Ucluelet Japanese Canadian History Pavilion – Opening Ceremony

One Harbour. Three Cultures. One Shared Story.

Join the Ucluelet & Area Historical Society for the official opening of the Ucluelet Japanese Canadian History Pavilion, a new interpretive site overlooking Ucluelet Harbour, where one of British Columbia’s most significant Japanese Canadian fishing communities once flourished.

During the 1930s, Japanese Canadian families made up half of Ucluelet’s population, living alongside Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ families and European settlers in a community connected by work, friendship, and a shared dependence on the sea. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, nearly 22,000 Japanese Canadians were forcibly removed from British Columbia’s coast, and almost half of Ucluelet’s community disappeared.

Created by the Ucluelet & Area Historical Society with support from the Japanese Canadian Legacies Society and the District of Ucluelet, the pavilion was constructed using traditional Japanese timber joinery techniques by master craftsman Jason Saari. Its construction has attracted international attention, with TV Tokyo returning to Ucluelet for a third time to film the opening ceremony for broadcast in Japan.

The opening ceremony takes place at 2:00 p.m. at the corner of Matterson Drive and Imperial Lane, overlooking Ucluelet Harbour. Celebrations continue afterward on the Village Green in front of the Municipal Building, 200 Main Street.

Hosted by the Ucluelet & Area Historical Society.