Community Focus

About 200 United Japanese Society of Hawaii members and friends attended the organization’s annual shinnen enkai on Jan. 24 at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i’s Manoa Grand Ballroom. The program began with the observance...

The 2017-2018 officers and directors of the United Japanese Society of Hawaii were installed on June 24 at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i. Two celebratory dances were performed at the start of the program: “Kotobuki Samba,” a Japanese dance, which was performed by Bando Michie II, and the auspicious Okinawan dance, “Kazadihuu,” was performed....

The 28th annual Hiroshima peace ceremony to commemorate the 72nd anniversary of the 1945 bombing of Hiroshima was held on Aug. 7 at the peace bell fronting Izumo Taishakyo Mission of Hawaii. The bell is a replica of the one in Hiroshima’s Peace Park. It was presented to the City and County of Honolulu by....

The UH Mänoa Outreach College is offering classes in Japanese language for three levels of learning: beginner, intermediate and advanced. The classes (10 classes per season) are held three times a year (spring/summer/fall). Classes will be held every Saturday from 9 to 11:45 a.m. Each session is split into two parts, consisting of grammar, reading....

With teru-teru bozu hanging from the branches of trees in the courtyard, hoping to fend off a threatening downpour, the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i blessed and rededicated its resource center as the Tokioka...

Four veterans of the World War II volunteer labor battalion known as the Varsity Victory Volunteers were honored by the University of Hawai‘i in a simple ceremony on Feb. 26. The event, which was...

The 41st annual Living Treasures of Hawai‘i™ program, initiated by the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii, was held on Feb. 13 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, Coral Ballroom. The program, modeled after the National...

Hui Makaala held its 48th annual Scholarship Fund Luncheon and Fashion Show on July 30 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Coral Ballroom. The show featured fashions by three Hawai‘i designers — Allison Izu, Janice Tsujimura and Jeanie Chun. The audience was also treated to a program of cultural entertainment that included Okinawan dances by Hooge....

The Hilo-based Japanese Community Association of Hawaii will hold its biennial Japanese Culture Day, or Bunka No Hi, on Saturday, Nov. 14, in the Sangha Hall from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with the...

When Frances Nakachi moved to Hawai‘i from Okinawa in 1986, she said she found herself feeling at home in the Okinawan community. Everyone seemed like ‘ohana, or as they say in Okinawa, Ichariba chödë — “Once we meet, we are family.” So she took her passion for Okinawan dance and created a school that celebrates....