Mark your calendars. The “Mukashi, Mukashi Gems” sale is slated for 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 8-9, at the Hawaii Japanese Center, 751 Kanoelehua Ave. in Hilo.
This is not a rummage sale.
For more than a decade, the Hawaii Japanese Center has received hundreds of donations from Big Island residents. Many of these items, of course, will be kept for posterity and shared with the public in various programs and exhibits.
Some of these precious items, however, were donated for the purpose of having the Japanese center sell them to help cover its operating expenses.
Well, the time has come for the Hawaii Japanese Center to host its first-ever sale of goods from its burgeoning inventory of vintage gems. During the past several months, volunteers have carefully selected, prepared and priced items for this special sale, including ceramic ware (dishes, platters, tea sets, vases, sake sets), Japanese dolls and figurines, books and record albums, sewing machines and furnishings, artwork and scrolls, Japanese movie posters, kimono, yukata and obi and more.
Traditional Japanese children’s stories often begin with the phrase “Mukashi, mukashi …” or “Once upon a time … .” In that vein, each item in this sale has its own story to tell — often made in Japan, but rooted in the lives of families here in Hawaii.
The community is encouraged to attend the sale; you never know what one-of-a-kind gems you might find while helping the Hawaii Japanese Center continue its mission of honoring the Japanese immigrant heritage in Hawaii.
For more information, email contact@hawaiijapanesecenter.com or or call 934-9611 during office hours, which are 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
