Board of Directors

Hiroko grew up in Tokyo Japan with her parents and older brother. Her interest in learning various cultures begun when she was a college student in Japan, which led her to live in Australia and traveled to various countries. In 2001, Hiroko moved to Edmonton and returned to the university to become a social worker. Her passion lays with people and community building as well as promoting cultural values in human lives. In her spare time, she enjoys nature, reading, and swimming. Japanese traditional craft is her new adventure.  

Chris was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta and has called Calgary home for almost 20 years. Being raised in a Japanese household, he attended the Metro Edmonton Japanese Community School and he is fluent in Japanese. Chris has a background in landscape design and brings an appreciation and keen interest in promoting Japanese culture, traditions and omotenashi – he brings a strong business knowledge base to our board. Chris has taken on the formal position as secretary, however in addition he has quickly joined the Omatsuri committee, the legacy committee and will be a regular feature writer for the magazine.

Kim comes with a deep rooted connection to the Japanese community as he immersed himself in the culture when he met up with his Japanese American partner and they lived in Tokyo, Japan. While in Japan he was an English language teacher, however on his return to Canada he returned to university and studied Aviation & Business Management. His strengths lie in program coordination, nurturing partnerships and community outreach. Kim has actively participated as a volunteer with the Japanese Festival, he is active on the committee and since joining the board continues to take a strong interest in the ongoing development of the festival. Kim has taken on the position as strategic social media enhancement lead and works with other board members as part of the marketing and business liaison team.

Tetsuro was born in Japan, came to Canada to complete his high and university education. He has over 20 years experience in the software industry. He has strong analytical and problem solving skills. He has presented internationally at conferences and presents workshops in software design. Tetsuro has a master level tea ceremony ( Kyojusha level ) from Omotesenke school of tea. Interestingly he also has a speciality coffee roasting company in California. With his strong background and expertise in software engineering, Tetsuro has taken on the lead in website and media development for the organization. Joining with the social media and marketing teams, he has begun developing an integrated information system for the organization.

Sayuri was born and raised in Okinawa. After graduating from a college, she moved to Tokyo and worked as a programmer for about 5 years. She then spent time in Calgary, Kelowna, and Vancouver, as a language student. Then she back to her hometown, she worked as a web designer and website administrator for about 6 years. In 2012, she moved to Calgary, where she currently serves as the administrator for both NAJC (National Association of Japanese Canadians) and CJCA (Calgary Japanese Community Association). She has been a member of the Calgary Okinawan Club since her immigration and has been a board member since 2020, initially serving as treasurer and currently as vice-president. Her hobbies include paddleboarding and playing the Okinawan sanshin.