CBC documentary to showcase Lethbridge’s Japanese gardens

Nov 4, 2020 | 12:20 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – The Nikka Yuko Japanese Gardens will be highlighted in an upcoming documentary.

Borrowed From Nature will stream nationally on CBC Gem on Friday, November 13, and on CBC TV in Alberta on Saturday, November 14 at 7:00 pm.

The show, from Calgary-based Kino Sum Productions, is a “stylistic exploration of the rich and complex history of Japanese gardens in western Canada.”

An emailed statement from one of the show’s producers to LNN states that they will “heavily feature” the gardens in Lethbridge and shares history and stories from Japanese Canadians in the city.

The documentary will also profile the life of the late master gardener Roy Tomomichi Sumi, who played a vital role in the creation of UBC’s Nitobe Garden in Vancouver back in 1967.

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“Gardening is a time-honoured art in Japan that is beautifully interpreted in Japanese Canadian gardens,” says Sherri Kajiwara, Director and Curator, Nikkei National Museum, which supported research for the documentary. “This documentary captures that art as it flowed through Roy Sumi, and manifests in uniquely Canadian ways today.”

“When we started this project, we knew that the story could only exist in collaboration with the Japanese Canadian community in Vancouver, New Denver, and Lethbridge, who offered their perspectives and invested their time into the documentary. We are excited to show Canadians what is behind these gardens, both as works of art and as living testaments to history,” adds director Guillaume Carlier

Borrowed From Nature was shot over the summer of 2020 and is narrated by Tim Tamashiro, a Calgary-based author, jazz musician, and former national radio host.

by David Opinko