps. Sugimoto and Yoshida also describe how experiences of “internalized shame” and the desire for assimilation accompanied anti-Japanese racism.
Determined to teach their culture to their children, internment camp survivors returned to the VJLS–JH building in 1949 and re-established cultural and language programs. The VJLS–JH continues to grow, and it became a national historic site in 2019. After World War II, several memorials were established addressing the Japanese Canadian internment camps, including the Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre, the Japanese Canadian War Memorial, and the Tashme Historical Project.
Reflecting on fond memories with their grandparents, Sugimoto and Yoshida explained that Japanese culture promotes respect for elders and described their grandparents as sources of wisdom. As they shared their grandparents’ life stories, the hosts highlighted the importance of Japanese Canadians staying connected to their community. Sugimoto and Yoshida explained how, growing up, their passion for learning more about their heritage inspired their elders. “[They realized] life was too short to keep those stories to themselves,” Sugimoto said.
“We’re finally at a time in our community’s history where we can be that for them, we can be the safe place that they entrust their stories to, so that we can hopefully inspire a better future for all of them and for our future generations,” she continued.
The hosts’ experiences of learning their culture through their elders reminded me of the importance of passing on cultural knowledge from one generation to the next. While researching my ancestry for an essay, I realized that I still have a lot to learn about my heritage, as I am still a beginner in my native languages. One of my main motivations to learn these languages is to communicate better with my elders. The hosts’ stories of reconnecting with their grandparents encouraged me to continue learning.
While discussing Japanese culture, Sugimoto and Yoshida also explained how racial imposter syndrome affected them. Racial impostor syndrome describes the self-doubt one feels after having to disprove others’ beliefs about their ethnicity. The Hafu It hosts noted that other people who were made aware of their mixed ancestry often reacted with disbelief. Subsequently, Sugimoto and Yoshida expressed not feeling fully accepted by the Japanese community. Reflecting on this experience, Sugimoto and Yoshida emphasized that, regardless of how much Japanese heritage one has, all should be welcomed.
Recognition and acceptance of the diversity among Asian cultures and identities is worth celebrating all year round. Asian Heritage Month is simply the beginning. Solidarity for Asian-Canadians requires ongoing activism against anti-Asian racism, and listening to members of the community like Sugimoto and Yoshida is a good place to begin.
For more episodes of VJLS–JH x The Hafu It: A Homemade Pilgrimage, visit Buzzsprout every Wednesday until May 26.
