Field Notes: Mayne Island (B.C.) Japanese Memorial Garden, 2008

Map: Japanese Memorial Gardens (on Mayne Island)

Note: further reading and resources at bottom

On a snowy day in Dec. 2008, i (along with the dear traveling companion) visited a Japanese Garden on Mayne Island, one of the Gulf Islands between the mainland and Vancouver Island in the Salish sea.

The garden is absolutely charming, a remix of traditional style and Pacific northwest flair with blown glass “balls/baubles/lanterns” intertwined with the trees and Torii gate, and we had the place to ourselves on a short and stormy day.

The garden was made by locals in tribute to their dear Japanese neighbours who were hauled away to internment camps and never returned.

As it goes, this island was settled with Japanese largely from Tottori-ken, the province across Honshu from my home in Okayama over on the Sea of Japan side where i toiled as a mushroom farmer in early 1990s.

I should know more about this topic but as I understand it: once Japan “opened up” to the west during the Meiji restoration, many farmers & fishers who now somewhat freed from the feudal system migrated to the North American West Coast, in this instance, the Salish Sea area, and set up homesteads on Islands on in which are both/either in BC or Washington state {which may have felt geographically familiar to the “Seto naikai/ inland sea” islands}, as well as mainland BC/Washington (and on down to Oregon and California), started businesses and worked as farmers and fishers before the tragedy of internment camps, (which occurred in both USA and Canada).

For a while, I worked in an office in what was once Japantown (now colloquially called Railtown) and often walked by the former Japanese community school where I understand they still conduct Japanese lessons. {Note to self: dig up the pictures of the Japantown exhibit from the museum of Vancouver which are stashed in some hard drive somewhere.} There is also remnants of the Japanese entrepreneurship and diaspora in the fishing port area of Richmond called Steveston.

There’s also a Japanese summer Matsuri festival held in the area oh, I should also mention the legendary Asahis baseball team… so much to say but onwards with the garden right.

The garden is centred round a pond and lanterns, stones and artfully arranged trees placed intentionally.

…and with it being the festive winter season, the trees were festooned with various glass globes, balls, and bulbs adding a touch of whimsy to an otherwise rather-solemn (in this weather and with the backstory) atmosphere.

Torii gates I rather ubiquitous here in Japan, often painted vermilion red but really most often now made of concrete. Seeing this beautiful wooden structure, along with the perfectly tide bellrope, was wonderful.

In my mind, the only tree that comes close to the Bristlecone Pine for *twisted mysterious gnarliness* is the Arbutus, or is it the Madrona? I don’t exactly know the difference. Regardless, the red bark peeling from the hardwood and the distinct shapes intrigue me. Though looking at snaps, this tree night not be in the garden… regardless, on island.

Meanwhile, after stomping around in the snow and enjoying a very leisurely visit to the park thinking about the brave folks who travelled from Tottori (where I accidentally “returned the favour” years later), we retired back to a cabin with a woodstove.

While I’m thinking about it: also recorded a podcast story time about a wild incident on Taos New Mexico during the heavy snow storm that knocked the power out allowing for a very pleasant evening around a woodstove.

Meta Note: actual trip Dec 2008, draft assembled June 2020, tidied and published Aug-Sept 2022