Chiru Sakura: Falling Cherry Blossoms | Grace Eiko Nishikihama

Grace Eiko Thomson

Chiru Sakura—Falling Cherry Blossoms is a powerful memoir by Grace Eiko Nishikihama, who was forcibly removed from her Vancouver home and interned as a child during the Second World War. Interwoven with passages from her mother Sawae’s journal, the book traces one family’s experience of the internment and displacement of more than 22,000 Japanese Canadians.

Through two generations of voices, Grace reflects on loss, resilience, and the lasting impact of trauma, while honouring her mother’s teachings of hope—symbolized by the cherry blossoms that once surrounded their home.

Publisher: Caitlin Press