Nisei

Luka Kawabata

Nikkei-Canadian artist, Luka Kawabata 川端ルカ has quickly established himself within Canadian opera. As a baritone and producer, he strives to push the boundaries of representation in opera through the creation of new works. Luka is a recent graduate of the Yulanda M Faris Young Artist Program with Vancouver Opera, the Digital Emerging Artist Residency (Manitoba […]

Meg Ohsada

Meg Ohsada is a multidisciplinary artist from Canmore Alberta, who pours passion and feelings into her art to stir up inspiration in all who see it. Meg is passionate in advocating for an inclusive culture and helping others see that the world can be a better place when we share love, beauty, encouragement and kindness […]

PJ Patten

PJ Patten is a self-taught graphic illustrator, tattoo artist, and poet whose work is influenced by the intersection of his Japanese heritage with his American military upbringing. Patten’s parents met in Japan where his father was stationed, and the family was raised in Huntington Beach, California where he started airbrushing surfboards in the popular surfing […]

Hiromi Okuyama

Hiromi Okuyama was born and raised in Toronto. Her father is Shotokan Karate Master Kancho T. Okuyama who is originally from Hachijojima Island in Japan. Her mother Belle is originally from Hong Kong. Hiromi is an Actress, Martial Artist and Content Creator. The bulk of her acting work is in commercials with over 30 years […]

Hiroki Tanaka

Hiroki Tanaka is a musician, artist and writer born in Toronto, Ontario. He grew in Toronto’s east end, in the area formerly known as “East York”. He attended Concordia University in Montreal to study Creative Writing and Music, where he would focus on poetry and songwriting. This is also where he initially met members of […]

Erika Prevost

Erika Prevost is a mixed race Japanese-Canadian actor born and raised in Montreal, Canada. From a young age Erika loved the spotlight. Finding her first form of expression through movement, she had a career in dance before being exposed to the world of Acting. Beginning with a series regular role on the hit teen dance […]

Peter Shinkoda

Peter Shinkoda is a Canadian born actor most well known for his portrayals of Dai in Steven Spielberg’s Falling Skies and Nobu in Marvel’s Daredevil on Netflix. In addition to enjoying an acting career that has spanned almost 30 years Shinkoda also worked at the Warner Bros. Studios facility in Burbank as an employee of […]

Douglas Haruki Oyama Peerless

Douglas is a Nisei 二世 (2nd generation) Japanese-Canadian actor, writer, and storyteller from Toronto, Ontario. He has a wide range of performance experience including musical theatre, children’s theatre, voice acting, and Shakespeare. He studied theatre at the University of Victoria’s Phoenix Theatre, graduating with his bachelor’s degree in performance. Favourite roles include Max in The […]

Eiko Ishiwata

Eiko started professionally composing music for video games and film in 2002. In addition to strengths in composition she is a multi-instrumentalist who has fine-tuned her sound engineering by studying + teaching at the Art Institute of Vancouver, studied classical animation at Sheridan College and was a graduate of The Bishop Strachan School. Eiko received […]

Terrie Hamazaki

Terrie Hamazaki (she/her) is a Vancouver based writer who holds a Master of Arts Degree in Creative and Critical Writing (UK). She performed her plays at the Fringe and Women in View Performing Arts Festivals. Her writing has appeared in Swelling with Pride: Queer Conception and Adoption Stories (Caitlin Press), Sustenance (Writers from BC and […]

Teiya Kasahara 笠原 貞野

Nikkei-Canadian settler Teiya Kasahara 笠原 貞野 (they/them) is a queer, trans non-binary, interdisciplinary creator-performer based in Tkarón:to (Toronto). Heralded as “a force of nature” (Toronto Star) and “an artist with extraordinary things to say” (The Globe and Mail) Teiya comes from a background of over a decade of singing both traditional and contemporary operatic roles […]

Chieri Uegaki

Chieri is a second generation Japanese-Canadian and writer of books for young readers. She graduated from the University of British Columbia’s Creative Writing Department with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and has written stories for Pearson Education, and the children’s magazines Chirp and chickaDEE. Her first picture book was Suki’s Kimono, followed by Rosie and […]

Steve Sunao Shigematsu

Steve Sunao Shigematsu was born in Vancouver, British Columbia September 21, 1909. At the age of five, he and a younger brother were taken to Japan where he was raised by an uncle and aunt after their parents returned to Canada. Steve received his formal education in Japan and developed a keen interest in botanical […]

Shizuka Kai

Shizuka is a multidisciplinary artist with a focus on set design and puppetry. She also works as a trained puppeteer on tv/film, an illustrator/graphic designer, director, and earring maker. She is a three-time Jessie Richardson award winner with multiple nominations, the recipient of the Earl Klein Memorial Scholarship / Bill Millerd Artist Fund / Steven […]

Yuriko Iga

Blim retail consists of unique cosmic apparel handmade and hand printed exclusively by Blim. All product is made in our Blim studio and print shop. Imagined at age 4, Blim founder Yuriko Iga created her imaginary animal kingdom of humanized animals wearing funky clothes called Blim Blim. She kept her imaginary world a secret until […]