The East Hawaii Hiroshima Kenjin Kai will celebrate the New Year with its annual luncheon meeting Feb. 23 at the Honpa Hongwanji Hilo Betsuin Sangha Hall in downtown Hilo.
The Kenjin Kai invites everyone to help it welcome the exciting Year of the Pig, also called Year of the Boar. According to the Chinese Zodiac, it is believed those born in the Year of the Pig are considered to be disciplined, hard-working, social and friendly. The pig often represents wealth, so while those born in the Year of the Pig are not wasteful spenders, they do let themselves enjoy life and are usually energetic, enthusiastic, responsible, realistic and when given the chance, will attain and succeed in positions of power and status.
A short business meeting conducted by Kenjin Kai President Jon Arizumi will begin at 10:30 a.m. Beiju honorees, those members who will reach the auspicious age of 88 in 2019, will be honored before the New Year’s luncheon. This year’s beiju are: Lester Fushikoshi, Albert Idemoto, Shigeno Kawamoto, Chiyono Kinoshita, Ernest Kubota, Herbert Marutani, Kimiyo Marutani, Nancy Matsui, Akiko Miyashita, Robert Y. Ouye, Lynne Yoshie Shimazu, Shizue Tanaka, Tsutomu Ueno, Emiko Watanabe and Janet Yamashiro.
Family members and friends of the honorees are encouraged to attend the luncheon.
The entertainment this year will feature a mini Kohaku, Red and White Song Festival, with a few men and women competing for the team title. Short reports by the 2018 East Hawaii Hiroshima Kenjin Kai scholarship recipients also will be given. Deylen Nekoba, son of Kenjin Kai members Darrell and Lori Nekoba, is a freshman attending the University of Hawaii at Manoa majoring in mechanical engineering, and Jairus Iwasaki, son of Kenjin Kai members Alan and Patsy Iwasaki, is a freshman also attending UH-Manoa majoring in elementary education.
A short report by Dillon Tsuchiya, the 2018 East Hawaii Hiroshima Kenjin Kai delegate to the Hiroshima International Youth Exchange Program, will be given. Sponsored by the Hiroshima Prefectural Government, the international exchange program to Hiroshima last July and August included a visit with Gov. Hidehiko Yuzaki, Japanese cultural activities, a visit to a high school, a homestay experience and interaction with students from Hiroshima and delegates from Hawaii, the U.S. mainland and South America.
Highlights of Tsuchiya’s trip included attending the Peace Memorial Ceremony on Aug. 6 in front of the Hiroshima Peace City Memorial Monument in the Peace Memorial Park to commemorate the 73rd anniversary of the atomic bombing of the city and presenting 1,000 origami cranes at the Sadako Sasaki statue in the Peace Memorial Park. Sasaki was a young girl who died of radiation poisoning while folding 1,000 cranes. The Hawaii delegates folded the cranes in a rainbow of colors to honor Sasaki’s memory and promote world peace.
Shinnen Enkai Chairwoman Michelle Soga, along with her committee members, welcome and invite all those with ancestral roots in Hiroshima or interest in Hiroshima and Japan to attend the luncheon and join the organization. Members are encouraged to renew their membership dues.
“Please join us in celebrating the Year of the Boar …,” Soga said. “We welcome our members, guests and family members of the beiju recipients, and new members. Please help us preserve our rich heritage, history and culture by joining the EHHKK organization, and we also welcome any help for the luncheon.”
The cost to attend is $15 per person and includes a Kaiseki bento. Ticket information was mailed out to members.
For tickets, additional tickets or membership information, call Tommy Goya at 989-5953, Jon Arizumi at 896-8172 or Gareth Makino at 443-4597.