SATURDAY, SEPT. 2, 2017  (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)

9 a.m. RYUKYU SOKYOKU KOYO KAI HAWAII SHIBU

Jane Kaneshiro and Bonnie Miyashiro, Co-chairs

Jane Kaneshiro Sozan Kai

Bonnie Miyashiro Soho Kai

Toma Toyoko Sokyoku Kai

Yamashiro Yoneko Sokyoku Kenkyu Kai

Yasuko Arakawa Aki no Kai

Sunny Tominaga Sokyoku Sanyuukai

Chieko Miyasato Sokyoku Kai

9:30 a.m. RYUKYU KOTEN ONGAKU NOMURA RYU ONGAKU

KYOKAI HAWAII SHIBU

Seiichi Yagi, Chapter President

10 a.m. HAWAII TAIKO KAI

Terry Higa, Instructor

10:20 a.m. OPENING PROCESSION (HUOA Banners, Shishimai and Chondara)

PARANKU CLUBS OF HAWAII

Jane Tateyama, President

10:50 a.m. FORMAL OPENING CEREMONY

11:50 a.m. HOOGE RYU HANA NUUZI NO KAI NAKASONE DANCE ACADEMY

Lynne Yoshiko Nakasone, Grand Master and Director

12:20 p.m. RYUKYUKOKU MATSURI DAIKO HAWAII

Akemi Martin, Regional Director

1:10 p.m.JIMPU KAI U.S.A. KIN RYOSHO RYUKYU GEINO KENKYUSHO

Cheryl Yoshie Nakasone, Artistic Director

1:40 p.m. RYUSEI HONRYU RYUKO KAI, TOGUCHI MITSUKO RYUKYU BUYO KENKYUSHO

Mitsuko Toguchi Nakasone, Kaishu

2:10 p.m. RADIO OKINAWA’S 2017 MIUTA TAISHO WINNER: AIRI ISHIMINE

3 p.m. BRANDON ING AND FRIENDS

3:30 p.m. SHORIN-RYU HAWAII SEIBUKAN

Masakazu Teruya, Kancho

4 p.m. ANDAGI EATING CONTEST

4:10 p.m. RYUKYU KOTEN AFUSO RYU ONGAKU KENKYUU CHOICHI KAI HAWAII

Grant “Sandaa” Murata, Chapter President

4:50 p.m. KACHASHI

OKINAWAN FESTIVAL BON DANCE
(Saturday, Sept. 2)

The Okinawan Festival bon dance will begin at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 2.

5:30 p.m. Opening & Welcome

5:45 p.m. Young Okinawans of Hawaii

6:45 p.m. Hawaii Shin Kobukai

7:20 p.m. Aiea Taiheiji Yagura Gumi

7:55 p.m. Iwakuni Odori Aiko Kai

8:30 p.m. Hawaii Eisa Shinyuu Kai

9:20 p.m. KACHASHI

(Reminder: Last shuttle to KCC leaves at 10:30 p.m.)

SUNDAY, SEPT. 3, 2017  (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)

9 a.m. KILAUEA OKINAWA DANCE GROUP

Toshiko Neumann, Leader

9:20 a.m. NUUANU SHORIN-RYU / SHINDEN-RYU KARATE    ASSOCIATION

Mitchel Shimamura, Sensei

9:50 a.m. HAWAII OKINAWA CREATIVE ARTS

Jon Itomura, President, and Eric Nitta, Vice President

10:20 a.m. HUI OKINAWA KOBUDO TAIKO

Troy Sakihara, Leader

10:50 a.m. HUOA ICHI GO ICHI E CLASS

Derek Asato, Instructor

11:20 a.m. CHINAGU EISA HAWAII

Devin Kawamura, President

11:50 a.m. TAMAGUSUKU RYU SENJU KAI, FRANCES NAKACHI RYUBU DOJO

Frances Nakachi, Shihan, Master Instructor, Director

12:20 p.m. OKINAWA YUI BUYO

Misako Yagi, Chapter President

12:50 p.m. AZAMA HONRYU SUMI NO KAI HAWAII SHIBU

Allison Yanagi, Saikosho

1:20 p.m. RYUKYU SOKYOKU HOZON KAI HAWAII SHIBU, SARINA SOKYOKU KENKYUSHO

Sarina Udd, Chapter President and Shihan

1:50 p.m. NIDAIME TEISHIN KAI HAWAII SHIBU AND HUOA SANSHIN CLASS

Ryosei Oshiro, Director

2:40 p.m. ANDAGI EATING CONTEST

Rimi Matsukawa performs at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 3.

3 p.m. RIMI NATSUKAWA

3:55 p.m. TO BE ANNOUNCED

4:20 p.m. OKINAWA MINYO KYOKAI HAWAII AND URIZUN MINYO GROUP

Derek Ichiro Shiroma, Sensei

4:50 p.m. KACHASHI
(Reminder: Last shuttle to KCC leaves at 6 p.m.)

Okinawan Festival Returning to Kapi‘olani Park Labor Day Weekend

After cancelling last year’s Okinawan Festival just days before the signature summer event was set to open, citing safety concerns over an approaching hurricane, the Hawaii United Okinawa Association’s 2,000-plus volunteers will be out in force “Sharing Uchinanchu Aloha” during Labor Day weekend, Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 2 and 3, at Kapi‘olani Park. The Festival promises to be a weekend full of delicious food; great cultural entertainment, highlighted this year by a special performance by songbird Rimi Natsukawa from Okinawa; an expanded Cultural Tent; and lots of fun and fellowship for people of all ages. The festival promises to live up to its selection as “Hawaii’s Best Ethnic/Cultural Festival” in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s Hawaii’s Best People’s Choice Awards in 2015 and 2016.

The Kapi‘olani Park Bandstand stage will be the setting for continuous live entertainment, including two performers from Okinawa — Radio Okinawa’s 2017 Miuta Taisho song contest winner, Airi Ishimine, on Saturday and Rimi
Natsukawa on Sunday. Rounding out the program will be Hawai‘i’s own homegrown performing arts groups, sharing Okinawan culture that has been passed down over the generations through sanshin, dance, taiko, koto and karate.

The Okinawan Festival is organized and made real each year by an all-volunteer crew from the HUOA’s 50 member-clubs and their extended ‘ohana of Uchinanchu and Uchinanchu-at-heart. Proceeds from the Okinawan Festival fund the HUOA’s numerous cultural programs.

The first Okinawan Festival was held in 1982 at Ala Moana Park’s McCoy Pavilion. It later moved to Thomas Square and the then-Honolulu Academy of Arts. In 1989, the festival was put on hold to plan for the move to a much bigger venue, Kapi‘olani Park, at the edge of Waikïkï. The 1990 festival also celebrated the 90th anniversary of Okinawan immigration to Hawai‘i. The move to Kapi‘olani Park attracted a larger, broader and more ethnically diverse audience and proved to be one of the most successful means of sharing Okinawan culture with residents and visitors alike.

For more information on the festival, visit http://www.okinawan festival.com. Here is some information to keep in mind as you plan your festival weekend, and read on through this issue for more detailed information on various aspects of the Okinawan Festival.

FESTIVAL HOURS:

• Saturday, Sept. 2: 9 a.m.– 9:30 p.m.

Live entertainment and activities from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m; most food booths open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Okinawan Festival Bon Dance from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. with select food booths open until 8 p.m.: Andagi, Andadog, Okinawa Soba/Maki Sushi and Shave Ice.

• Sunday, Sept. 3: 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

Live entertainment, food booths, children’s activities and Craft Gallery close at 4:30 p.m.

PARK FREE AND RIDE THE OKINAWAN
FESTIVAL SHUTTLE

The Okinawan Festival shuttle between Kapi‘olani Community College and Kapi‘olani Park will run continuously during the festival. You can park free at KCC and hop on the air-conditioned bus to Kapi‘olani Park. A storage compartment on the side of the bus is available to store baby strollers and large bags. The bus drivers will happily assist passengers in getting on and off the bus. The $3 return tickets can be purchased at the festival Information Booth and Shuttle Stop Booth at Kapi‘olani Park.

Shuttle Drop-off and Pick-up Locations:

• At Kapi‘olani Community College: at the city bus stop outside the KCC parking lot along Diamond Head Road.

• At Kapi‘olani Park: Near the parking lot along Monsarrat Avenue.

Shuttle Hours:

• Saturday, Sept. 3: 7 a.m.–10:30 p.m. The last departure from Kapi‘olani Park to KCC is at 10:30 p.m.

• Sunday, Sept. 4: 7 a.m.–6 p.m. The last departure from Kapi‘olani Park to KCC at 6 p.m.

FESTIVAL PIN: A $5 BARGAIN!

The Okinawan Festival commemorative pin can be purchased for $5 at the Hawai‘i Okinawa Center and at the festival Information Booth. The pin entitles the purchaser to a FREE round-trip shuttle ride between KCC and Kapi‘olani Park; $2 off a festival T-shirt purchased at the festival; free azuki beans with your purchased shave ice and a special discount in the Festival’s Country Store. You’ll also receive coupons for discounts at Sunrise Restaurant, Tamashiro Market and Zippy’s with the purchase of the commemorative pin.

CONNECT WITH THE OKINAWAN
FESTIVAL ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Website: www.okinawanfestival.com and
www.huoa.org

Facebook: Okinawan Festival

Instagram: @okinawanfestival

Use hashtag: #okifest2017

Romi Beppu starts warm-up exercise with her students.

Principal Dancer Romi Beppu is Training the Next Generation of Principal Dancers

Gregg K. Kakesako
Special to The Hawai‘i Herald

At age 34, ballerina Romi Beppu had realized most of her dreams: She had attained the rank of “principal dancer,” and she had toured the U.S. mainland, Europe and Japan with major international ballet companies. At that point, Beppu decided it was time to begin another phase of her career — passing on her passion for dance to another generation of ballerinas.

“I wanted to teach,” she told The Hawai‘i Herald. Beppu is working to instill in her young students her passion for dance, her work ethic and the discipline she committed herself to during her 16-year career as a professional ballerina.

“I felt I had accomplished much of what I wanted to in my professional dancing career, was interested in teaching, coaching and wanted to dedicate more time to starting my next career and purpose,” Beppu said. “I am a big believer in giving back, especially if you have been given much.”

Romi Beppu danced professionally for 16 years with the New York-based American Ballet Theater, which has been recognized as a living national treasure since its founding in 1940; Boston Ballet and Ballet West in Salt Lake City. Having learned “how the system works,” she said she wanted the autonomy to share her talents with Hawai‘i’s youth.

This past June, Beppu, now 39, celebrated her fifth year as the owner and artistic director of Honolulu Classical Ballet by opening a new studio in Kaimukï. It is the home of her dreams: The principal architect was Ma Ry Kim of G70, and Hawaiian artist Kalili Chun contributed an original art piece called “Manu O Ku,” which Beppu said represents the white bird that is an inspiration for the studio’s mission and dancers.

More than 100 people turned out for the opening of her new studio, including several students who were in her first classes in Kaka‘ako five years ago.

Lily Johnson, who graduated from Punahou School this past June, said there were four students who started ballet with her in 2012. He mother, Allison Johnson, described Beppu as “the most perfect teacher and role model. She’s everything you want in a teacher.”

Lily Johnson, who is now attending Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, said she plans to “keep dancing” while pursuing a career in science.

Other alumni include Gabi Legaspi, who is attending the University of Utah, working on a double major in mathematics and dance. Another Beppu alumnus, Lauren Thompson, is a trainee at Ballet West.

To read the rest of this article, please subscribe to The Herald!

Romi Beppu’s Honolulu Classical Ballet studio is located at 1122 Kokohead Ave. in Kaimukï. You can visit her website at hcballet.com.

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.

A Rewarding Experience for Both Students and Teacher

Carolyn Morinishi
Special to The Hawai‘i Herald

Wayne Doliente is proud to be 100 percent Filipino, but when he dons a sandogasa (yakuza hat) and döchü kappa (traveling cape), he dances with heart of a pure Japanese. Wayne has been studying Nihon buyö — classical Japanese dance — for almost two years now and enjoys portraying a yakuza (nomadic warrior) in the dance, “Akai Yuhi no Sandogasa.”

Wayne is one of 15 students who have been taking Nihon buyö classes since January 2016. That’s when a few of my friends encouraged me to start teaching the Azuma Ryü style of Japa-
nese dance on Kaua‘i. Fortunately for us, All Saints Episcopal Church in Kapa‘a allows us to use its classrooms. The students come from Kapa‘a, Wailua, Kïlauea and Lïhu‘e; are of various ethnic backgrounds and range in age from 8 to 84. As their sensei (teacher), I love the enthusiasm of all my students and their commitment to learning this art.

Japanese culture and history are two of my passions and they are often an integral part of the dance lessons. I’ve learned that if the students learn the background and historical setting of the dances, they do better in learning the steps and getting a feel for the dance. I also require that the students perform in full, authentic Japanese costume, which I believe to be an important part of the experience.

“I love wearing the costume and the feeling of being Japanese,” said student Mabel Akutagawa Antonio.

Since starting classes, the dancers have performed at many events and venues, including the Children’s Day Festival at Kukui Grove Shopping Center, a Christmas performance at All Saints Church and the Matsuri Kaua‘i Festival at the Kaua‘i War Memorial Convention Hall.

We have also performed at a few senior care homes, which brought smiles to the faces of the elders. We performed at Mahelona Hospital in Kapa‘a and at the Regency at Puakea in Lïhu‘e. They were wonderful opportunities for us to give back to the community, especially to our elders, who have given so much to us.

To read the rest of this article, please subscribe to The Herald!

Azuma Kikusue-Sensei (Carolyn Kubota Morini-shi) holds natori (master) and shihan (instructor) certificates from the Azuma Ryü headquarters in Tökyö. She currently teaches over 75 students in two states — Hawai‘i and California. Those interested in learning more about the class can contact Azuma Kikusue-Sensei by emailing her at kikusue.azuma@gmail.com.

Nomura Ryü Dentö Ongaku Kyökai Okinawa to Join Hawai‘i Concert

Jodie Chiemi Ching
Special to the Hawai‘i Herald

More than 20 years ago, Bokuzen Kaneshiro presented his precious sanshin to his yonsei granddaughter, Allison Ya-
nagi. It marked the beginning of her lifelong commitment to Okinawan performing arts. Today, Allison Yanagi — now Allison Yanagi-Sensei — is president of Nomura Ryü Dentö Ongaku Kyökai (in short, “Den-On”) Hawaii Shibu, a new school of Ryükyüan classical music in Hawai‘i.

The school will hold its debut performance, “ALOHA Den-On,” on Sunday, Nov. 19, at the Hawaii Okinawa Center. Proceeds from the 2 p.m. music and dance concert will benefit the Hawaii Okinawa Center and the Hawaii Okinawa Plaza, the Hawaii United Okinawa Association’s new for-profit venture currently under construction across the street from the HOC.

The concert also marks Nomura Ryü Dentö Ongaku Kyökai Okinawa’s 35th anniversary, which the organization will celebrate with its new “cousin” branch in Hawai‘i by bringing about 120 members from Okinawa. The delegation will include the kyökai’s president, Ichio Nakamura-Sensei; vice president and key organizer of the event, Toshikazu Tamaki-Sensei and Junichi Tomita, president of Okinawa’s Ryukyu Shimpo newspaper.

To read the rest of this article, please subscribe to The Herald!

Tickets for “ALOHA Den-On” are $30 and can be reserved by calling the Hawaii Okinawa Center at (808) 676-5400. Anyone interested in studying either music and/or dance with Allison Yanagi-Sensei can contact her directly at 295-3828.

Jodie Ching is a freelance writer and blogger who also works for her family’s accounting firm in Kaimukï. She has a bachelor’s degree in Japanese from the University of Hawai‘i at Mänoa and is a past recipient of the Okinawa Prefectural Government Foundation scholarship.

The Japanese Cultural Society of Maui is accepting nominations for its annual Nihon Bunka Awards, or Japanese culture awards. Winners will be honored at the organization’s shinnen enkai dinner on Jan. 27, 2018, at the Maui Beach Hotel.

Each year, JCS Maui recognizes individuals for their excellence and contributions to the Japanese arts and/or culture and for their selflessness in sharing their talents with the community.

Nominations should be sent to Lynn Araki-Regan — by mail to 1823 Wells St., Suite 2A, Wailuku, HI, 96793, by fax to (808) 249-2872 or via email at lynn@araki-regan.com. The nomination deadline is Dec. 23. For more information, call Araki-Regan at (808) 280-1299.

The Japanese Community Association of Hawaii, based in Hilo, honored three “cultural treasures” at its biennial “Bunka no Hi,” or Japanese Culture Day program, on Nov. 18 at the Sangha Hall. The event was themed “Okage Sama De,” an often-used Japanese phrase of gratitude meaning “I am what I am because of you.”

Honored as cultural treasures were: Wailea Mochi Pounding Festival founder Akiko Masuda; judö sensei (teacher) Ronald Takeya, who has been practicing the martial art for over four decades; and 99-year-old Takayoshi Kanda, who is known in the community as the “Keeper of the Waiakea Tsunami Clock.”

The day of cultural activities began with an omikoshi (portable Shintö shrine) parade along Kïlauea Avenue to the Sangha Hall. Former Hawai‘i governor George Ariyoshi and his wife Jean were the parade’s grand marshals. The governor led a “talk story” session later in the day.

JCAH was established 45 years ago to promote and perpetuate Japanese culture and arts in East Hawai‘i and to foster international relationships with Japanese citizens and organizations.

The Queen’s May 1901 Visit to Hongwanji Temple is Remembered and Celebrated

Kristen Nemoto Jay
Special to The Hawai‘i Herald

This past Nov. 11 marked 100 years since the passing of Hawai‘i’s last reigning monarch, the beloved Queen Lili‘uokalani. The anniversary of her passing and the legacy she left in stories, her music, and in her acts of generosity and acceptance were commemorated on Oct. 29 at the Honpa Hongwanji Hawaii Betsuin Buddhist temple, where hundreds with mostly Japanese faces and surnames turned out to honor the queen.

Many were hearing for the first time the details of her majesty’s visit to Honpa Hongwanji’s early temple on Fort Lane on May 19, 1901, to attend a birthday service for Shinran Shonin, the founder of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism. Her majesty had been invited by Mary Foster, a Buddhist with ties to Foster Botanical Gardens. The queen’s attendance highlighted her acceptance and understanding of the Buddhist community, quickly blurring the lines of racial and religious segregation in Hawai‘i.

In honor of the queen’s life and her historic gesture to the Buddhist community, Friends of Lili‘uokalani Gardens from Hilo, Honpa Hongwanji Hawaii Betsuin, community members and other leaders planned a special service that included a re-enactment piece by Jackie Pualani Johnson, newly retired drama professor from the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo.

Kahu (The Rev.) Sherman Thompson began the service with an expression of gratitude to all in attendance for celebrating the life of “her majesty . . . with this special service of appreciation.”

Brightening the temple were flowers shared by members of the Hawaii Betsuin, Moiliili Hongwanji, Kailua Hongwanji and Jikoen Hongwanji. The congregation rose to sing the Buddhist gatha, or song, “Nori no Miyama,” (“Deep in the Woods of Dharma”) which is believed to have been sung at the May 1901 service that the queen attended.

The Rev. Kevin Kuniyuki, director of Honpa Hongwanji’s Buddhist Studies Center, and Dr. Puakea Nogelmeier, professor of Hawaiian language at the University of Hawai‘i at Mänoa, then led a chant of the “Sanbujo,” (“The Three Respectful Callings”) that had been specially composed as “Mele Kähea Buda,” a traditional oli (chant) style based on the English translation of “Sanbujo.” As the sutra “Sanbutsuge” was chanted, incense was offered by Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii officials and members of the Kailua, Moiliili and Jikoen temples. They were joined by members of the Royal Societies; trustees Claire L. Asam and Thomas K. Kaulukukui Jr. of the Queen Lili‘uokalani Trust; and the Fujimoto family, whose Issei ancestors worked for the queen at Washington Place.

The Rev. Eric Matsumoto, bishop of Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii, presented the dharma message. His words expressed humility, respect and appreciation for the queen as he tried to fathom what the climate of racial and religious prejudices must have been like in the Islands and the world to notice the supreme gesture that the queen made to the local Buddhist temple. Despite the early stages of the annexation, Matsumoto said the queen’s selfless presence had resulted in tremendous publicity and acceptance for religious freedom and practice. He commended her majesty’s quest for peace and harmony despite her own hardships at the time.

Kristen Nemoto Jay was born and raised in Waimänalo. She recently left her job as editor for Morris Media Network’s Where Hawaii to pursue a freelance writing career. She also tutors part-time at her alma mater, Kailua High School, and is a yoga instructor at CorePower Yoga. Kristen earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology from Chapman University and her master’s in journalism from DePaul University.

To read the rest of this article, please subscribe to The Herald!

WHO/WHAT: Hawaii Kotohira Jinsha welcomes the “Year of the Dog” with traditional New Year’s blessings beginning at midnight, Jan. 1, 2018. As far of the festivities, you can get your head bitten by a shishi lion for good luck and partake of ozone mochi soup for good health. Omamori will also be available for purchase. A list of the various omamori and their prices is available at www.e-shrine.org/omamori.html.

WHEN/WHERE: Jan. 1, 2018: 12 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Hawaii Kotohira Jinsha – Hawaii Dazaifu Tenmangu (1239 Olomea St.). Parking available at Damien Memorial School (1401 Houghtailing St.), with a free shuttle running continuously between the school and Kotohira Jinsha from midnight to 3:30 a.m. and again from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, call (808) 841-4755.

COST: Free and open to the public.

Columnist’s 46th Birthday Sparks a Reality Check

Colin Sewake
Hawai‘i Herald Columnist

“Okinawa is such a beautiful place, not just the ocean and scenery and culture, but the people. I’ve been treated well and taken care of by many people here in what has become ‘My Hawai‘i.’” — Colin Sewake

I don’t know why it is, but I’m kind of a nerd when it comes to remembering certain dates. And I don’t mean just birthdays and wedding anniversaries, but other dates as well — dates marking certain milestones in my life. For example, I’ll never forget Monday, Dec. 12, 1994, the day I arrived in Okinawa. Last month marked 23 years of uninterrupted residence in Okinawa for me. I have now spent more of my 46 years of life here than I have in the sands of my birth: Hawai‘i.

PREARRIVAL

When I graduated from the University of Hawai‘i at Mänoa on May 15, 1994, I was simultaneously commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Air Force. I was ordered to report to the 18th Contracting Squadron at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan.

I immediately went next door to inform my Wahiawä neighbors, the Teruyas, who were originally from Okinawa. In my mind, I can still hear Mrs. Teruya’s voice from that conversation, telling me that I was going to come back home married. I doubted her, because marriage was not even in my vocabulary at the time.

Keiko and I began dating a month after I arrived and we got married in August 1996, less than two years after I began my tour of duty in Okinawa. I ended up making Okinawa my home.

Mrs. Teruya had also told me to look up Jimmy Inamine. I later learned that Jimmy founded and owned the largest bakery chain in Okinawa. Jimmy had close ties to Mr. Teruya and had taught him about baking — and he wasn’t haole (Caucasian), as his first name implied.

When I had filled out my “dream sheet” several months before graduating and requested assignment at a base in Japan, I had mainland Japan in mind — you know, sakura cherry blossoms, trains and women walking around in kimono. My Air Force ROTC friend who was several years ahead of me and already working at Kadena AB got wind of my assignment and spoke to the captain in the squadron to which I had been assigned. That captain had been designated as my sponsor. A short time later, he sent me a welcome package. When I opened the welcome booklet to Kadena AB and Okinawa, the pictures of hibiscus, people on jet skis, and funny-looking kimono and women hairdos confused me. Okinawa was supposed to be in Japan, but, somehow, it didn’t match my image of what Japan was supposed to be.

Colin Sewake is a keiki o ka ‘äina from Wahiawä, O‘ahu, who was assigned to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa in December 1994 to fulfill his U.S. Air Force ROTC commitment. He met his future wife, Keiko, within a month and decided to make Okinawa his permanent home. Colin retired from the Air Force and, recently from the Air Force Reserves. He now works as a customer service representative for Hotel Sun Palace Kyuyokan in Naha. Colin and Keiko have two teenaged children and make their home in Yomitan.

To read the rest of this article, please subscribe to The Herald!

Editor’s note: It’s the fifth day of the new year and every time you open your frig, those trays of glutinous white rice cakes — mochi — are staring you in the eye. “Ahhhhh, I ordered too much,” you say to yourself. “What am I going to do with all this mochi? I’m going to be bachi’d if I toss it out.”

Toss it out?! Don’t even think of doing that . . . because there is a second, even more exciting, life for all of that leftover mochi, as I learned by asking a few friends.

Joanne Ninomiya, founder and former owner of the translation and video production company JN Productions, Inc., came back          with some great ideas that gave those plain white rice cakes a total makeover. Here are Joanne’s contributions.

Ideas for Mochi Toppings

Most local families fry their leftover mochi in butter, or they boil it or bake it in a toaster oven sprinkled with combinations of kinako (ground soybean flour) and sugar, or shoyu and sugar or azuki beans.

But how about being creative and giving your mochi a different taste and look?

Use Kiri Mochi (square-cut mochi) or the round ones and cut them into thirds or fourths before cooking. Keep in mind that mochi packs a lot of calories and carbs, so by cutting them smaller, you can get more bites with toppings. I cut my Kiri Mochi into three pieces and then cut those three pieces in half again for a total of six pieces. You can either bake the mochi pieces in a toaster oven or fry them in a skillet. If you use a toaster oven, place your mochi on a piece of foil lightly coated with Pam, butter or oil and set it at 375 to 400 degrees for about eight to 10 minutes or until the top of the mochi gets puffy. Remove the mochi from the oven or pan and place the pieces on a large plate.

And now for my toppings.

To get the full recipe, please subscribe to The Herald!

What Can Happen When the People Put Their Heads and Hearts Together

Gregg K. Kakesako
Special to The Hawai‘i Herald

“We built it!”

It took Hawai‘i businessman Duane Kurisu just six months and one day to develop Kahauiki Village — a public-private housing project that is fulfilling his dream “to build a community,” not just a shelter for O‘ahu’s homeless.

Last summer, there was nothing on the 11.3-acre parcel makai (oceanside) of Nimitz Highway, just east of the Honolulu airport. No roads, no sewers, no electricity, no water — just weeds, shrubbery, a homeless encampment and a paintball field near Ke‘ehi Lagoon.

Today, a black asphalt road surrounds the $12.4 million Phase One compound consisting of 30 prefab housing units — 18 two-bedroom homes and 12 one-bedroom homes — plus, a community center and a police workstation. A childcare center, a preschool and a sundry store were also built on the site to support the 51 adult residents and their 64 children.

Work on the remaining 120 prefab units designed to house another 620 adults and children is expected to begin soon.

Kurisu describes Kahauiki Village as the first community effort, nationwide, to build more than just a homeless shelter, as it will make available support services on-site for all of the residents, the adults as well as the children. He noted also that Kahauiki Village is powered by “a clean-energy power system, which is a first in the world,” relying on solar power and back-up generators.

At the Jan. 12 blessing ceremony, Kurisu said his biggest commitment was to try to build a community with permanent housing, relying on the donations of materials and sweat from nearly 100 businesses, community organizations and individuals.

“This is what can happen when Hawai‘i puts their heads together with heart, with mind, with resources, without any expectation for personal gain,” said Kurisu in prepared remarks. “So many of us have put our ‘all’ into Kahauiki Village so that we can leave a better world for our children and grandchildren, and children and grandchildren of others . . . A dignified world . . . One filled with love, hopes and dreams.”

Tears of joy flowed from many who attended the formal opening, from developer Kurisu; to Connie Mitchell, executive director of the Institute for Human Services ..

To get the full article, please subscribe to The Herald!

If you would like to support the Kahauiki Village effort, monetary donations can be mailed to: aio Foundation, 1000 Bishop St., Suite 202, Honolulu, HI 96813.

Gregg K. 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.

WHO/WHAT: Pacific Buddhist Academy’s Hyaku Sen Ki Kai Taiko — the school’s student taiko group — and PBA’s faculty will present their annual taiko festival. ”Koi-Koi! — Let’s Go!” is the theme of this year’s show. Taiko is a required course for PBA freshman. They can continue to study it through their senior year. It gives students a foundation to enrich their mental and physical capacities, which is a goal of PBA’s peace-centered curriculum based on Buddhist teachings.

WHEN/WHERE: Sunday, March 25, 4 p.m. at the Pearl City Cultural Center (2201 Waimano Home Rd.).

COST: General admission tickets are $25 and $20 for seniors, students and PBA students. Call (808) 532-2649 to reserve tickets, or visit the school office at 1754 Lusitana St. Tickets can also be ordered online at www.pacificbuddhistacademy.org. For more information, call (808) 532-2649.

Hawaii Buddhist Council Also Plan Joint Gannenmono Memorial Service

Bishop Chishin Hirai
Special to The Hawai‘i Herald

The Hawaii Buddhist Council invites you to join our Buddha Day celebration on Sunday, April 1, which we are combining with a Gannenmono Memorial Service to express our joy, gratitude and respect on this, the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the Gannenmono in Hawai‘i.

Buddha Day celebrates the birth of the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama —the founder of Buddhism. It is said that Siddhartha Gautama was born on April 8 about 2,500 years ago in a place called the Lumbini Garden in India. Upon his birth, beautiful flowers blossomed all around him.

During our celebration, a baby Buddha statue in a small shrine will be decorated with a floral display to symbolize where he was born. We will pour sweet tea over the statue in the flower shrine, as it is said that sweet nectar rained on Siddhartha during his birth.

As a young adult, Siddhartha devoted himself to overcoming the sufferings of birth, aging, sickness and death, finally attaining enlightenment and becoming the Buddha.

Buddhism shares the teaching of the Buddha in order to help one become a Buddha. The teachings help us to free ourselves from suffering and to attain awakening. We can become exactly like the Buddha.

Today, the teachings of the Buddha are preserved as sutras, or chants. The Buddha leads us through the sutras even now. Therefore, we celebrate Buddha’s birthday with great joy and express our deep gratitude on this auspicious occasion.

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Bishop Chishin Hirai is the 2018 president of the Hawaii Buddhist Council and head minister of the Nichiren Mission of Hawaii.

Hawaii Fukuoka Kenjin Kai members gathered at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i on Feb. 11 for the organization’s annual general membership meeting and shinnen enkai. About 150 members and their families attended this year’s gathering. Special guests included former Hawai‘i Gov. George Ariyoshi and his wife, Jean, and Consul General of Japan Koichi Ito and his wife Misako.

Outgoing president Fusayo “Fussy” Nagai presided over her last meeting. Nagai said she made many new cultural discoveries during her time as president and met many people. “I feel truly blessed,” she said.”

The various committee chairs also reported on the past year’s activities. It was indeed a busy year for the Hawaii Fukuoka Kenjin Kai, which celebrated the 25th anniversary of its sister-state relationship with Fukuoka Prefecture and the 60th anniversary of the Kenjin Kai, among many other activities. The group also hosted members of the Fukuoka Prefectural Assembly, who come to Hawai‘i every year for the opening of the Hawai‘i state Legislature.

The Kenjin Kai also traveled to Fukuoka and added visits to Hiroshima and Yamaguchi prefectures on their itinerary. One of the highlights of their time in Fukuoka was visiting the bridge named for Hawai‘i astronaut Ellison Onizuka, whose ancestral roots were in Fukuoka.

As he does every year, Gov. Ariyoshi installed the 2018 officers. The new officers are: Keith Sakuda, president; vice presidents Myles Nomura, Kendrick Settsu and Richard Yasukochi; treasurer Myles Nomura; assistant treasurers Laura Jean Noda and Brandon Hayashi; secretary Jeannie Fujii; assistant secretaries Jennifer Kumamoto and Shari Teruya; auditors Lenny Yajima, Wallace Inouye and Seichi Nagai; counsellors Bertrand Kobayashi and Fussy Nagai; and advisors Koichi Isayama and Raymond Sekiya, along with a team of 14 directors.

In 2017, the HFKK sent four 11-year-olds for a “Short Stay” visit to Fukuoka. They were: Arielle Cook from Hilo, Caitlyn Hosaka from Hawaii Baptist Academy, Mason McMahon from Stevenson Middle School and Jett Takazawa from Punahou School. The trip introduced the students to their ancestral homeland of Fukuoka and gave them an opportunity to meet students their age from other countries, including Peru, Mexico and Paraguay. The students were chaperoned by HFKK member Lori Nakamura.

One of the highlights of the program was the recognition of Hawaii Fukuoka Kenjin Kai’s kupuna (elders). They included 80-year-olds Wallace Inouye, Harriet Natsuyama and Clara Takiguchi; and 88-year-old Mabel Sekiya. Also honored was Nobue Akashi, who turned 99 this year, and 102-year-old Kusuo Tada. Unable to attend the event were 88-year-olds Alfred “Al” Ono and Gertrude Toma, 101-year old Yaeko Kobayashi and 102-year-old Haruko Nomura. However Al Ono and Yaeko Kobayashi were represented by the presence of their family members — Dr. Ruth Ono and son Raymond, and state Rep. Bertrand Kobayashi. Consul General Ito presented each honoree with a certificate of congratulations and a gift from the Fukuoka Prefectural Government.

The audience was treated to a song by talented brothers Tanner and Devin Teruya, and an entertaining English-language rakugo (comedic) performance by Serina Dunham.

The day ended with a lively Hakata Iwaimedeta and Hakata Te-Ippon hand-clapping led by Nikki Thompson.

WHO/WHAT: The Asia Pacific Dance Festival will premiere “Ramayana: The Abduction of Sita,” an ancient Hindu epic told through Balinese dance and music. “Ramayana” is a collaboration between Gamelan Segara Madu of Honolulu and Tokyo-based Otonomori Gamelan Studio. It was originally developed in India and was then introduced to other kingdoms in Asia with Sanskrit ties, including present-day Java, Bali, Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia.

WHEN/WHERE: Saturday, June 2, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, June 3, at 2 p.m. at Kennedy Theatre on the University of Hawai‘i’s Manoa campus. Prior to Saturday evening’s performance, an Asia Pacific Dance Festival Culinary Celebration featuring Indonesian food and entertainment will be held on the East-West Center’s Jefferson Hall lanai (across from Kennedy Theatre).

COST: Tickets range from $12-34, with a special package rate for the performance and Culinary Celebration. Call (808) 956-8246 for tickets or visit www.outreach.hawaii.edu/apdf.

WHO/WHAT: David Gaines’ original one-person rendition of director Akira Kurosawa’s epic “Seven Samurai.”

“7 (x1) Samurai” — pronounced “7 (by one) Samurai” — is a mixture of mime, storytelling and clowning in this recreation of Akira Kurosawa’s epic three-hour movie, but performed in 60 minutes. This is the story of farmers in a small village who are plagued by brutal bandits at harvest season who rob, rape and pillage. When one of the peasants seeks the samurai warriors’ help, only one accepts the challenge.

Gaines, from Arlington, Va., is stunning in kabuki-style masks as he darts from scene to scene, playing all of the characters.

This show is a crowd-pleaser and sells out regularly. Appropriate for children ages 7 and older.

WHEN/WHERE: Friday, June 1, at 7 p.m. at the Honolulu Theatre for Youth’s Tenney Theatre (229 Queen Emma Square).

COST: Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online at www.htyweb.org or by calling (808) 839-9885, x. 720, or at the HTY box office before the show.

The 1970s Novels Brought Gannenmono History to Life

Richard Borreca
Special to The Hawai‘i Herald

It was nearly 60 years ago that the late Hawai‘i writer, historian and scientist, O.A. “Ozzie” Bushnell was challenged by his wife, Elizabeth.

As Bushnell’s son Andrew recalled in an interview, a bad play and the ensuing dare launched Bushnell’s literary career.

“They went to a play about Captain Cook and, apparently, he did not like the play and as they walked out he said to my mom, ‘I could write something better than that.’ And my mom said, ‘Well, why don’t you?’ So he did,” Andrew Bushnell said in a phone interview from his home on Kaua‘i.

The boast resulted in Bushnell’s first novel, “The Return of Lono,” which won an Atlantic Monthly fiction award and started the University of Hawai‘i microbiologist on a second career as a novelist. He subsequently published “Kaaawa” about a changing Hawai‘i, and “Molokai,” about the Hansen’s disease settlement at Kalaupapa.

Bushnell, who died in 2002 at the age of 89, comes to mind now because two of his later books, “The Stone of Kannon” and “The Water of Kane,” published in 1979 and 1980, respectively, deal with the first Japanese immigrants to Hawai‘i — the Gannenmono.

Hawai‘i this summer is commemorating 150 years since the first Japanese immigrants, approximately 150 of them, arrived in Hawai‘i in 1868 to work on the Islands’ sugar plantations. The name Gannenmono, meaning “people of the first year,” were given that name because they left Japan during the first year of Japan’s Meiji era.

Attorney David Arakawa, who is involved in a number of Japanese and Okinawan community organizations, was involved in the coordination of last week’s celebration and attended many of the events.

“The migrants included people from various social backgrounds, including artists, hairdressers, cooks and at least one samurai,” he said. “Most of them were not prepared for the rigors of plantation labor,” Arakawa said.

According to the research of University of Hawai‘i at Mänoa professor of Japanese history Dr. Mark McNally, who spoke at the Gannenmono Symposium, reports of mistreatment of the Gannenmono were investigated by the Japanese government. In late 1869, two officials were dispatched to Hawai‘i to interview the Gannenmono. Upon learning that not all of the immigrants felt they were being mistreated, they worked out an agreement with the Kingdom of Hawai‘i, which agreed to pay for the passage back to Japan of the 40 unhappy Gannenmono. According to McNally, three other Japanese castaways who had been living in Hawai‘i prior to the arrival of the Gannenmono joined the 40.

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Richard Borreca is a veteran Honolulu journalist. He has worked for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, KHVH News Radio, KHON-TV, Honolulu Magazine and The Honolulu Star-Advertiser, for whom he now writes a Sunday column.