“Anne Park Shannon’s book Finding JAPAN could just as well have been titled Finding CANADA.  It is a fabulous collection of stories about Canadians whose lives were shaped by their encounters with Japan, and who laid the foundations of Canada’s reach across the Pacific.”

Yuen Pau Woo, President and CEO – Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada

Beyond the clamour for markets and the march of diplomacy and politics, the real sinews in Canadian interactions with Asia have been people.  This remarkable collection of portraits tells the story of the lives lived, dreams and ambitions, successes and failures, of Canadians who were intrigued by Japan and had an impact on both sides of the Pacific.  Written with wit, flair and vitality, it educates and entertains in vivid ways that academic texts do not.  It is delightful and essential reading for multiple generations interested in the past and future of the sometimes painful, often enriching, and always fascinating intersection of Canadians straddling two shores of one world.

Paul Evans, Professor of Asia Pacific International Relations, Institute of Asian Research, University of British Columbia