Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre.

We travelled to New Denver, British Columbia, Canada, while camping at Rosebery Park. It was raining, cold, and overcast. Perhaps because of the weather, there weren't many people.

We have visited New Denver before in 2016 and in 2023. "The Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre (NIMC) is a National Historic Site dedicated to telling the story of over 22,000 Japanese Canadians who were forcibly relocated during World War II. Located on the site of “The Orchard” internment camp in New Denver, BC, the NIMC contains original buildings, period artifacts and interpretive displays as well as the Heiwa Teien Peace Garden, designed by the renowned Japanese Canadian gardener, Tomomichi (Roy) Sumi."-Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre

"A huge cherry tree takes focus in the Heiwa Teien. After the war, Japanese Canadians who had been shipped to Japan by the government sent cherry trees to New Denver (where they were planted in what is now the Kohan Garden) and every spring, blossoms on these trees remind locals of their departed kin and friends. Such tranquil beauty perhaps says as much as the centre’s artifacts."-  Nikkei Memorial. "In 1942, 20,881 Nikkei (people of Japanese descent) who lived within 100 miles of the British Columbia coast, 75% of whom were Canadian citizens, were stripped of their civil rights, labelled “enemy aliens”, and forced to move from their homes to communities and camps in the BC interior. New Denver and Sandon were two of those communities." - Explore North Blog

Heiwa Teien Peace Garden.

"Weaving around the buildings and tying them together is the Heiwa Teien (Peace Garden), created by world-renowned master gardener Mr. Roy Tomomichi Sumi, a former internee at Tashme, Rosebery and New Denver. At age 85, Roy started designing this tranquil oasis—his last garden. He spent months on the design. Volunteers searched for rocks to match Roy’s vision, and from his wheelchair, Roy directed their placement and that of other garden elements with minute precision. He chose the karesansui (dried-up water scenery) style using the theme of past, present and future. The first signs of Japanese gardens go back to 10,000 BC and dry gardens to AD 1200. They honour nature and what it can teach us about life and our place in nature."- Nikkei Memorial.

Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre National Historic Site of Canada.

The Outhouses.

"Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre is a museum that preserves and interprets one of ten Canadian concentration camps where more than 27,000 Japanese Canadians were incarcerated by the Canadian government during and after World War II (1942 to 1949).[2] The centre was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 2007.[2]" -Wikipedia

"Following the traditions of the Kamakura style (1183–1333), the design reflects the patterns in the surrounding forest and mountains. The rocks tell a story. In Japanese gardens, rocks symbolize longevity. From the “headwaters” north of the Kyowakai Hall, the pebble river winds through “rapids” and under two footbridges, gradually becoming more peaceful before ending in a “lagoon.” Standing stones were carefully positioned to create a harmonious mood for visitors to reflect and meditate. The traditional Zen dry garden style also highlights the connection to logging—how most male internees made a living." - Nikkei Memorial.

 Heiwa Teien Peace Garden was created by Mr. Roy Tomomichi Sumi, a former internee at Tashme, Rosebery and New Denver.

"Nik•kei (日系): people or a person of Japanese heritage. Commonly used in Japan to refer to people of Japanese ancestry that are living abroad as citizens of other countries. Of the over 22,000 Japanese Canadians uprooted from their homes on the coast of British Columbia and sent to internment camps, road camps, super beet farms and prisoner-of-war camps in Ontario, the majority were Canadian citizens by birth and were targeted based on their ancestry."-  Nikkei Memorial.

Period artefacts and interpretive displays.

A Canvas tent.

Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre - Parks Canada. NIMC Brochure

"New Denver, located at an altitude of 1,700 feet, was a commercial centre for the area in which miners lived. The British Columbia Securities Commission tasked the Japanese Canadians relocated to this site with building 275 shacks in an area known as the “Orchard.” In 1994, several survival internment shacks were moved together to form the Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre run by the Kyowakai Society. The sited is listed by the Historic Sites and National Monuments Board of Canada." - Canada Berkeley. "Both the Heiwa Teien and the Kohan Reflection Garden in New Denver were recognized as among the best gardens in the province in British Columbia Magazine’s spring 2017 issue."- Nikkei Memorial.

Related:

Kohan Reflection Garden.

New Denver 2016