WHO/WHAT: A photographic exhibit highlighting the history and culture of Japanese Americans in Hawai’i travels to Kaua‘i. The 6:45 p.m. opening will feature a performance by singer Allison Arakawa, known for her moving renditions of holehole bushi plantation songs, followed by Kaua‘i bon dance performers at 7 p.m. Arakawa will also do a special performance at the Kukui Grove Center on Saturday, Sept. 8, at 11:30 a.m.
The exhibit covers the immigration of the Issei in the late 1800s to modern-day, showing how Nikkei (overseas Japanese) in Hawai‘i have merged their Japanese cultural values with Hawai‘i’s various cultures. Prominent Japanese Americans from Hawai‘i and their ancestral roots in Japan are highlighted in this bilingual (English, Japanese) exhibit.
The “Hawaii Nikkei Legacy” showing on the Garden Isle is presented by the Kaua‘i Office of Economic Development and the Kauai Japanese Cultural Society with support from the Consulate General of Japan in Honolulu, Nisei Veterans Legacy, Kukui Grove Center and other organizations as part of the Gannenmono 150th anniversary commemoration.
WHEN/WHERE: Exhibit opens Friday, Sept. 7, in the gallery space next to Regis Salon in the Kukui Grove Center. Nisei Veterans Legacy member Byrnes Yamashita will lead a guided tour of the exhibit at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. The exhibit will be open Thursdays through Sundays through Sunday, Sept. 23, with various hours. Admission is free. For more information, contact Pearl Shimizu at pkgshim3@hawaiiantel.net.
