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five reasons to celebrate japanese arts and culture at the powell street festival
visitors can expect food vendors, a craft marketplace, and two outdoor stages, plus traditional and contemporary music, dance, literature, film and performances
jul 31 2024
3 minute read
hiroki tanaka, former lead guitarist of yamantaka/sonic titan, performs aug. 3 at firehall arts centre as part of this year's powell street festival. maya bankovic photo
powell street festival
when:
aug. 3 and 4 from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m.
where:
oppenheimer park, 400 block, powell st., as well as nearby streets, vancouver
info:
powellstreetfestival.com
the annual celebration of japanese canadian arts and culture returns to the historic paueru gai neighbourhood. visitors can expect food vendors, a craft marketplace, and two outdoor stages, with over three dozen events showcasing traditional and contemporary music, dance, literature, film and performances by local and international talent and sumo wrestling. participating venues include firehall arts centre, vancouver japanese language centre and japanese hall, centre a gallery and vancouver buddhist temple. all events are free.
members of the japanese canadian centennial project from tamio wakayama’s dream of riches, 1976. tamio wakayama photo
between pictures
the lens of tamio wakayama. born in new westminster in 1941, tamio wakayama spent his early years in the tashme, b.c. internment camp. in the ‘60s he travelled to the southern u.s. to take part in the civil rights movement. upon his return to canada he began documenting the nikkei community in vancouver. his exhibit, dream of riches: the japanese canadians 1877-1977, toured the country. in between pictures, a new documentary, vancouver multimedia artist cindy mochizuki uses interviews with friends and colleagues of wakayama’s, archival photographs and hand-painted animation to tell the photographer’s story. aug. 3, noon, firehall arts centre.
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hiroki tanaka
as former lead guitarist of acclaimed canadian experimental rock act yamantaka/sonic titan. tanaka toured the u.s. and europe multiple times and was nominated for a polaris music prize. in 2020 he released kaigo kioku kyoku, a haunting album about his two years as a caregiver for his grandmother and uncle. he lived with them in the home in which he was born, and for the album he included the sounds of objects collected from the house as well as voice recordings. he based the songs’ structures on hymns and japanese folk songs. aug. 3, 2:30-3 p.m. at firehall arts centre.
sumo tournament
ready to rumble? sign up to try to force your opponent out of the circle. there will be two categories determined by skill and weight, all genders welcome. pre-registration required. tournament: aug. 4, 2:15-3 p.m., oppenheimer park. if you’re quick, you might also be able to register for the sumo workshop on aug. 3 from 12:30-1:30 p.m. at vancouver japanese language school. participation will be on a first-come, first-served basis and will have a 12-person maximum.
riot walk
created by henry tsang, author of white riot: the 1907 anti-asian riots in vancouver, 360 riot walk utilizes 360 video technology on a walking tour of a dark period in the city’s history. riot walk traces the history and route of the mob that attacked the chinese canadian and japanese canadian communities following the demonstration and parade organized by the asiatic exclusion league in vancouver. the soundtrack is available in the four languages of the local residents of the period: english, cantonese, japanese, and punjabi. aug. 3 and 4, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m., vancouver japanese language school.
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ryuho shakuhachi kai
a leading maker of the bamboo shakuhachi flute, miura ryuho is joined by his wife, yoshiya shizuga, master of the koto, and his student alcvin ryuzen ramos. they will perform classical pieces arranged for shakuhachi and koto. aug. 4, 3-3:30 p.m., street stage, jackson & alexander.
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