Remembering Shigeru (Shig) Hirai
In memory of Shigeru (Shig) Hirai, his wife Akemi Hirai and Shig made a generous donation to the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre and Nikkei Seniors Health Care & Housing Society’s Endowment Funds.
Shig & Akemi Hirai in Hawaii, 1993 NNM TD 1322
A Lasting Legacy of Generosity
In memory of Shigeru (Shig) Hirai, his wife Akemi Hirai and Shig made a generous donation to the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre and Nikkei Seniors Health Care & Housing Society’s Endowment Funds. Shig was a long time supporter of Japanese Canadian cultural organizations, and loved to share his passion of Japanese food with others, including at Robert Nimi Nikkei Home through the beloved Hi Genki Restaurant. Shig and Akemi’s endowment fund ensures that Nikkei Place can continue to bring Japanese culture to the community and be a place where people come to eat, laugh, and share stories.
Take a moment to remember Shig Hirai and his generous heart and spirit with us.
About Shig Hirai (1937-2025)
Shigeru (Shig) Hirai was born on September 9, 1937 near Powell Street in Vancouver. During the Second World War, Shig and his family were forcibly relocated to the internment camp at Lemon Creek in the interior of British Columbia. When the war ended, the Hirai family returned to Japan instead of moving farther from Vancouver, a home they were no longer permitted to return to. Shig endured many hardships as a “foreigner” in post-war Japan, where he struggled to learn Japanese and often went hungry. These early challenges would shape the resilience and determination that defined who he was throughout his life.
After returning to Canada at the age of 17, Shig worked on a sugar beet farm near Taber, Alberta to sponsor his family’s return. Eventually the Hirai family re-established themselves in Vancouver. Shig worked as a barber with his mother and brother Miki, but found himself gravitating towards the food industry after managing at his friend’s restaurant.
In 1962 Shig married Akemi Eto, his lifelong partner whose steady support and shared work ethic played a critical role in their future ventures together. They opened Maneki Japanese Restaurant on East Hastings Street in 1969, one of Vancouver’s earliest Japanese restaurants.
In 1977 Shig opened the first Fujiya on Powell Street. Initially a fish and seafood store, Fujiya later expanded into a full Japanese grocery. He also established a food processing factory, Ocean Delight Seafoods, which produced satsuma-age, kamaboko, and imitation crab. Fujiya would increase its locations throughout the 80s and 90s in Richmond, Victoria, Coquitlam and Surrey. Shig’s guiding philosophy was simple: treat every customer like they’re your only customer. Many would come to remember Shig for his friendly welcome at Fujiya and how he loved to talk to anyone who came to his store.
Of special meaning to Nikkei Place was the Hi Genki Restaurant that opened in 2002 at the Robert Nimi Nikkei Home. The restaurant was known for its welcoming atmosphere and Japanese homestyle meals. It became a cherished community hub, not only for Japanese Canadians, but also for locals who would come to enjoy delicious Japanese food at an affordable price. Shig was a firm believer in sharing his love of traditional Japanese foods with people of all cultural backgrounds. It wasn’t just a business to him, he truly wanted people to experience authentic Japanese food.
Beyond his entrepreneurship, Shig contributed in many ways to Nikkei Place and the wider Japanese Canadian community. He chaired the inaugural Nikkei Matsuri in 2000; served as a board member of Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre; and supported events through generous sponsorships from Fujiya. He and his wife Akemi regularly donated to Nikkei Place, community arts programs, and Japanese language schools. As an avid supporter of sumo, his group—the Sumo Aiko Kai—organized amateur sumo for many years at the Powell Street Festival. Shig was particularly proud of helping to bring professional sumo wrestlers from Japan for the 1998 Sumo Canada Basho at the PNE Coliseum.
Shig was honoured with the Nikkei Community & Business Excellence Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019, acknowledging his achievements and countless contributions to the Nikkei community. He will long be remembered for his business excellence, community spirit, generosity, big heart and love of people. A devoted husband, father, brother, and grandfather, Shig was fondly known as “boss” to many friends, colleagues, and employees. He loved telling stories surrounded by friends and family, together with good food and drinks. His memory will remain alive in our thoughts and endless stories.
In June 2027 an exhibit titled “Okome + Daizu” is planned to open at the Karasawa Gallery at the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre. Drawing on archives and select interviews, the exhibit will explore the living heritage of Japanese food in Canada through the twin foundations of rice and soy — okome and daizu. Historical objects from the museum’s collection will be presented alongside contemporary reflections on the heritage and legacy of food in the Canadian Nikkei community. Shig and Fujiya will also be paid homage to in this exhibit. Please look forward to celebrating and honouring Shig with us once more in the upcoming year!
Shig and Akemi Hirai’s wedding, Vancouver 1962 NNM TD 1322
Generosity that Continues in Perpetuity
Shig made many contributions to the Japanese Canadian community and was a man of generous heart and spirit. His support of Nikkei Place continues with his and Akemi’s contribution to the NNMCC and NSHCHS Endowment Funds. Their donation ensures the vibrant programs, services, events and operational costs at Nikkei Place are always supported.
Learn how you can help preserve community, culture, and a place for future generations through an endowment fund.
A Timeless Legacy: Tetsuo (Ted) and Frances Itani Endowment Fund
Established in loving memory of Major Tetsuo (Ted) Itani, the Endowment Fund honours his lifetime contributions to peace and humanitarian work, and his deep commitment to the Japanese Canadian community.
The Tetsuo (Ted) and Frances Itani Endowment Fund
Established in loving memory of Major Tetsuo (Ted) Itani, the Endowment Fund honours his lifetime contributions to peace and humanitarian work, and his deep commitment to the Japanese Canadian community. Through this endowment, Ted’s legacy lives on, supporting long-term preservation of objects stored in the Nikkei National Museum Collections & Archives.
Below is the story of Ted’s extraordinary life, written by his wife Frances, along with his tributes by various organizations.
About Major Tetsuo (Ted) Itani, C.M., O.M.M., C.D., (Ret’d) (1939-2021)
Ted’s journey began (born Sansei) in Ucluelet, B.C., son of Takeo Itani (commercial fisherman) and Sumako Oye. Shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Ted’s family was forcibly removed from their home, taking only the possessions they could carry. They were confined in primitive stables in Hastings Park, Vancouver, until months later when they were moved north by train, and incarcerated in a camp in East Lillooet on the Fraser River, 1942. Having lost their civil rights – though all were Canadian citizens – they remained in BC’s interior until after the end of the war. By then, their confiscated possessions had been sold off.
Post-war, the family eventually moved to Westbank, B.C. As a young man, Ted began a 37-year career with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). He served with NATO in Europe, and held command, staff and instructional posts in Canada and abroad. He graduated from the Canadian Army Staff College, NATO Defense College in Rome and the International Institute of Humanitarian Law, San Remo, Italy. He pursued language studies in French, Russian, Japanese, Arabic, Spanish, Italian and German. He also attended the Romeo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative at Dalhousie University. Ted served as Commanding Officer of the 1st Airborne Battery, Royal Canadian Artillery, of the Canadian Airborne Regiment (Edmonton 1972-74). UN missions included long periods in the Horn of Africa, Pakistan, Iran/Iraq and the former Yugoslavia during the Bosnian War. He held various jobs as Faculty Member, Peacekeeper and UN Monitor. He was awarded the Order of Military Merit in 1991, and in 2015 was appointed to the Order of Canada.
Ted made an early decision to commit himself to justice, peace and gender equality. He overcame adversity and prejudice, and with wisdom and humour, worked selflessly to help others. He had enormous inner strength and no fear of making tough decisions. After retirement from the CAF in 1994, he began a 26-year career in humanitarian aid work with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the International Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent Societies, and Canadian Red Cross (CRC). For 17 years he took on various roles with the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre, teaching, helping to design and deliver training courses conducted around the world. In 1995 he supported efforts to negotiate a mine-ban convention, which came to fruition in the 1997 Ottawa Treaty. He worked for the ICRC until 2004, including a 2 ½-year mission in Central Asia, based in Tashkent, his territory covering Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan. In Geneva he worked for several years on the Missing People Project, and as advisor on International Humanitarian Law and diplomacy. With the Canadian Red Cross, he led responses to natural disasters including Sri Lanka and Indonesia following the 2004 tsunami; 2005-06 earthquake relief in Pakistan; Operations Coordinator with Pakistan Red Crescent Society in Baluchistan (2008 earthquake); and Pakistan during the 2010 floods. He worked for the US State Department Global Peace Operations Initiative as Subject Matter Expert and threw his energy into his work, whether it was classroom or field. He left his mark in many places, including Haiti after a major earthquake, Bangladesh, Nepal, the Philippines, Indonesia and Mongolia. In his last years he was a committed Red Cross mentor and Volunteer. To quote a colleague: “He was dignified, respectful of people and honourable.”
Ted and Frances eloped in Montreal in 1967 and moved about Canada and the world together, including 3 years in Heidelberg, Germany, while working and raising son, Russell, and daughter, Sam. Ted was a steady and gentle guiding presence for his children and three grandchildren: Frances Michiko Itani, Campbell Itani Smith and Tate Itani Smith. He was a fly fisherman, during any brief time off. And loved to visit Prince Edward Island with family any chance he had during summer weeks.
Ted was a lifetime runner and completed many marathons, including the original in Greece, and the Boston Marathon. He was a victim of a tragic accident sustained while out running, the evening of January 12, 2021. He survived 10 weeks in hospital but died from multiple traumatic injuries on March 22, 2021.
He is very much missed by his family and his community.
Tributes
B. Stewart: It's a great honour to rise today in this House and remember the life of an incredible Canadian with deep roots in West Kelowna:
Tetsuo Itani was born in Ucluelet, B.C. in 1939. His father, Takeo, was a successful commercial fisherman, a second-generation Canadian and homeowner. Unfortunately, this did not stop the Canadian government from labelling Ted's family and all the other Japanese Canadians as enemy aliens, following the attacks on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Much of Ted's childhood was spent in internment camps at Hastings Park and East Lillooet and then, when they were allowed to, the Itani family decided to move to Westbank on Dobbin Road, just down from my constituency office. Takeo grew vegetables and his mother, Sumako, worked for the Reece family at the family packing house. Ted always looked for ways to get involved in his community, and he decided to.... One of the few groups that would allow him to be a member was the Cadets. He spoke of the program as giving him a sense of belonging in a place and at a time when it was difficult for him to find one. This decision ended up shaping the rest of Ted's life. After the Cadets, he went on with 37 years of service in the Canadian Armed Forces. He served with NATO, was involved in UN peacekeeping and humanitarian missions across the world and was awarded the Order of Military Merit in 1994.
He then retired from the military and went on to a successful 26-year humanitarian career with the Red Cross and a few years ago was inducted into the Order of Canada.
The headline in the local newspaper: "Once Shunned by Canada, Ted Itani Now Among Canada's Honoured Elite." I just want to read a clip from the Governor General.
"Ted Itani is a role model of service to people in crisis around the world. Following a distinguished military career, he became an adviser to the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre, where he drew on his own experiences to help design peacekeeping training courses conducted by the centre around the world. A committed humanitarian, he led responses to... natural disasters, including the earthquakes and floods that ravaged Pakistan in the last decade. He was a senior volunteer in the International Red Cross and Red Crescent movement."
Ted's life is a story that looks like somebody that dedicates oneself to service, despite having every reason to bear resentment towards Canada. He chose to spend his life serving his country and working to improve the lives of people around the world.
His life and legacy is remembered by his community; his wife and author, Frances; Bing of 100 Mile; Nancy of 108 Mile; and sister-in-law Beryl Itani in Kelowna West - an example of dedication, resilience and commitment from which we can all learn.
In Memory of Ian Miki
Ian was a dedicated Board Director and pillar of the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre.
Ian Noboru Miki
A dedicated Board Director and pillar of the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre, Ian Miki, passed away in May 2024. His family’s internment during WWII in Greenwood, BC, inspired his dedication to preserving Japanese Canadian history and heritage for future generations. Serving since 2012, Ian volunteered his time and expertise to Nikkei Place, playing a key role in fundraising, development, and caring for the Nikkei Centre facility and Nikkei Garden. His kindness and positive spirit were truly remarkable, and he is dearly missed by everyone who was touched by his life.
A celebration of life was held on Sunday, August 18, 2024, at the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre.
In the Nikkei Garden, a bench has been dedicated in memory of Ian, facing the pine tree he gave to Nikkei Centre on their 20th anniversary. This lasting tribute will forever celebrate his leadership, compassion, and commitment to the community.
Ian Miki Obituary ~ From His Loving Family
12 AUGUST, 1971 – 11 MAY, 2024
Ian Noboru Miki, born August 12, 1971, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loving family, on May 11, 2024.
Ian will be remembered with love by his wife Chieko, son Brian and daughters, Emily and Sophia. He will be deeply missed by his mother, Tsuneko, sister, Evy (Albert) and niece, Christina, as well as his in-laws and many extended family members, including uncles, aunts and cousins. Ian was pre-deceased by his father Robert Toru Miki.
Ian was born and raised in Surrey, BC. He went on to study civil engineering at UBC and started his career at the BC Ministry of Transportation, working in Prince George and Victoria before moving back to the Lower Mainland. After 8 years with the ministry, Ian moved to the private sector, working in various roles at FortisBC for 22 years. Ian had a very rewarding career and cherished the relationships he built with his co-workers.
As an adult, Ian settled in Burnaby and made many good neighbourhood friends. He wished to thank all the families on McKee Street and the surrounding areas for being great, supportive neighbours for over 20 years.
Ian was an active volunteer in the Nikkei community. As a result of his father and his family being interned during the second world war in Greenwood, BC, he was interested in his family history and supporting the preservation of Japanese Canadian history. Ian volunteered his time at the Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Center and was a volunteer director for over 10 years.
Ian’s life-long hobby was kendo. He started kendo at the age of seven and continued until his illness. He cherished the many friendships he made through kendo and is also proud that his son, Brian, continues this tradition.
Ian was diagnosed with lymphoma in September, 2023. He fought a long battle and passed away peacefully at St Michael’s Centre, surrounded by his loving family.
Ian accomplished much in his 52 years and appreciated the many friendships he developed through his work, hobbies and volunteering.
In accordance with Ian’s wishes, in lieu of flowers and koden, please consider a donation to the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre Maintenance Fund in Ian’s memory.
Celebrating Yoshi Hashimoto, Former Chair of the Nikkei Auxiliary Committee!
Celebrating Yoshi Hashimoto's 20 years of community service.
Celebrating Yoshi Hashimoto's 20 years of community service
Former Chair of the Nikkei Auxiliary Committee
Since its formation in December 2001, the NNMCC Auxiliary has become an integral part of the activities at the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre (NNMCC). Yoshi Hashimoto was appointed Chair at the first Auxiliary meeting in 2001. He was re-appointed Auxiliary Chair every year for 20 consecutive years, until he handed over the gavel in 2022.
Over the years, Yoshi has guided the Auxiliary to success, raising almost $300,000 for the NNMCC through fundraising events. Funds raised have gone toward a variety of projects, including Museum education programs, computer upgrades, kitchen renovations, building and garden maintenance, as well as contributions to both the Resilience and Inspiration fundraising campaigns. One of the Auxiliary’s most significant projects was building the NNMCC Community Kitchen. Yoshi was one of the driving forces to initiate and spearhead fundraising to build the Kitchen. Since its completion in 2005, the Kitchen has more than proven its value - the Auxiliary has produced countless food items for sale at many events, including the annual Spring Bazaar, Craft Market and year end Mochitsuki, as well as for NNMCC events such as Matsuri.
During his tenure as Chair of the Auxiliary, Yoshi traveled numerous times between Abbotsford and the NNMCC. In addition to chairing the Auxiliary meetings, Yoshi could be found in the kitchen helping out wherever he could, whether it was peeling apples for pies or manning the scales to weigh mochi.
Yoshi is a keen gardener and enthusiastic cook. With his easygoing manner and good humour, Yoshi has made many friends and forged good relationships within the Nikkei community. We thank him for his many years of dedicated service, and look forward to working with him at future events.
Thank you for serving as the Chair of the Nikkei Auxiliary for the past 20 consecutive years! Please join in making a donation to Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre in honour of Yoshi Hashimoto!