Japan, Hawai'i share cultures at festival

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

With the thunderous beats of the taiko drums, the eighth annual Honolulu Festival kicked off last night at Honolulu Hale.

Members of a dance group from Japan pose in front of photographs of city officials as they await their turn to perform at the Honolulu Festival opening ceremonies yesterday at Honolulu Hale. Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser

An estimated 3,800 artisans from 20 prefectures in Japan are in Honolulu for the annual event.

Last night's ceremony featured an eclectic mixture of Japanese entertainment, such as a lantern boat demonstration, and Hawaiian music and hula. Mayor Jeremy Harris greeted the visitors and also took part in a sake barrel opening ceremony.

The festival resumes today with events at the Hawai'i Convention Center and Ala Moana Center's Centerstage.

The culmination of the festival will be the Grand Parade down Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki that will feature a giant 2-ton taiko. The parade will end at Kapi'olani Park, where more performances are scheduled.

The festival was established to promote cultural understanding and interaction between Hawai'i and Japan. The nonprofit Honolulu Festival Foundation is organizing the event for the second year.

"We call these people ambassadors of goodwill," said foundation executive director Charin Tomomitsu. "Their design is to not only share their culture through the arts, but also to get to know and see more of Hawai'i's culture."

Tomomitsu said there was some concern following the Sept. 11 attacks that the Japanese would be hesitant to travel to Hawai'i. But she said there are nearly 1,000 more participants from Japan this year than at last year's festival.

"We're bucking the trend right there," she said. "These people are spending a lot of their time and money to come and make new friends."