Open season has arrived for Jambican Studio Gardens and Edamame Community Garden!

As you may know, last year, Jambican Studio Gardens had an edamame harvest event last September and so many people were happy to harvest or buy fresh Edamame!  

 Soybeans are important for Japanese food culture. If not harvested as edamame, you can harvest this produce as a soybean. Soybean is used to make miso, shoyu, tofu,natto.. So many wonderful Japanese foods, the whole process of growth and harvest is very precious and beautiful. Edamame is comparatively easy to grow compared with other crops, even for those newbie farmers who have never had any experience growing this popular bean.  

Jambican Studio Gardens are initiating a new opportunity for all people to learn about farming, growing Edamame on their farm in a community garden! 

You grow Edamame yourself from sowing seeds in mid-June to harvesting in mid-September! Depending on the weather, you may need to weed twice a season.

To participate, individuals, families or groups will have to come to weed around the plants at least twice before harvesting edamame. 


Jambican Studio Gardens will provide seeds, give advice and offer help as necessary.  To register for this wonderful opportunity, please contact Project leader Kumiko Watanabe @ jambikumi@gmail.com.  Participants must arrange their own transportation to the farm with every visit, and visits can be scheduled via Kumiko. 

Jambican Studio Gardens is located at 2969 River Rd, Manotick, ON K4M 1B4

Happy Farming!!

Hallo! Haisai! S’il vous plaît concert! – The Return!

The OJCA proudly presents an evening of Okinawan Music.

Enjoy the sound of Okinawa this Spring at the Okinawan-themed show, Hello! Haisai! S’il vous plaît concert!

📅Saturday, April 4th, 2026 Doors Open at 7 pm 

📍 the Takahashi Dojo (5 Melrose Ave, Ottawa, ON K1Y 1T8)

🎟$20 Cover Charge

🎶 Featuring Musicians :

Takane Kochihira @Takane_kochi123 

 Sho Takashima @churadushi_montreal

Takane Kochihira is on tour from Okinawa itself, while Sho Takashima is from Okinawa but based in Montreal. They will be collaborating together for the show and will play in Montreal the night before.. It’s another whirlwind international tour!

🍙 Delicious Japanese snacks and refreshments will be available free of charge!

🍺 Beer and Sake will be available for purchase on-site.

Three BC Heritage Sites Opening in May!

Tashme, Gabriola Island, Salt Spring Island

The BC Heritage Sites program makes the “invisible visible.” By funding interpretive projects, signage, and restorations at historic sites across British Columbia, including sites of internment, the JCLS ensures that ancestral places of the pre-war and wartime community are no longer under-recognized. We acknowledge the debt owed to our elders for the sacrifices they endured. For survivors and  descendants, these sites provide a tangible connection to a heritage that was nearly lost to the “second uprooting” – the postwar exile that pushed the community east of the Rockies or to Japan.

The BC Heritage Sites program ensures that the stories of the issei, nisei, and sansei – who established roots in this province despite systemic racism – are kept alive.

Three site openings will take place in May 2026:

1. Tashme / Sunshine Valley

Tashme Kindergarten Schoolhouse
Tashme Research & Archive Centre

May 3 (1pm – 5 pm): Opening of the Tashme Research & Archive Centre and restored Tashme Kindergarten Schoolhouse

2. Gabriola Island

Koyama’s fish camp in Silva Bay, 1930s. Gabriola Historical and Museum Society.

May 23 (Time TBC): Community celebration for “Omoide – Memories, Recollections, Reminiscences.”

3. Salt Spring Island

Young friends gathering, including some Mikado children, 1935. Location is probably the Mikado property on Norton Road, Salt Spring Island.

May 31 (1:15pm – 3:30 pm): Unveiling of new interpretive panels at Heiwa Garden as part of the Japanese Canadian Memorial Story Project.

Click here for details on ceremonies, celebrations, tours, and more.

3 ways Kimono Cards – OJCC workshop

Join us for a workshop on making three types of kimono cards, led by instructor Nora Nishikawa.

Date: Sunday, February 8 (in case of inclement weather, the workshop will be held on February 15th instead.)

Time: 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.

Place: Ottawa Japanese Cultural Centre

Cards made will be available for sale to all participants. OJCA-OJCC members receive a discount.

Light refreshments will be provided.

Please register via Communal using the link below to register.

Kagami Biraki2026

The OJCA/OJCC will once again ring in the new year in partnership with the Takahashi Dojo with its annual Kagami Biraki New Year’s Party!

What to Expect: Wonderful snacks, (including roasted kirimochi), hors d’oeuvres and a small selection of beer, sake, tea and other non-alcoholic refreshments.

Activities: Karaoke, dancing and good cheer!

This celebration is open to all OJCA/OJCC members, especially our dedicated pool of volunteers who worked tirelessly to pull off yet another successful Mochitsuki on Sunday, December 7th, 2025.  

Please RSVP your attendance by Thursday, January 29th

RSVP HERE