Iemoto Kimura-Sösho from Kyöto prepares the first cup of tea, which was offered to the spirit of Sen no Rikyu.

Community Focus – Omotesenke Domonkai Hawaii Honors Founder Sen No Rikyu

Omotesenke Domonkai Hawaii held a memorial tea ceremony in honor of its founder, tea master Sen no Rikyu (1522-1591). The April 13 ceremony was held in the Seikoan Tea Room at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i. Iemoto (grandmaster) Kimura-Sösho, the 15th grandmaster in the Omotesenke Domonkai line, came especially from Kyöto to perform the....
Black and white photo of Brig. Gen. Thomas S. Ito

In Memoriam Brig. Gen. Thomas S. Ito

Retired Brig. Gen. Thomas S. Ito, only the fourth Japanese American to be promoted to the rank of general in the U.S. military, died Jan. 26 at the age of 90. Ito began his military career in 1951 when he joined the Hawai‘i Army National Guard as a field artillery officer. He spent 37 years....
The Hawaii Herald Logo

Sidebar – Send Your Aloha to Naruhito and Masako

To mark the accession of Crown Prince Naruhito to Emperor Naruhito and the start of the Reiwa Era on May 1, the official residence of the Consulate General of Japan is open to people wishing to sign a greeting book that will be sent to Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako. Greeting books are also available....
Last June, then-Prince Akishino (now Crown Prince Akishino) and his wife, Princess Kiko, planted a Coral Shower Tree with Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell and his wife Donna Tanoue at Thomas Square to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the Gannenmono, the first immigrants from Japan. (Photo by Jodie Ching)

The Imperial Trees – Japan’s Royals Leave their Mark in Hawaii with Trees

Japan’s Imperial Family Has Added to Hawai‘i’s Beauty With Trees They Planted Kevin Y. Kawamoto Special to The Hawai‘i Herald Two trees stand just a stone’s throw away from each other in the peaceful Japanese garden behind Jefferson Hall on the grounds of the East-West Center. One tree towers over the other, although the much....
James Bilyeu and I show off our poke bowls. James is the son of the late Kalapana vocalist Malani Bilyeu. His girlfriend is from Yomitan. (Photos courtesy Colin Sewake)

My Hawaii – Home Sweet Okinawa Life

Colin Sewake Hawai‘i Herald Columnist ORION BEER’S HEISEI CAN By the time you read this, Japan will have said “Sayonara” to Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko and the Heisei Era and the country will be three days into the new Emperor Naruhito’s Reiwa Era. I was fortunate to get a few special edition Orion Beer....
Book cover titled 'No-No Boy' a novel by John Okada

Book Review – The “No-No Boy” Tragedy

John Okada’s Raw Confrontation of a Reality Was Ahead of Its Time Alan Suemori Special to The Hawai‘i Herald John Okada wrote only one novel in his lifetime, but that one book was so original, alive and breathtaking that its impact is still being felt among Asian American writers, artists and filmmakers today. Published in....
Photo of Frances Kakugawa

Dear Frances – Picking up on the Signs

Frances H. Kakugawa Hawai‘i Herald Columnist Omoiyari . . . Think of others first and good karma will return to you. — Frances H. Kakugawa Dear Readers, At a bookshop recently, the perfect book jumped out at me. “Buy me, buy me,” author Graeme Simsion whispered to me. “I’m the perfect follow-up to last month’s....
Photo of Ethel's Grill, 808-847-6467, 232 Kalihi St.

Ryan’s Table – Chuggy’s Super Secret Supper Club

Ryan Tatsumoto Hawai‘i Herald Columnist It’s not really a secret club. It’s just dinners arranged by Grant Shindo –– also known as “Chuggy Bear” –– who started the venture with his business partner, Thomas Obungen. They had planned on opening a restaurant consulting business called Slug Media. As more and more friends asked to join,....

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