Cherry Blossom Festival

[caption id="attachment_20387" align="alignnone" width="240"] Jewel Mahoe[/caption] JEWEL KAHIWALANI MIYUKI MAHOE High School: Kamehameha Schools Kapalama College/Degree: University of Northern Colorado, Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education, minor in Reading; Vanderbilt University, Master of Education in Special Education; and University of Hawai‘i at Mänoa Occupation: Preschool special education teacher Hobbies: Running, reading, learning to sew from....

The 65th Cherry Blossom Festival was officially launched on Jan. 8, with the 15 queen contestants introduced at the New Year’s ‘Ohana Festival at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i. Kokoro, the Japanese word for heart, mind and spirit, is the theme for this year’s festival. “Kokoro embodies the spirit of the Cherry Blossom Festival....

The 65th Chrysanthemum Festival, a Maui Japanese tradition that raises funds for scholarships and the historical preservation programs of its sponsor, Maui’s Sons and Daughters of the Nisei Veterans, will be held Saturday, Dec. 2, at the Velma McWayne Santos Community Center in Wailuku. Teens from five Maui high schools are vying for the Chrysanthemum....

Okinawan Musical Performer Sweeps Top CB Festival Awards for Historic “Triple Win” Ida Yoshinaga In the early evening of Saturday, Apr. 3, the virtual audience of the 69th Annual Cherry Blossom Festival — ensconced in their...

CINDY SHINAE NAKAGAWA Parents: Ivan and Joyce Nakagawa High School: Waiakea High School (Big Island), 2009 College/Degree: University of Hawai‘i at Mänoa, education, 2014. Occupation: Elementary school teacher at President Abraham Lincoln Elementary School. What or Who Inspires You? “A teacher is someone who inspires and motivates children. But as a teacher, my students inspire....

To everyone out there in cyberspace, allow me to wish you all a Happy February! In honor of this new month, I bring you a gift: the chance to win a free trip to...

Tomorrow, the Honolulu Japanese Junior Chamber of Commerce’s 70th Cherry Blossom Festival Ball will be held at the Sheraton Waikiki. A new Queen will be crowned with a new court to reign in 2022-2023....

Jodie Chiemi Ching On March 16, Lauren Akemi Sugai was crowned the 67th Cherry Blossom Festival queen at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel, marking the climax of the 2019 festival, sponsored by the Honolulu Japanese Junior Chamber of Commerce. In an interview with The Hawai‘i Herald, Sugai shared her Cherry Blossom Festival experience. When her name....

Departing Cherry Blossom Queen Melanie Carríe Looks Ahead to a New Chapter Jodie Chiemi Ching In the 2018 Cherry Blossom Festival souvenir booklet published by the festival’s sponsor, the Honolulu Japanese Junior Chamber of Commerce, queen contestant Melanie Camille Michiko Carríe wrote: “I am inspired by the idea that obstacles are stepping stones towards the....

65th Cherry Blossom Festival Queen Heather Omori Reflects on the Past Year Gwen Battad Ishikawa As any Cherry Blossom Festival queen will tell you, their year as queen was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and a whirlwind one at that. It’s been nearly a year since Heather Kiyomi Omori was crowned the 65th Cherry Blossom Festival queen.....