Mariline R.

Vancouver, British Columbia

Vancouver Heritage Fair

Japantown - The Forgotten Homes

Japantown started out as an easily flooded and, well, useless land that the government was more than happy to give away to any strangers reaching the land. Join me in my adventure as I tell the story of how this mysterious forgotten ghost town got discovered.

 

 

 

 

What was the most interesting thing you learned about your topic?

Honestly, I only heard of Chinatown at first so I was extremely surprised to find out that there were also a town filled with Japanese immigrants who just wanted to escape from the Second World War. They had to fight through equality, acceptance, baseball, and death. Yet that changed nothing to the government's uneasiness in the days. But now it all changed.

What important lessons have you learned that you want to share with other Canadians?

I learned that Canadian history isn't as bright and cheerful as it seems. It appears that we have our own share of historical sins involving with racist and prejudice actions toward immigrants we do not seem to recognize. It must have been hard to prove yourself that you are just the same as others when you are fighting the battle alone.

How would you compare your life today to the lives of those studied in your project?

Immigrants are treated quite differently from the past to the present nowadays. You see, back in the past, when a stranger reached an unknown land, they would have to fight many battles just to gain equality. But these days, immigrants don't need to go through as much for when they come to Canada, they will always be equalized.