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Japanese Settlement Found in Forests of British Columbia

smithsonianmag.com

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Re: Japanese Settlement Found in Forests of British Columbia

#41

Post by bdamm »

notatoad wrote: post #34
petercooper wrote: post #3

I'm a bit naive as to how large countries like Canada monitor their space, but is it possible there are unknown long-term (multi generational) "settlements" separate and unknown to the rest of the world still out in the middle of nowhere in Canada? Feels like a good subject for a novel :-)

A lot of Canada is functionally empty, but it's all well surveyed by the government as well as the companies extracting natural resources. It's extremely unlikely that there'd be any unknown settlement of any permanence or size.

Especially at 14km distance to North Vancouver, as the settlement in the article apparently was.

Re: Japanese Settlement Found in Forests of British Columbia

#42

Post by harryVic »

rgould wrote: post #35
eloff wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The northern part of Canada before you get into the tundra is one massive contiguous forest 1/3 the size of the United States. It's filled with lakes, streams, rivers, and game - but almost no people. You could easily have small groups of people live there for decades without being discovered. It's so wild that there are places where the wolves have not learned to fear humans. See a map here (PDF): https://www.nrcan.…

That's even just the Boreal forest. There's even more to it: https://www.sfmcanada.org/images/Forest_Types_EN.pdf The areas around the cities are dotted with farmland, but it is not difficult to find some kind of a forest nearby. Even Vancouver has a fairly dense forest downtown in Stanley Park. It's possible to wander into it and (sometimes, maybe not during peak tourist season) not encounter anyone

Sorry but Stanley Park is not a forest.

Re: Japanese Settlement Found in Forests of British Columbia

#44

Post by core-questions »

eloff wrote: post #39
rgould wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's even just the Boreal forest. There's even more to it: https://www.sfmcanada.org/images/Forest_Types_EN.pdf The areas around the cities are dotted with farmland, but it is not difficult to find some kind of a forest nearby. Even Vancouver has a fairly dense forest downtown in Stanley Park. It's possible to wander into it and (sometimes, maybe not during peak tourist season) not encounter anyone

I got lost in the forest in the mountains in North Vancouver a month ago. It's surprisingly rough terrain and there were very few people. Google maps and GPS was how I managed to find the trail again.

People do die in there ever so often, especially if they get over a ridge and can no longer count on "heading downhill will take me outta here". Lots of cliffs and other hazards to deal with. It's wilderness for hundreds of kilometers...

Re: Japanese Settlement Found in Forests of British Columbia

#45

Post by mkipfer »

The Ainu people of Hokkaido,Japan are no different than the indigenous peoples of the Aleutian islands of Alaska. I do not think it's a stretch that the supposed icebridge over there Bering sea would have given a direct route to British Columbia. I think it is common knowledge that life originated in Africa and dispersed from there. Thoughtfully, people of the ancient world would have been in the Northern reaches of Japan before they would have ventured to North America. If there was a link to Japan I would see it as almost natural that it would connect the cold regions of British Columbia and Hokkaido.

Re: Japanese Settlement Found in Forests of British Columbia

#46

Post by eloff »

gorbypark wrote: post #28
eloff wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The northern part of Canada before you get into the tundra is one massive contiguous forest 1/3 the size of the United States. It's filled with lakes, streams, rivers, and game - but almost no people. You could easily have small groups of people live there for decades without being discovered. It's so wild that there are places where the wolves have not learned to fear humans. See a map here (PDF): https://www.nrcan.…

That's a cool map, I don't think I've ever seen it laid out fully like that. Any idea why the boreal forests extend so far north in the NWT/Yukon/Alaska but not in Nunavut?

Probably equal parts map protection distorting things as you get nearer to the poles and the effect of the ocean moderating the climate in Alaska.

Re: Japanese Settlement Found in Forests of British Columbia

#47

Post by drderidder »

yellowapple wrote: post #43

I had no idea that Canada had a Japanese relocation/internment program during WWII. I only knew of the one here in the US.

It became much more common knowledge after the Canadian government issued an official apology [1]. I recall seeing a documentary about it[2].

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internment_of_Japanese_Canadia...

2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8TQTuMqM9g

Re: Japanese Settlement Found in Forests of British Columbia

#48

Post by saimiam »

kwindla wrote: post #33
metaphor wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The article noted the following: > But it is the third site, which seems to have transitioned from a logging camp to a thriving village, that fascinates [the archaeology professor] the most. Must be a real privilege for your grandfather to share that bit of vivid history with you. My grandfather would have been a young adult during WW2, and the small island that both he and I grew up on has a deep history with the Ja…

If you don't mind sharing, would you say which island? A few months ago I read Lisa See's novel set on Jeju Island, and it's an amazing (and very moving) look at a history I didn't know anything at all about: http://www.lisasee.com/books-new/the-island-of-sea-women/

I didn’t expect to see a reference to Jeju island in the wild so soon after reading White Chrysanthemum about a comfort woman from Jeju Island.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35691353

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