Okonomiyaki at Ennichi Corner was a hit!

For those of you who are not familiar with okonomiyaki, it is a type of Japanese pancake/crepe that is made at ennichi in Japan. In Honolulu you can eat it at Chibo's Restaurant at the Royal Hawaiian Center. It is quite filling made with a flour batter, vegetables, meat and seafood. "Okonomi" means "as you like" and "yaki" means fried. So you are able to pick the type of meat or seafood to go into your okomiyaki. The type that was served at Ennichi Corner at the Honolulu Festival is Hiroshima style with plenty of cabbage, green onion, tenkasu (morsels of leftover tempura batter), yakisoba (fried noodles) and thin slices of pork belly. You can't forget the okonomi sauce that is poured over the finished product. Honolulu Festival's was Otafuku okonomi sauce.
Sammy Li, owner of Sammy's Restaurant in Waikiki's Miramar Hotel, was in charge of the okonomiyaki for the Honolulu Festival. He and his staff practiced and prepared to make plenty of okonomiyaki.
The Honolulu Festival was fortunate to have Wanda Adams, Honolulu Advertiser's Food Editor, come to Sammy's and learn about okonomiyaki and its history. Ken Saiki, President of Honolulu Hiroshima Kenjinkai, explained in detail the facts behind making okonomiyaki. We were able to see Chef Winston cook some for us and were even able to sample some. Oishii!
Wanda's article about okonomiyaki was in the Island Life section of the Honolulu Advertiser on March 11th. I'm sure that folks reading the article couldn't wait to taste the okonomiyaki at the Festival. Turns out that there were lines in front of Sammy's booth on both Saturday and Sunday. It was delicious!




Honolulu Festival


Honolulu Advertiser-Island Life

15th Annual Honolulu Festival Kick Off Press Conference

The 15th Annual Honolulu Festival Kick Off Press Conference was held this morning at 10:00 am at Waikiki Beach Walk. It was a lovely day in Hawaii and a great way to start off the work week. Speeches were given by Mr. Kirk Caldwell, Managing Director of the City and County of Honolulu, and Mr. David Carey, President and CEO of Outrigger Enterprises. Then Mr. Keiichi Tsujino, President of the Honolulu Festival Foundation, thanked the press for coming and talked about the highlights of the upcoming event on March 13-15, 2009.

Manoa DNA, Hawaii's music group who will be participating in the Honolulu Festival, sang a few songs for the group. KITV, KGMB and KHON were present as were the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Honolulu Advertiser and other media organizations.

Mr. Kirk Caldwell ( Managing Director of the City and County of Honolulu)

Mr. David Carey ( President and CEO of Outrigger Enterprises )


Mr. Keiichi Tsujino ( President of the Honolulu Festival Foundation ) & Tatsuo Watanabe ( MC from Honolulu Festival Foundation )
   

Manoa DNA and Audience
   

Media
   

Honolulu Festival

15th Annual Honolulu Festival Friendship Gala to Support Cultural and Educational Programs

March 14, 2009 Saturday
7:00-9:00 p.m.
Honolulu Convention Center
* This is a fundraiser. Tickets are $85 ($35 tax deductible)

Come and enjoy the delicious tastes of Hawaii’s famous restaurants. The Friendship Gala promotes friendship, understanding and international goodwill among the people of Hawaii, Japan and other Pacific Rim countries. Attendees are offered a unique insight into the cultures of the Pacific through dance, song and the regional cuisine by some of Hawaii's most famous chefs.



The Friendship Gala, a fundraiser for the Honolulu Festival Foundation, will be held on the evening of Saturday March 14 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Hawaii Convention Center. Admission to the Gala is $85, of which $35 is tax deductible. You will be able to purchase tickets through our Online Shopping website, by calling our Hotline (808)596-3327 or inquiring at your hotel concierge. Parking will be available at the Hawaii Convention Center for $5.

The Friendship Gala is a fun party where guests can taste a variety of foods of Hawaii’s famous restaurants and enjoy the entertainment of Honolulu Festival’s participating performers for a good cause. Some of the restaurants that will be representing the 15th Annual Honolulu Festival Friendship Gala are: Alan Wong’s Restaurant, Roy’s, Chef Mavro, Nobu Waikiki, Tango Contemporary Cafe, 3660 on the Rise, beachhouse at the moana, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Hakone at the Hawaii Prince Hotel, Mariposa, PF Chang’s China Bistro and Twist at Hanohano. These are all popular restaurants representing Hawaii’s elite culinary scene. The menu includes appetizers, main entrees and desserts created specifically by the chefs for the Honolulu Festival.

Delight yourself and attend the Friendship Gala!



Buy tickets for the Friendship Gala!>>

14th Honolulu Festival Report

Honolulu Festival Foundation

Obama Girls to Participate in 15th Annual Honolulu Festival

Talk about Inauguration Fever! The news these past days have been all about President Obama's Inauguration. And of course he being from Hawaii makes all of us very proud. He is the first president to be born in Hawaii and the first to be of African American ancestry.

There is another "Obama". Obama is a city located in Fukui Prefecture, Japan. “Obama” means “little beach” in Japanese. It is on Wakasa Bay, north of Kyoto and Nara, and was once the capital of Wakasa Province. Population 33,000. Fishing was primary industry however has now turned to tourism. Lacquerware is popular. Beautiful temples and bay.

The city of Obama has received much publicity because it shares its name with that of U.S. President-Elect Barack Obama. It began when Obama as a Senator gave a 2006 interview to Japanese television network TBS where he noted that, when passing through customs in Narita Airport, an official looking at his visa said that he was from Obama. The Obama City Hall heard about the interview and the mayor, Toshio Murakami, sent Senator Obama a set of the city’s famous lacquer chopsticks, a DVD about the city and a letter wishing him the best. As Senator Obama's presidential campaign progressed, more local businesses began to organize primary parties and put up "Go Obama!" posters, sell "I love Obama" T-shirts, and produce manjū (a type of Japanese cake) with Senator Obama's face on them. A statue of Obama has become a popular tourist attraction.

The hula troupe called Obama Girls was created in January 2008 by hula instructor Chikako Shimizu. They are a group of approximately 15 housewives in their 30’s and 40’s.

They participated in Hawaii’s Pan Pacific Festival in June 2008 and are hoping to attract more spectators at the 15th Annual Honolulu Festival due to Obama having won the presidential election. Look forward to the Obama Girls' performance!



Honolulu Festival

New Year’s ‘Ohana Festival presented by the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii

What a wonderful way to start out the New Year! Last week Sunday was the annual ‘Ohana Festival at JCCH and Mo’ili’ili Field. The Festival celebrates all things Japanese. It is a great opportunity for families to experience the Japanese culture whether you’re Japanese or not. But for those of Japanese heritage and wanting to pass down the traditions to your kids, this event is a must! Admission to the event is free, however crafts and multicultural food booths sponsored by Japanese prefecture clubs cost extra. The food was great! KC waffle dogs, Hiroshima okonomiyaki, Iwakuni sushi, Okinawa andagi and andadogs, Hawaiian roasted corn, shave ice and cotton candy and much more.












Cultural displays included bonsai (Japanese art of miniature trees), Origami (art of folding paper), Shuji (art of calligraphy) and Ikebana (art of flower arranging).










There were two stages set up for entertainment. I enjoyed the taiko performance. There was also a mochi pounding demonstration, Okinawan dance and a karate demonstration. The children enjoyed Kikaida, hard to believe that this Japanese hero is 61 years old. What was so neat is that all the kids knew the Kikaida song and were willing to share their talent with all of the spectators.

Even our own Honolulu Festival Foundation set up a booth to sell 15th Annual Honolulu Festival T-shirts and eco bags.


The ‘Ohana Festival was a day of fun and activities for the entire family.












Honolulu Festival Foundation
Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii