Lead Stories

Exemplary Service Keeps Loyal Customers Coming Back Gwen Battad Ishikawa Long before the arrival in Hawai‘i of Costco and Sam’s Club, Shimaya Shoten was the place to go for food that could be purchased in bulk, especially ethnic fare. My grandmother used to sell food at community events, so she made one or two trips....

Dr. Mitch Maki: “Because of You, Our Nation is What It is Today” Editor’s note: The following is the text of Dr. Mitchell Maki’s speech to the veterans of the 100th Infantry Battalion and their families and friends at the One Puka Puka’s 75th anniversary banquet. The gathering, which was attended by seven 100th Battalion....

The Okinawan Songbird’s Performance Set for Sunday, Sept. 3 Jodie Chiemi Ching Special to The Hawai‘i Herald The Japanese characters for Rimi Natsukawa’s family name mean “summer river.” How else could you describe the pure and magical flow of Natsukawa’s voice? The songbird whose recording of “Nada Sousou,” the signature tune from the heartbreaking 2006....

Richard Borreca Special to The Hawai‘i Herald For the past quarter of a century, only two men have controlled the House of Representatives in Hawai‘i. Maui Democratic Rep. Joe Souki was Speaker of the House from 1993 until 1999, when he was ousted by Pälolo Democratic Rep. Calvin Say. Then in 2013, Souki put together....

Colleen Uechi Special to The Hawai‘i Herald The wind was gusting fiercely as Kalä Baybayan Tanaka hunched behind the communications box to do an interview at sea. It was May 31, a sunny Wednesday afternoon, and Tanaka was sailing homeward through the South Pacific with the crew of the Polynesian voyaging canoe, Höküle‘a. The canoe....

Roy Kodani Special to The Hawai‘i Herald Summertime in Japan is synonymous with Obon, the time of the year when the spirits of deceased family members, ancestors and other loved ones return to the world of the living. In Japan, millions of Japanese are on the move during the summer months, returning to their ancestral....

Alan Suemori Special to The Hawai‘i Herald It was not supposed to be this way. After only three years, Randy Wada was on track to graduate from Northwestern University and begin dental school in the fall of 1978. In his final undergraduate semester, he took a random course in molecular biology and cancer to fill....

Hawai‘i Uchinanchu Will Help Two World War II Prisoners of War from Okinawa Find Peace Gregg K. Kakesako Special to The Hawai‘i Herald Hawai‘i Uchinanchu (people of Okinawa ancestry) have always demonstrated their “brotherly love” in many ways, says Clara Goto . . . even by befriending prisoners of war from Okinawa who were incarcerated....

Kevin Kawamoto Special to The Hawai‘i Herald When World War II veteran Bernard S. Akamine died of pancreatic cancer on April 2, 2012, at the age of 89, there was no question what he wanted to happen to his body. For years prior to his death, Akamine, a 100th Infantry Battalion, Company B veteran, had....

Gregg K. Kakesako Special to The Hawai‘i Herald Gregg Kakesako worked for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Gannett News Service and the Honolulu Star-Advertiser for more than four decades as a government, political and military affairs reporter and assistant city editor. In her working days, Lt. Gen. Paul Nakasone’s grandmother cooked and cleaned as a live-in maid....