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What’s Happening at the JCCH
Seeking Camp Counselors

The JCCH is actively recruiting enthusiastic and energetic individuals
(17-23 years old) to join our Tanoshii Hawaiʻi summer camp team! Camp counselors help create a safe and welcoming environment for children to explore and appreciate diversity through engaging activities. Applications are now being accepted through Friday, June 6, 2025.

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Camp Dates: July 21 - 25, 2025




 








Next Saturday: JCCH Craft & Collectibles Fair

There’s something for everyone to enjoy in May at the next
JCCH Craft & Collectibles Fair! Shop with local small business vendors that will offer Japanese and Japanese-inspired items. The JCCH Gift Shop and Historical Gallery will also be open.

FLORAL ARRANGEMENTS FUNDRAISER: Just in time for Mother’s Day, fresh floral arrangements created by our ikebana volunteers will be available for purchase at the JCCH Gift Shop. 100% of sale proceeds benefit the JCCH.

LET’S TALK...SWORDS!: Join President Al Furuto and members of the Japanese Sword Society of Hawaii (JSSH) for a talk story session and Q&A at 10:30 AM in the JCCH Courtyard. View rare and authenticated swords while learning about the history of Samurai swords.

KOINOBORI DISPLAY: Take a photo with our koinobori 鯉のぼり (carp flag) decorations in the JCCH courtyard! These are currently displayed in celebration of Children’s Day on 5/5, but will remain up through the craft fair.

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Saturday, May 10, 2025 | 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
 
Children’s Day Activities

Celebrate
Kodomo no Hi こどもの日 (Children’s Day) on 5/5! In Hawaiʻi, we call this holiday Boys’ Day. Learn how to make an origami kabuto (warrior helmet) in our new YouTube video and enter our JCCH x Minamoto Kitchoan Giveaway on Instagram (winners selected on 5/2).

Watch Our Origami Kabuto Video

View Instagram Giveaway




 




JCCH Featured Ikebana

Each week, our
ikebana volunteers generously donate an arrangement to display in our administrative office lobby. We hope you enjoy this special design by:

Shizuyo Kikuta, Sogetsu
Style: Free Style
New Green in May Japan
 
感謝 - With Gratitude




Torchbearer National Convening

Cohort 3 of the
Hoʻohana Cohort Program recently traveled to Los Angeles for the Go For Broke National Education Center’s (GFBNEC) Torchbearer Fellowship Program National Convening. As a national partner, our cohort engages in training that encourages self-exploration and conversations with local community leaders and Torchbearer groups from Los Angeles, Chicago, and Denver.
 
Dayton Asato’s Way of Saying Mahalo: Supporting da Community with KC Waffle Dogs

Learn about the legacy of the
KC Waffle Dog, a sweet and savory local treat, in an interview with owner Dayton Asato and Local Pidgin author Lee A. Tonouchi. The JCCH was one of its’ first fundraising events, and since then it has "helped hundreds of organizations." Read the full article online at Discover Nikkei.
 
Community Announcements




Upcoming Film Screening

Shikata Ga Nai, a phrase that means “It cannot be helped,” is also the title of an independent film that will have a special showing at Salt Lake-Moanalua Public Library. Inspired by the true life tendencies of many 442 veterans who have never shared their war experiences with family, Shikata Ga Nai shines a light on the interior battles that these aging heroes have had to face on their own. This program is sponsored by Nisei Veterans Legacy and supported by the Friends of the Salt Lake-Moanalua Public Library.

Learn More

Saturday, May 3, 2025
1:15 - 4:00 PM
 
Experience Japanese Tea Workshop

Urasenke Hawaii Association presents a new cultural experience at the JCCH. Observe a Japanese tea ceremony and make your own matcha. No experience is necessary. Register online.

Learn More

Hosted every second Saturday of the month at the Seikōan Tea House




 




Japanese Language Classes

The
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Outreach College is offering Japanese language classes during the Summer 2025 semester. Courses range from Elementary to Advanced conversational levels.

Learn More

Regular registration ends on Friday, May 9, 2025, at 11:59 PM HST




UHM Outreach College International Programs

The
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Outreach College International Programs is seeking volunteers. Please email outreachjapanese@gmail.com if you are interested in volunteering.
 

Support the JCCH




















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The Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i (JCCH), a non-profit organization, strives to share the history, heritage and culture of the evolving Japanese American experience in Hawai‘i. Located at 2454 South Beretania Street in Mō‘ili‘ili, the Cultural Center features a Community and Historical Gallery, Resource Center, Kenshikan martial arts dōjō, Seikōan Japanese teahouse and Gift Shop. The Cultural Center presents various programs, festivals and exhibitions throughout the year.

Motto

Honoring our heritage. Embracing our diversity. Sharing our future.

Vision

We aspire to co-create a society where a deeper knowledge of one's heritage and a profound understanding of oneself will enable enlightened connections among all people.

Mission Statement

To be a vibrant resource, strengthening our diverse community by educating present and future generations in the evolving Japanese American experience in Hawai‘i. We do this through relevant programming, meaningful community service and innovative partnerships that enhance the understanding and celebration of our heritage, culture and love of the land. To guide us in this work we draw from the values found in our Japanese American traditions and the spirit of Aloha.

History

The seeds of thought and planning which had since developed into the solid concrete of Phase I and the working committees of the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i were sown over two generations ago. Minds and hearts of Issei and Nisei (first and second generations) forebearers set themselves to the tasks of survival, later to national heroism, and later still to the responsibility of restoring the concept of cultural pride in themselves and their community. Emotions generated by the Kanyaku Imin (125 Years of Japanese In Hawai‘i) celebration in February of 1985 spurred the devotion of major Japanese groups in the community to initially conceptualize the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai'i.

In 1986, The Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce (HJCC) initiated the Japan-Hawaii Cultural Center project, "The Dream," for the purpose of bringing together related organizations in Hawai‘i to work in a common effort to preserve the legacy and history of the pioneers who came to Hawaii from Japan, and whose sacrifices and contributions made it possible for the younger generations to become integral members of American society. It was planned to be a legacy where future members of our community could look back and be fully conscious of their roots. The Center would also foster relations by promoting harmony and mutual understanding between Japan, Hawai‘i, and the United States.

The Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce was willing to accept the enormous responsibility of immortalizing and cultivating the legacy of the Japanese in Hawai‘i by making a commitment to plant and nourish the seedling. Many community organizations supported the creation of a Japanese cultural center, as indicated by a survey to assess the need and expectations for a center.

Courses of action plans were implemented to create Ad Hoc Committees composed of the various Japan related organizations, and to organize a fund-raising organization to raise funds from the community within the State of Hawai‘i as well as in Japan. Committees set in motion to carefully plan, develop, and research in establishing the Cultural Center. The inception of some committees were: Steering, Planning, Public Relations, Historical Research Program, Program, Membership and Property Management. A schedule of "Milestone" tasks for these committees were implemented to prepare for the tremendous work that lay ahead in the formation of the Cultural Center.

On May, 28, 1987, the birth of a new direction and a new step toward the dreams of our forefathers emerged as the Cultural Center was incorporated under the laws of the State of Hawai‘i as a non-profit corporation to develop, own, maintain, and operate a Japanese cultural center in Hawai‘i. As an independent entity, the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i would play a most crucial role in perpetuating the cultural heritage we inherited from our Issei forefathers into the lifestyles and values of our children's children.

Revamped, Revved and Ready... the Cultural Center Boards and staff moves forward with great aspirations

The Board of Directors consists of 15 community leaders from O‘ahu, Maui, Kaua‘i and Hawai‘i counties who lead the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i by establishing policies and strategic direction. Each Director either chairs and /or is a member of the Executive Committee, Governance Committee, Membership Development Committee, Fundraising Committee, Facilities & Operations Committee, and Budget & Finance Committee. The Board members are elected by the membership as a whole.

The Board of Governors currently has forty (40) members who advise and make recommendations to the Board of Directors, and oversee the implementation of programs and activities of the Cultural Center. The Board of Governors also assist and maintain the fiscal well-being of the Center by supporting its fundraising activities. The Board of Governors are appointed by the Board of Directors.

The staff of nine full-time and two part-time employees is led by the President & Executive Director who administers the day-to-day operations of the Cultural Center.

The Board of Directors, Board of Governors and the staff, and volunteers work in unison to carry out the many exciting plans at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i. When put together these individuals, though all unique in their background, create a dynamic, capable and passionate group who are dedicated to the Cultural Center's mission of sharing the history, heritage and culture of the evolving Japanese American experience in Hawai‘i.

HOURS

Historical Gallery & Gift Shop: Thursday, Friday, Saturday, 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Resource Center: By Appointment Only

Administrative Office: By Appointment Only


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