Japanese Garden, Mural and Owls
The Village of Ashcroft twinned with Bifuka, Japan in 1995 in order to promote cultural awareness, tourism and to investigate ways to better link our communities for a long term relationship. In 1997, local artists Jo Petty and Royden Josephson along with a number of Ashcroft Secondary students travelled to Bifuka where they painted a mural reflecting our culture and heritage.
In the year 2000, Japanese artist Kazuhika Nagaki and several students from Bifuka, returned the gesture of cultural awareness by painting this mural. The mural depicts a significant cultural site near Bifuka which is accessible only after an arduous and lengthy hillside climb.
Local residents Don and Marnie Adamski travelled to Bifuka for the occasion of the 100th anniversary of its incorporation On their return, they erected the treasured symbol of Bifuka the owl, above the Bifuka mural in appreciation of the kindness and friendship they experienced while visiting the sister city.
transcribed from sign
The sculpture of two owls is on a tall pole overlooking the mural. The owl is significant in Japanese culture.
Owls, pronounced fukuro in Japanese, owls are symbols of good fortune and luck.
The Japanese town of Bifuka, in Hokkaido, was twinned with Ashcroft in 1994.
Bifuka is a small community with a population of about 4,800 and is in Kamikawa Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. Bifuka is located in a valley in the north central region of the island of Hokkaido.
It is surrounded by mountains and the Teshio River flows roughly northwest through Bifuka.
One of the major highlights is the Bifuka Sturgeon Museum featuring beautiful aquariums and a small facility which maintains eight species of sturgeon. Sturgeon were found in the Teshio River as far as Bifuka until the Meiji Period is an era of Japanese history which extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912.
The park is a wonderful place to visit while in Ashcroft with huge trees, shaded benches and picnic tables. Throughout the park are several murals and mosaics. When we were there the visitor center and washrooms were open. There is parking on both sides of the park. The park is approximately 2 acres in size, though it is long and narrow.
One of the many attractions in Ashcroft is Heritage Place Park a well maintained interpretive park decorated with artifacts and buildings representing the history of the region. Within the park are a series of short walking paths with interpretive signs marking each exhibit and documents the early days of the railway and mining industries.
There are dozens of informational signs including British Columbia Heritage Markers. As you are walking the trails in the park, you will discover a vast array of mosaics and murals including the Harmony Bell which displays four mosaics about the ethnic diversity of the area. There is a large gazebo where musical entertainment are held during the summer. (These events are temporally closed due to COVID 19) There is a working water wheel, old sod roof miner's cabin, an old caboose and a Highland Valley Copper truck.