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Message from the new editor, John R. Harris
Way back when the world was young, a wave of eager twenty-something Canadians arrived seeking their fortunes in the Big Mikan. Some, like Ian McKay and Christian Howes, had stayed on after work as hosts at Canada’s Expo ’85 pavilion. Others were lured by the legend of vast fortunes to be made teaching English. But whatever brought us here, most Canadians were only dimly aware of each other’s presence.
Forty years ago, before the internet, about the only way to meet other Canadians was through chance encounters in Roppongi bars. And how to get news from home? I’d beg people coming over to snag the Globe & Mail from the Canadian Airlines flight. Sure, the CCCJ was already here (and 10 years old) but membership then was pretty well limited to bank executives and diplomats.
It was Alberta’s Agent General, the wonderfully enterprising Ivan Bumstead, who realized that Canada’s presence in Japan could be strengthened by creating a network of resident Canadians and Japanese with links to Canada. That led to the founding of the Tokyo Canadian Club, if memory serves, in 1987. Sadly, though, the TCC withered away during the pandemic.
As a founding board member, and an editor with one of those new-fangled personal computers (with a 30-megabyte hard disk!) I was tasked with putting out a monthly TCC newsletter, along with ace newsman Darryl Gibson of Kyodo News and Canadian Press. I think we did it for about three years. I also started TCC’s monthly pub night – drilling “First Thursday of Every Month” into the collective consciousness.
Now here we are all these years later. My old pal Ian McKay is now Canada’s ambassador… and I’m still pounding a keyboard. But it’s deja-vu all over again as I find myself writing and editing content for the Canadian community in Japan. This time I’m proud to be doing it for the Chamber, which has done a great job of expanding its scope to include a wider spectrum of members.
Happily, this first issue has given me the chance to explore topics closely related to my work over decades. I was able to draw on many years working as speechwriter for senior executives at Ford, Mazda and Nissan (yes, that guy) in cranking out two articles on Ontario’s auto industry. And having been her speechwriter for three years it was my great pleasure to help Sarah Casanova tell the story of her amazing career at McDonald’s.
Finally, one piece of editorial philosophy: “As no law says anyone has to read anything we put out, we’d better make it an enjoyable read.” I promise to try.
