Nitobe Memorial Garden

Nitobe Memorial Garden at UBC, completed in 1960, honours Japanese educator Inazō Nitobe and was designed as a traditional Japanese strolling and tea garden, promoting cultural education, peace, and Canada–Japan friendship. 

The garden sits on the unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nation and was constructed without Indigenous consultation, obscuring the ongoing presence and histories of Indigenous peoples on this land. 

Nitobe Memorial Garden sits upon landscapes previously used for Musqueam plant gathering and ecological networks, while relying on imported materials and animals, which is quite similar to colonialism, as this garden was built by foreign people on native soil, while also including foreign ideas and assets. 

The garden is shown to bridge a connection between Japanese and Canadians, yet they never mention the distrust between the two countries in our history, namely during World War 2. The site exemplifies how memorial landscapes can appear culturally respectful while masking colonial land dispossession and erasing local histories.