Japan Market makes a comeback at UBC Robson Square to kick off spring 2025
Visitors experienced Japanese culture while supporting local vendors
Miruka Yasuda gives vintage kimono cloth new life as statement accessories. (Sally Ji)
When Yuko Yoshida and Mami Mizutani first met, it felt natural for them to put their heads together with the common goal of promoting Japanese culture.
This led to the creation of Japan Market, which was held on March 1 and 2 at UBC Robson Square in Vancouver for its spring 2025 event.
Yoshida and Mizutani wanted to differentiate their Japan Market from pre-existing events, such as the Nikkei Matsuri or the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival, by hosting their event at the heart of Vancouver’s diversity.
“We wanted to concentrate on being in downtown Vancouver, where people of all [ethnicities] or ages gather, and tourists gather as well,” Yoshida said. “We wanted to introduce Japanese culture to everyone that comes through our market.”
Volunteers dressed in happi, a traditional Japanese coat worn during festivals, and held up signage around the block. People dressed in full samurai armour turned the heads of curious passersby on Robson Street.
Even if all someone did was snap a picture with a samurai without visiting the market, this was still a small success in Yoshida’s larger goal of introducing Japanese culture.
Yoshida and Mizutani also wanted to have a market run by and for vendors to set them apart from similar events.
“A lot of times, events are not vendor-friendly,” Mizutani said, adding this was something she and Yoshida often discussed when their paths crossed at other events.
Yoshida shares this sentiment and finds one of the main goals for Japan Market is “to create a market where vendors are happy.”
With Yoshida and Mizutani both being vendors themselves, they felt confident having first-hand experience and ideas to help organize better events for other vendors.
“We know how [the vendors] feel,” Mizutani said. “We can do the events and we can take care of the vendors … the way we want to be treated.”
All markets need to be a visitor-friendly experience, but Mizutani said most events do so at the expense of the vendor experience.
But Yoshida and Mizutani weren’t satisfied with the idea of needing to choose one over the other. The two wanted to prove that an event could be a positive experience for both visitors and vendors.
Miruka Yasuda, owner of mirooka, came from Vancouver Island to participate in Japan Market for the first time.
Yasuda creates accessories crafted from vintage kimono fabric as a means of promoting the antique craftsmanship of kofu — repurposed, used cloth. By incorporating kofu into her creations, she hopes to promote the artistry of Japanese textiles.
Although this was Yasuda’s first Japan Market, she said she felt immediately welcome.
“I like the vibe,” Yasuda said. “The customers and the other vendors are all really nice.”
The event had more than 60 booths with vendors selling a variety of merchandise from apparel to zakka or miscellaneous knick-knacks.
Food offerings ranged from traditional sakura mochi from CakeYa to creative fusion snacks such as sushi tacos from Taco Nori.
The market also featured several performances to showcase Japanese arts and culture. Visitors experienced a small piece of Japan through a taiko drum show, an iaido swordsmanship demonstration, and a traditional Japanese tea ceremony.
The next scheduled event is the summer market, which will take place on June 14 and 15 at the Vancouver Art Gallery’s north plaza. For more information, visit www.japanmarket.ca.
