Heritage Site: Gabriola Island
Omoide – Memories, Recollections, Reminiscences
Organization: Gabriola Historical and Museum Society
Address: 505 South Road, Gabriola Island, BC
Omoide is a project of The Gabriola Historical and Museum Society, featuring the permanent Omoide exhibit at the Museum, a mobile exhibit, Gaman, at Page’s Inn, and two Shinto Gates erected at Page’s Inn and Page’s Marina, celebrating and acknowledging the significance of Japanese Gabriolans who were a part of Gabriola’s history.
Omoide, means “memories, recollections, and reminiscence.”
The Omoide project, curated by Gabriola resident Yarrow Aiko Koontz, encompasses four separate exhibits throughout the Island. At the Gabriola Museum, the indoor Omoide exhibit features miniature dioramas capturing the Koyama Fish Camp and the Shinde Sunrise Sawmill. The commemoration extends outdoors to two seaside locations at Pages Inn and Pages Resort & Marina in Silva Bay. These waterfront sites feature two displays inspired by Shinto torii gates – dedicated to the Koyama and Shinde families – and an interactive mobile exhibit named Gaman (resilience), which showcases the work of nearly 15 contemporary Gabriola artists and craftspeople influenced by Japanese heritage, all contributing to this moving story of friendship built through shared connections to place.
The Koyamas built the fish camp in the early 1900s. Following the confiscation of the business and property in 1942, it passed to the Pages who were fishermen and kept the Koyama history alive. The property was then purchased by the Reeves in 1987, who kept the Page name for the inn and resort. Phyllis Reeve, a writer/researcher, developed a keen interest in the origins of the camp and wrote a groundbreaking article in Shale magazine in 2011, detailing the Koyama history. Yosh Koyama, son of Koyama Fish Camp operator Kanshiro Koyama, contacted Phyllis from Los Angeles after being shown the article and the two became long distance friends.
Contact: info@gabriolamuseum.org or 250.247.9987.
The Exhibits
Exhibit: Omoide – Memories, Recollections, Reminiscences
Address: Gabriola Museum, 505 South Road, Gabriola Island, BC
Summer museum hours:
Thurs–Sat: 11am – 4pm until mid-June
Tues–Sat: 11am – 4pm, mid-June until the end of August
Closed January – April but open for school, group, and private tours
Off-season Museum hours: visit https://gabriolamuseum.org
Admission: By donation
Exhibit: Gaman Mobile Outdoor Exhibit
Address: 3145 South Road, Gabriola Island, BC (summer location)
Summer viewing hours:
Daytime viewing Mon – Sun until October. Closed at night and during inclement weather. Group, individual, and school tours available by request.
October–May: closed for the season and located at Gabriola Museum
Admission: Free
Exhibit: Torii-gate Inspired Outdoor Monument to the Sunrise Sawmill & Shinde Family
Address: 3145 South Road, Gabriola Island, BC
Exhibit viewing: Daytime and evening viewing, all year round.
Group, individual, and school tours available by request.
Admission: Free
Exhibit: Torii-gate Inspired Outdoor Monument to the Koyama Floating Fish Camp & General Store & Koyama Family
Address: 3350 Coast Road, Gabriola Island BC, V0R 1X6
Exhibit viewing: Daytime and evening viewing, all year round.
Group, individual, and school tours available by request.
Admission: Free
