Stories
Japanese Contingent First to Celebrate 50th Anniversary
Three Scouters from Japan who attended the 8th World Jamboree in 1955 visited the Jamboree site on May 28-30, 2005. They were accompanied by the widow of one of the contingent members and the spouse of one of the members.
The Japanese Contingent to WJ'55 consisted of ten Scouts and four Scouters. They sailed from Yokahama to Vancouver aboard a freighter. From there, they took a Greyhound bus from Vancouver to Niagara-on-the-Lake. Their journey took over three weeks each way. Upon their return to Japan, the members of the contingent formed the Hudson Bay Club, named after their sub-camp. The Club continues to meet every year. Today, seven of the Japanese Contingent have gone home. The remaining members continue the tradition. The three contingent members who came to visit the site have continued to be active in Scouting.
Roy Nagami, a Canadian of Japanese heritage, was a Scout-aged youth in 1955. He acted as interpreter at the Jamboree. He has kept in touch with the Japanese contingent for fifty years and acted as their host on their return visit for the 50th Anniversary.
The 50th Anniversary Committee members attended a dinner in honour of our Japanese Scouting friends on Monday June 30, 2005 at the Mandarin Restaurant in St. Catharines. There were nineteen people in attendance. A letter of welcome from Mike Scott, the Chief Commissioner of Scouts Canada, along with a letter of best wishes from the Committee was presented to each of the visitors.
The anniversary contingent from Japan consisted of:
- Mr. Takashi Suzuki, Chairman, Ohta District Council, Tokyo and a member of The Japan Council as Promotion Programme Committee. Before his retirement, he was the head of Financial Business at Nissan Motors, Tokyo.
- Mr. Tsunemichi Yano, is an active and an important member of the Scout group his father started. He has served as member of The Japan Scout Council, Public Information.
- Mrs. Masako Morikawa, the widow of Mr. Hideo Morikawa. Prior to his death in 1997, Mr. Morikawa was The Vice Commissioner in Shikoku Island. Together with her late husband, they turned their garden into a meeting place to promote scouting.
- Mr. and Mrs. Fumio Francis Ishida. In 2003, Mr. Ishida retired as Executive Director of The Japan Scout Council. Presently he is the Chairman, World Council, Tokyo. In the past he served on the Japan Council Committee on Public Relations, International Representative and International Chairman. Mrs. Ishida is a very active person in the World Girl Guide and Girl Scout Movement. Mr. Ishida is a senior executive of the Sony Corporation.
You can see some of the photos of the Japanese contingent.
