Community Focus

The melodic sounds of Okinawan koto and sanshin music filled the Shinshu Kyokai Mission social hall on Oct. 20 as the Ryukyu Sokyoku Koyo Kai Hawaii Shibu koto association and the Ryukyu Koten Ongaku Nomura Ryu Ongaku Kyokai Hawaii Shibu sanshin association came together for their annual Gōdōu Ensōu Kai, or joint concert. The program....

Five Valley Isle high school juniors will vie for the title of 67th Chrysanthemum Festival queen. The festival is a Japanese cultural event that raises funds for scholarships and for the historical preservation programs of its sponsor, Maui’s Sons and Daughters of the Nisei Veterans. The Chrysanthemum Festival will be held Saturday, Dec. 7, at....

The United Japanese Society of Hawaii held its 20th annual “Tsukimi no Kai,” or moon-viewing celebration, on Oct. 15, on the rooftop of Bakery & Table. This year’s event was co-chaired by UJSH president-elect Frances Nakachi Kuba and past president Dean Asahina. Highlights of the event included a blessing, tea ceremony, haiku contest and bon....

Karleen Chinen Commentary I don’t think I’ll ever be able to eat another hotel banquet salad without remembering fondly the happy face of KTA Super Stores chairman and CEO Barry Taniguchi enjoying his dinner salad . . . with a pair of hashi (chopsticks), instead of a fork. That is an image I will not....

The Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce is accepting applications for the third annual Hawaii-Hiroshima Emerging Young Business Leaders Program. This program starts in Honolulu, running from Nov. 12 to 15. It also includes a program in Hiroshima in March 2020. The program is aimed at developing the next generation of leaders who are interested in....

The Omotesenke Domonkai Hawaii held a special tea ceremony on Sept. 21 in the Seikoan tearoom at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i. The ceremony, called Tennenki, was held in honor of Iemoto Joshinsai (Tennen Sösa) VII (1705-1751). The program celebrated Joshinsai’s legacy and his role in establishing the foundations for Omotesenke with a chatö,....

The United Japanese Society of Hawaii honored 24 new 80-year-olds at its annual “Nenchosha Ian Engei Taikai” program on Sept. 28 at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i’s Manoa Grand Ballroom. The program is held in conjunction with the observance of “Keiro no Hi,” or “Respect for the Aged Day,” which is a national holiday....

“Bon-Uta: A Song from Home” will be screened on Maui at the Lahaina Jodo Mission on Saturday, Sept. 28, and on O‘ahu at the Doris Duke Theatre in the Honolulu Museum of Art on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 5 and 6.  This new documentary about several evacuees from the town of Futaba in Fukushima Prefecture....

The Hawaii United Okinawa Association will honor eight people for their contributions to the Okinawan and larger local and global community at its 2019 Legacy Awards luncheon on Saturday, Nov. 2, in the Coral Ballroom of the Hilton Hawaiian Village. The HUOA will honor four individuals from Hawai‘i and four from Okinawa. Honorees from Hawai‘i....

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