Exile and Back: The Story of the Hirai Family

Jan. 21, 2024 - Feb. 25, 2024

This series narrates the history of the Hyoshiro and Fujiye Hirai family, especially focusing on the two sons, Shig (Shigeru) and Miki, both of whom have been very active members of the Japanese Canadian community in Vancouver, B.C. (British Columbia). When Shig and Miki were children, the Hirai family were among the nearly 4000 Japanese Canadians exiled to Japan at the end of World War II.

The first chapter briefly summarizes the Hirai family background and their life in Canada before and during the internment period until their decision to move to Japan after the war. Subsequent chapters will describe in more detail their life in Japan during the period immediately following the war, their return and readjustment to Canada in the late 1950s, and finally Miki’s life after retirement and his vision for the Japanese Canadian community going forward.

British Columbia Japanese Canadians Vancouver (B.C.) World War II

Stories from this series

Chapter 6—Life after Retirement and Vision for the Japanese Canadian Community

Feb. 25, 2024 • Stan Kirk

Read Chapter 5 >> From 2019 Shig and Akemi gradually started to retire from their grocery chain business. Their daughter’s husband joined Fujiya after graduating from university. At first he was doing various jobs such as cutting up the fish, and gradually became more involved in the management and eventually took charge of the company. Due to Shig’s health problems, he and Akemi have now retired completely from running Fujiya, leaving their son-in-law in charge. Miki’s retirement was a gradual process …

British Columbia Burnaby Canada generations Japan Japanese Canadians Japanese prefectural associations Kika Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre Nisei Shiga Prefecture youth

Chapter 5—Struggle to Adjust

Feb. 18, 2024 • Stan Kirk

Read Chapter 4 >> In stark contrast to Shig, who had previously lived in Canada till age nine and spoke English as his first language, Miki could hardly speak any English at all. He had never learned English in Japan. He had learned romaji (Roman letters), but little more. However, he was naturally good at math and had also studied soroban in Japan, so math class was easy for him. He had done very well in school in Japan — one …

barbering British Columbia Canada exiles families family histories genealogy generations Japanese Canadians Kika Nisei schools Vancouver (B.C.)

Chapter 4—Return to Canada

Feb. 11, 2024 • Stan Kirk

Read Chapter 3 >> Arrival in Vancouver At some point in the mid-1950s, Hyoshiro and Fujiye Hirai decided to move their family back to Canada. Miki now characterizes his life after returning to Canada as “a story of frustration, challenge and finding success in my own way. It has been a long time, starting in 1956, and is still going on.” He describes why his family returned to Canada as follows: On his mother Fujiye’s side, two of her brothers …

Canada families generations Hirai family Japan Japanese Canadians Kika Nisei Miki Hirai Nisei Shiga Prefecture Shigeru Hirai Taga (Shiga, Japan)

Chapter 3—Childhood Experiences in Taga, Japan

Feb. 4, 2024 • Stan Kirk

Read Chapter 2 >> Miki had no problem adjusting to Japan due to being only two-years-old when he arrived. In fact, he felt like he had been born in Japan as he had no memories of Canada, and Japanese became his first language. He got along well with friends and played baseball using a bat made from bamboo. Every morning they got up around 6:00 a.m. so they could play baseball for an hour before school. Miki played third base …

education elementary schools families generations Hirai family Japan Japanese Canadians Kika Nisei Miki Hirai Nisei postwar postwar Japan schools Shiga Prefecture Shigeru Hirai students Taga (Shiga, Japan) World War II

Chapter 2—Life in Postwar Japan: Hardships and Neighborly Support

Jan. 28, 2024 • Stan Kirk

Read Part 1 >> Difficult Relations with Relatives On October 2, 1946, the Hirai family boarded the Marine Falcon, one of three ships chartered by the Canadian government to transport Japanese Canadians to Japan. Miki was two years old and Shig was nine. Shig recalls being seasick every single day of the voyage, and the terrible food they were given after landing at the repatriation center in Uraga. Of the infamous rancid soup given to repatriates at Uraga, he quips, “If …

barbering families generations Hirai family Japan Japanese Canadians Kika Nisei Miki Hirai Nisei postwar postwar Japan Shiga Prefecture Shigeru Hirai Taga (Shiga, Japan) World War II

Chapter 1—Family Background, Life in Canada Before and During War

Jan. 21, 2024 • Stan Kirk

This series narrates the history of the Hyoshiro1 and Fujiye Hirai family, especially focusing on the two sons, Shig (Shigeru) and Miki, both of whom have been very active members of the Japanese Canadian community in Vancouver, BC (British Columbia). When Shig and Miki were children, the Hirai family were among the nearly 4000 Japanese Canadians exiled2 to Japan at the end of World War II. The first chapter briefly summarizes the Hirai family background and their life in Canada before …

British Columbia Canada Canadian internment camps families forced removal Hirai family Japanese Canadians Lemon Creek internment camp Miki Hirai Shigeru Hirai Slocan Extension internment camps World War II World War II camps

Author in This Series

Stan Kirk @StanKirk

Stan Kirk grew up in rural Alberta and graduated from the University of Calgary. He now lives in Ashiya City, Japan with his wife Masako and son Takayuki Donald. Presently he teaches English at the Institute for Language and Culture at Konan University in Kobe. Recently Stan has been researching and writing the life histories of Japanese Canadians who were exiled to Japan at the end of World War II.

Updated April 2018