VNCS Japanese Cultural Fair

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Yukari

When I first came to Victoria in 1998, I didn’t know any Japanese people in Victoria. I was a young mother in the early ‘20s and I didn’t know much about living in Canada, let alone anywhere else in the world. Eventually, I met few Japanese people and learned some great tips on living in Canada. Where to get great Japanese food and how to re-create the culture without leaving Victoria, etc.
Now, 14 years later, Victoria has a significantly larger Japanese community and there are at least four main groups/societies out there. When Japan was hit by the Earthquake and Tsunami in March 11, 2011, all these groups joined together to fundraise to help the victims. We are very lucky to have such active community here.

One of the groups is Victoria Nikkei Cultural Socety(VNCS). The purpose of the society is to promote the awarness of Japanese culture, represent the Japanese community, support other Japanese organizations, and to serve the need of the Nikkei community. I am a member of VNCS and it has been great source of information for anything Japanese in Greater Victoria, in BC, and in Canada for me.

This weekend, Saturday, October 20th is their annual Japanese Cultural Fair. It will be held at Esquimalt Recreation Center (527 Fraser St) from 10:00am − 4:00pm. It is a FREE family event where you can experience many traditional Japanese culture with demonstrations of Ikebana(Flower arrangement), Tea Ceremony, Bonsai, Shodo(Calligraphy), Sumi-e(Ink-wash painting), Kendo and Aikido. There will be food sales(Sushi and sweet Manju desserts), performances by Uminari Taiko, Furusato Dancers, Koto by Satomi Edwards, and Japanese School Children’s Choir, just to name a few. There will be kids activities as well.

This is a major fundraiser for VNCS. Please support by stopping by with the whole family. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Victoria Nikkei Cultural Society Japanese Cultural Fair
When: Saturday, October 20th, 2012 10:00am – 4:00pm
Where: Esquimalt Recreation Centre (527 Fraser Street) Admission: Free

Here is Facebook event.

For more information, please visit www.vncs.ca

Don’t Balance it, Turn it On/Off—30DBC Day 9

Posted on June 4, 2012 by Yukari

My online friend Jitsuko—who has turned me on to do this 30- day blogging challenge, wrote a great post that really spoke to me. Of course, she wrote in Japanese (If you understand Japanese you can read it here.), so I am going to explain her post in English.

We often talk about Work-Life Balance in North America. It’s the same issue in Japan, too. Not just for parents. Basically if you have a life, everyone is struggling with Work-Life Balance. Perhaps more so in Japan where many work long hours.

But Jitsuko says she’d rather think in a different way. Instead of trying to balance everything, in her mind, it works like a switch. You have to turn each one on/off.

-Mom button, Work button, Private button, Wife button…

She says she used to try having multiple buttons on at the same time, but realized only one switch can be flipped on at a time.

So when Mom button is on, she can focus on being a mom, work when Work switch is turned on, Private one (Me time) is particularly important…

and if she can use all the buttons(or maybe you can call them channels) effectively, that is a great day. But if you end up using only one or some of the buttons, things could go a little crazy.

*****

I always said myself there is no such thing as Work-Life Balance. It just does not exist, so don’t look for it. In my opinion, you just have to do what is most appropriate at the time. If the kids need attention, that is important, and sometimes work really needs to be taken care of. And I know it’s not easy.

Jitsuko’s “switch button” theory kind of makes me want to gamify my busy life. Next time I have my kids, let’s see if I can use all the switches effectively, shall we? Suddenly, this sounds much more fun than trying to achieve a perfect Work-Life Balance. Thank you, Jitsuko-san!

Now is the time to Breathe

Posted on April 7, 2012 by Yukari

One of my favourite words is Fellowship. To me, it reminds me that we are not alone. Breathe Now —I am one of the four co-founders of this event— is for fellowship of women. I wanted Breathe Now to be the opportunity for all women to come together and connect and share. Sometimes we forget how powerful sharing can be.

With only a week left to go, the four of us and all the volunteers are working hard to put together what is becoming an amazing event.

Last night, we met around 20 women for the Meet The Founders get-together. It was an intimate gathering, and I felt so honoured to be surrounded by all the amazing women. We all introduced ourselves and honestly, every single person in the room had an interesting thing to say.

Everyone has a story to tell. It is important to share our stories, in order to keep us sane and healthy. We all go through challenging times that test who we are. It’s part of our lives. But I know many women still try to manage it and act as if everything is all right. Where does this need to be perfect come from?

What I have learned from talking to all the people I’ve met and going through a fair share of tough times myself, is this—it is our basic human need to be connected with one another.

Just recently I heard a story from a woman I greatly admire. If you just look at her, she is full of energy and always putting herself out there. She is strong and fierce. You’d think she has it all together. Then few days ago, she revealed on her blog that she was having a hard time with an immediate family member’s passing. She said she was a mess.

Do I think she is weak to reveal her emotional state? No. All I felt for her was admiration for her courage. I felt empathy—I felt, Me too! Me too!

We are all busy. You are building a career, raising children, have a meaningful relationship, taking care of the family… many of us are stressed out and exhausted. It is so easy to forget that the most important thing is to take care of yourself.

Breathe Now is your chance to listen to other amazing women and to share your stories. We have purposefully scheduled a lot of time in-between the sessions so that everyone have plenty of time to talk. Of course, there are fun things to do as well—shopping, massages, fashion show and cocktails. Ultimately, this is a day and a half set aside for us. To be together. To share. To laugh. To joke. To learn about each other.

What is your story?

New Way for Breast Cancer Screening

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Yukari

Breast Cancer. Those are two very scary words for me. Cancer alone is scary enough. If you’re living in North America, I am sure you know more than a handful of women touched by this nasty disease. Today, about 1 in 8 women develop breast cancer.

I’m 36, and I have not yet had a mammogram, because typically here in Canada you don’t get it until you’re 40. However, I have heard from many girlfriends how painful it is. I am NOT looking forward to it.
Then, few weeks ago, I got a message from my fabulous friend Dee.
Have you heard of dense breasts? I hadn’t, until I saw Dee’s video on VIP Breast Imaging.
According to VIP Breast Imaging, 40% of North American women(and up to 70% of Asian women!) have dense breasts, which makes it harder to detect cancer cells with regular mammogram – which is, still a gold standard of breast cancer screening.

So, what can you do if you have dense breasts?

VIP Breast Imaging offers ABUS – Automated Breast Ultrasound.

ABUS is a new technology that is a 3D ultrasound specifically designed for breast imaging.

” The standard quality of ABUS is exponentially better and more accurate than human operated ultrasound systems used elsewhere and very powerful for assessment of the entire breast.” (From VIP Imaging Website)

Curious how it works? You can see our brave Dee experience ABUS herself. She is literally taking it off, for breast screening.

Currently, VIP Breast Imaging is the only company offering ABUS. They are avialble in Toronto, and Vancouver. Currently the cost for this screening is around $300, some insurance might cover it.

Check out their website for details.

Disclaimer: I was asked to share this video to spread the word on behalf of Cocktail Deeva and VIP Breast Imaging. I am also to receive a free screening next time I’m in Vancouver. However, this post is written solely based on my impression and discretion.