A Kid's First Holiday Market at Burnaby's Nikkei Centre
The Nikkei Craft Fair runs today and Sunday at Burnaby's Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre. Kids and seniors get in free. Let your child pick one small gift and say who it is for.
The craft tables are already set at 6688 Southoaks Crescent in Burnaby.
The Nikkei Craft Fair fills the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre today, Saturday, November 14, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and again Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
It is an easy indoor stop if you are bringing kids and grandparents: clear doors, $5 for most adults, free for youth and seniors, and a Kids Corner upstairs.
Before you leave the car, give the child one job. Pick one small gift. Tell you who it is for.
Kids under 18 and grandparents 65+ get in free. One small gift with a named recipient beats a cart of impulse booths.
Doors and what it costs
General entry starts at 10 a.m. Members and seniors 65+ can walk in at 9:30 a.m. both days. That earlier door helps if you have a stroller, or a grandparent who would rather not push through a packed foyer.
Adults pay $5 per day at the door. Cash and card both work. Members, seniors 65+, and anyone under 18 are free.
Keep the ticket. Admission is also your door-prize entry for artisan gift baskets, Kinmemai rice from Samurice, and a $25 Museum Shop card.
A short browse from the vendor list
Start on the craft floor before anyone gets hungry. For gifts a kid can actually choose, look for Origamini Seiko, StickYees, Danielle Pond Prints & Greetings, Japanese Fabric Creations Shino, and Sakura Pottery. Wood pieces from koo woodwork + design work if the budget can stretch a little.
Then walk the pantry tables. Saturday shoppers can grab NNMCC Auxiliary manju (Saturday only on the list). Mori Matcha, WA-BAGEL, Coconama chocolate, and Kanadell Japanese Bakery are easy take-home stops.
If someone needs lunch, the eat-here list includes Japadog, Japanese Crepe SASUKE, Tatchan Noodle, Mukasi Coffee Roasters, Matchacha, and yamacafe.
You will not see every name. The centre published dozens of makers. Three craft tables, one snack, and the Kids Corner is enough for a first visit.
Kids Corner and the one-gift ask
Kids Corner is free drop-in on the second floor in the Kaede Room. The centre lists Christmas colouring, origami, and letters to Santa.
Go up after the first pass through the booths. Grandparents can sit while a child folds one crane or colours one page.
Before you leave the craft floor, let the child choose one small gift under a price you name in the car. Then ask: "Who is this for, and why them?"
A sticker sheet for a cousin counts. So does a card for a teacher or a tiny ceramic for Gong Gong. You want the sentence more than the shopping bag.
How to get there today
Drive to 6688 Southoaks Crescent and use the underground public parking if you have grandparents in the car.
On transit, Edmonds SkyTrain is about a 15-minute walk up to Kingsway and Southoaks. The #119 bus from Metrotown or Edmonds stops at Kingsway and Sperling.
Sunday closes an hour earlier, at 4 p.m. If naps own Saturday morning, aim for noon and leave time for the gift question before the food lines get long.