The Momiji Gardens - Vancouver, B.C. Canada - Japanese Gardens on Waymarking.com

The Momiji Commemorative Garden serves as a reminder of the internment of Japanese Canadians during the Second World War. The garden is located near the stables on the Pacific National Exhibition grounds where the internees were detained before being shipped to internment camps. The Vancouver Japanese Gardeners Association designed and created the garden in 1993 with upper and lower sections of the garden divided by a stonewall that is reminiscent of ancient castles in Japan. The use of azaleas, irises, hydrangeas, daylilies and Japanese maples offer colour all year round.

Although hundreds of people contributed to the creation of the Gardens, the chair of the committee, Henry Wakabayashi, stands out. Not only is he of Japanese Canadian ancestry, he too suffered the indignity of internment as a child. He did not let this limit his life. He earned a degree in chemical engineering from UBC in 1958. He has gone on to have a very successful career that has included work on several large projects in BC. In 2000, he was awarded the Order of British Columbia for his contribution to BC through his work and his charitable work.

From his biography on the Order of British Columbia web site: "Henry Wakabayashi has been involved in charitable work of many kinds, particularly to further the relationship between Canadians generally and those of Japanese ancestry. The Momiji Garden in Vancouver and Nikkei Cultural Centre recently completed in Burnaby stand as physical testaments to his hard work and dedication in building bridges of cultural harmony. He has also been a strong leader and spokesman for healing the bitter memories and potential frictions emanating from the internment of Japanese Canadians during the Second World War."