Keith Fukushima
Electrical Engineering
The University of Victoria
Taiyo Industrial Co., Ltd. June 2006 – April 2007
Being a third generation Japanese Canadian, both my parents as well as my grandparents are Japanese but were all born in Canada. My Japanese heritage has therefore been nearly non-existent and the majority of my extended family members are not able to speak more than a few words of Japanese. When The Canada-Japan Co-op Program presented itself, I thought of it as a perfect opportunity to try and regain some Japanese culture and learn some of the language. Little did I know, what else lay ahead for me….
My grandfather, from my mother’s side, spent some of his youth growing up in Wakayama-ken, Japan, before returning to Canada to continue his life as a fisherman. Coincidentally, from the many possible work locations on the Canada-Japan Co-op website, I was somehow chosen to work in Wakayama city. Mid-way through my internship, I received a phone call from my mother back home in Vancouver. She had recently spoken to one of her uncles and was calling to inform me that we had some distant relatives (my grandfather’s cousin), who owned a cosmetic shop, in Wakayama city. The most surprising thing was that the cosmetic shop turned out to be located a mere two minute walk away from my company and dormitory. Shocked by the news, I went over to investigate later that week, and sure enough, the information was correct. That night I met my grandfather’s cousin, Nishida-san who is now 94 years old and as healthy as a 60 year old, his daughter and her husband Mr. and Ms. Yukawa, their daughter Akari-san and her husband, as well as their two children. Akari-san had once done an exchange at UBC for one year, and she remembered visiting my parent’s house for a party when I was very young.
Since meeting they are now my second family; I have been invited to dinner several times and have been shown around the southern part of Wakayama-ken, not easily accessible by train. I am happy that I have learned some Japanese so that I can converse with them with relative ease. I will never forget their kindness and favours provided to me during my stay in Japan.
I am forever grateful for this incredible experience and encourage everyone considering joining The Canada-Japan Co-op Program to go for it. You really never know what kind of adventures you will have and what kind of opportunities will present themselves.
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