Consul General Okada’s Web Message for August 2013

 

Hello everyone,

It’s summer vacation season. The first session of the 40th Parliament of the Province of British Columbia has closed and it seems that many of the provincial legislators and other government officials begun enjoying their summer vacations. Unlike the harbour area of Victoria, which sees many visits from tourists, the inside of the Parliament building has been very quiet.

In late July, a wine awards presentation tour was held by the Honourable Judith Guichon, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, and I, along with consuls general of other countries,  were invited to visit the winning wineries in the Okanagan. To improve the quality of this region’s wines and to enhance their visibility, the Lieutenant Governor awards are given to selected excellent wines every summer. Twelve wineries were chosen for the awards this year, which were visited by Lt. Governor Guichon for presentation of the awards. Some consuls general attended the presentation as well.

Currently, over 400 wine brands are produced from the more than 160 wineries around Lake Okanagan. With the help of this promotional event, the quality of the wines of the region has improved dramatically in recent years. I tasted some of the winning wines and enjoyed the different flavours of each.

We have been serving Okanagan wines at official dinners held at the official residence lately, and have found them to be regarded highly by guests. Japanese sake and wines are also served and have been received in a similarly positive regard.

Bridging Japan and Canada’s cultures is one of the most important duties of the Consulate General.

I hope you all have a wonderful summer vacation.  

 

Seiji Okada
Consul General of Japan in Vancouver

August 13, 2013