Splendor of China Cultural Festival and Trade Show 10/4-5, 2008

Hawaii has a very large Chinese community. It has been noted that they form about 1/3 of Hawaii’s entire population if those of mixed descent such as the Hawaiian Chinese are included. Honolulu is also home to a very large and busy Chinatown. There are also numerous Chinese restaurants in Hawaii. Chinese food is a palate pleaser to the majority of the people in Hawaii.

We are fortunate to have the Splendor of China Cultural Festival and Trade Show each year in October. The Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii and Panda Express celebrated the 60th Narcissus Festival's Splendor of China at the Neal Blaisdell Center. There was a general admission fee of $6 and it was well worth it. The festival included the world famous changing face magician, comedians and musicians from Beijing, China and cooking demonstrations by celebrity chef Martin Yan. The cultural festival was perfect for the entire family and consisted of over 130 booths of shopping, food and cultural exhibits. There was a Keiki Corner, a Chinese Dog Show and exotic Chinese food eating contests. And to honor the Narcissus Festival, we had the debut of the Narcissus Festival Pageant contestants as well as the appearance of the reigning Queen and her court.

As we entered the NBC Exhibit Hall the entire mood changed. China had come to Honolulu!


The lion and dragon dance teams wait to perform for the opening ceremony. This tradition is done to ward off bad luck and bring good health and fortune to the people.


Very ornate offerings were arranged near the main stage. Huge steamed buns and fruits. Very colorful, you can tell that red and gold are the lucky colors of the Chinese


And next to the statue of the dragon was the Panda, greeting all the little children.
　
That’s right, Panda Express is a major sponsor of this event.
　

And look, this is another Panda booth.

The purpose of this booth was to raise funds to help the pandas and their reserve that was devastated in the Sichuan earthquake in China in May of this year. The earthquake ruined the Panda heartland, Sichuan’s Wolong Research Center, the world’s most important panda reserve. Donations from Honolulu, what a wonderful gesture.

The opening ceremony was honored by the presence of Hawaii’s political leaders and dignitaries representing the Chinese business community. And after the ribbon cutting ceremony…firecrackers, of course!


The dragon and lion dance teams entertained the spectators.
　
The guests showed their appreciation by feeding dollar bills into the mouths of the dragons and lions in traditional Chinese style.
　

It was a lot of fun for the dancers and the audience. What an exciting opening event!


And let the Festival begin! I’ve talked about other festivals such as the Aloha Festival and the Okinawan Festival. The culture and traditions of the Chinese people are the focus of this one. So much to share. Lucky we live Hawaii. The melting pot continues to simmer. Our children are able to experience the various cultures of the Hawaiian people due to the efforts and leadership of those who immigrated here. There is so much pride and aloha. Awesome!

The Sing Sing Dance Group of Hawaii performs. Beautiful costumes, so colorful and elegant.
　

A Tibetan dance performance. The costumes are quite different from those worn in the previous dance.


The leader of the Sing Sing Dance group does a solo. Her movements are so powerful and yet so graceful, definitely acrobatic. Her costume is colorful with so many details.
　

Sing Sing looks like an anime character.

Enjoy Tonkatsu at Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin in Waikiki

One of the new restaurants on Waikiki’s Beachwalk is Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin. First of all let me explain “tonkatsu”. The literal translation of “tonkatsu” is “pork cutlet”. The Japanese are known for taking Western products and reinventing it with a Japanese flair. And that is what they did with cutlets. I have been told that cutlets were introduced to Japan from Europe in the late 19th century.
“Katsuretsu” (Japanese way of saying “cutlet”) was first served in a western style restaurant in Tokyo in 1890. The beef version was served at that time. This dish was then Japanized over the years.
It became tonkatsu or pork cutlet (breaded, deep fried pork), to be served with a bowl of rice, miso soup and cabbage with a special tonkatsu sauce. Even the sauce was Japanized to please the Japanese palate, it’s like a thick Japanese Worcestershire sauce. From plate and fork to bowl and chopsticks! You really must give the Japanese a lot of credit for their creativity. Tonkatsu is a very popular dish in Japan. It goes well with curry and also in a sandwich. I must say that my home made tonkatsu is quite good. But I recommend that you visit Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin in Waikiki to acquire a true appreciation of the authentic flavors and presentation of tonkatsu before you attempt to make it yourself. This restaurant is originally from Ginza in Tokyo, Japan and has a history that dates back to 1927. I have been told that the original restaurant’s “katsudon” (cutlet made with eggs and special sauce served over rice) is a winner.

　


Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin in Waikiki has been in business for over a year now. Prior to that the local people were able to get a taste of their delicious tonkatsu whenever they sold it at the food festivals at Shirokiya. I recall long lines for their katsudon. And the local support continues, especially during lunch time.

　　

Their tradition continues even in Hawaii. Here is their leather bound menu. Carefully selected ingredients include special breadcrumbs from Japan. The tonkatsu is deep fried in cotton seed oil…simply delicious. The prices may be on the high side but their specials are of value too. The lunch special varies each day and is priced at $13.


This special was a combination of cream croquette, fried onions and filet cutlet.

　
Look at this…golden brown.

　
Perfectly fried. And the special Ginza Bairin tonkatsu sauce is also to die for!


All you can eat rice and cabbage. I had three helpings of the cabbage. Perhaps $13 is a bit hefty for lunch however the splurge was well worth it. I am looking forward to my next visit to Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin. Hope to see you there!

Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin
225 Beachwalk Honolulu, Hawaii 96815
Lunch 11:00-14:30
Dinner 17:00-21:30

Honolulu Festival Foundation

Gyu-Kaku on Kapiolani Boulevard, Japanese BBQ Dining

One of my favorite places to eat yakiniku (grilled meat Japanese style) is Gyu-Kaku on Kapiolani Blvd. near Pensacola. It is Japanese BBQ Dining at its best.You cook your own food on the electric charcoal grill. And because the smoke is ventilated inwards you don’t leave smelling like grilled meat yourself.

I guess Gyu-Kaku is high on my list because my daughter works there.But even if she didn’t I would recommend this restaurant because it is a fun place to dine.And the servers are full of energy and are very attentive.As you enter, the staff shouts “Irasshaimase, konbanwa!”, Japanese for “Welcome and good evening!” They really shout this greeting.High energy, that’s for sure.The other thing I like is that when they take your order, they will kneel next to you to meet your eye level.I think that is very nice instead of having the servers look down at you.



Since I represent Honolulu Festival I try to find something in common with my subject and the Festival. We all know that the Honolulu Festival shares the cultures and traditions of the people and countries within the Pacific Rim with an emphasis on Japan and Hawaii.I think I have met the conditions once again. As I explained earlier, the service is a cross cultural blend of Japanese and Western style.The food that is on the menu is a cross cultural blend of Japanese and Korean foods, flavors and cooking techniques.

Gyu-Kaku is a chain of restaurants originally from Japan that has expanded to Hawaii (there’s two here, one on Kapiolani and the other in Waikiki),Southern California and New York.There are over 800 locations in Japan and it is very popular with the young adults because the food is reasonable and tasty.I noticed that there is usually a Gyu-Kaku near every major train or subway station in the Tokyo area.

Please check out their website at http://www.gyu-kaku.com/ to review their menus as well as specials that they offer each month.There are Happy Hour Specials at the Kapiolani restaurant that are of value.Sapporo or Kirin Light draft beer in a mug is $2 and by the pitcher $6.50 every day from 5:00-6:30 pm and 9:00 pm-closing.Also during Happy Hour there are 50% off BBQ specials that rotate each day including Kalbi (short rib beef), New York steak, Harami miso (skirt steak) and shrimp.

The dinner that I shared with my daughter the other evening started with the ‘ahi poke. This favorite Hawaiian pupu or appetizer is cubes of raw yellowfin tuna prepared with sauces, spices and bits of raw veggies normally onions. The Gyu-Kaku ‘ahi poke has kim chee sauce in it, a combination of Hawaiian and Korean flavors.Then we had Harami (skirt steak), garlic shrimp, chicken with yuzu sauce (citrus pepper paste), enoki mushroom wrapped in bacon and grilled zucchini.What’s really nice about Gyu-Kaku is that they have many vegetarian dishes and you can get full on the vegetables, noodles and rice dishes.Oh, can’t forget the delicious tofu chigae that we had.That is spicy tofu soup.This dish is a Korean dish but the Gyu-Kaku flavor is more of a blend of Japanese and Korean.We had the Sukiyaki Bibimba, again a rice dish combining the techniques of Japanese and Korean cooking.And we finished off our meal with Dorayaki with green tea ice cream and yakimochi.You even grill the dessert.We grilled the dorayaki (Japanese pancakes) and then ate it with the ice cream with maple syrup on it.We also grilled the yakimochi (rice cake) and ate it with the ice cream.

'Ahi Poke　and　Harami Skirt Steak
　

Garlic shrimp 　　 　　　　 Zucchini and chicken　
　

Enoki mushroom wrapped in bacon　and　Tofu chigae soup
　

Poke, harami, enoki bacon, garlic shrimp　and　dessert　
　

Gyu-Kaku’s menu is well thought out and shows a lot of creativity.I encourage everyone to try this style of Japanese dining.It’s a lot of fun grilling on your own and sharing the dishes of meat, seafood and vegetables in your choice of sauces.Good luck and bon appetit.

Honolulu Festival Foundation

Omen (Japanese masks)-they go hand in hand with Ennichi

When we think of Japanese Ennichi, Omen (masks) come to mind.I guess it’s hard to relate to this for someone not accustomed to Japanese culture.Part of the enjoyment of going to Ennichi is that you get to be a kid again.Yes, no matter how old you are, Ennichi makes you feel young.And that’s where the Omen comes in.Booths are set up at Ennichi, booths for food, games and toys.A booth full of Omen, masks of Japanese and American cartoon characters, is a favorite.The kids love them but so do the adults.It is common to see young ladies in their yukata with a cartoon mask around their neck as part of their outfit.



Here is a display of Omen that you can find in a Japanese toy store.The popular ones include Power Rangers, Pokemon, Mickey and Minnie.



When planning the 14^th Annual Honolulu Festival and Ennichi Corner, it was important that we had displays that were authentic.That meant that we needed a great Omen Display.Little did we know how difficult it would be to get the Omen here in Hawaii. We searched at stores like Shirokiya and Don Quijote without much success.So we decided that we would bring them in from Japan.What we did not know is that when bringing in volume of such foreign products that there would be a custom clearance issue.We had to make do with whatever we could find.Not that easy!



We did so well that the attendees kept on asking if they were for sale.Sure wish we had some to share with our visitors.

Our goal for the Ennichi Corner at the 15^th Annual Honolulu Festival is to be prepared and have a wonderful Omen Display.Please look forward to it.Aloha!

Ennichi

A new event that was quite a big hit with the kids at our last Honolulu Festival in March was the Ennichi Corner, food and game stalls that go along with the Matsuri or Festivals in Japan. One of our main objectives each year is to share traditional customs of Japan with our spectators. Ennichi Corner was exactly that. This was a replica of a typical Japanese Saint’s Day Festival normally held in many places in Japan, quite common during the summer. I realize that this is new to many people and it is quite difficult to compare the authenticity of a real Ennichi in Japan to the one at the Honolulu Festival. Of course the best way to compare them is to go to Japan and attend a real Ennichi. But next to that is to share some pictures that were taken at the Ennichi that was held in Omuta, Kyushu during the Omuta Daijayama Festival in July.

This is what our 14th Annual Honolulu Festival “Ennichi Corner” looked like. It was created at the Hawaii Convention Center and was well attended by children and families of Hawaii and abroad. A huge success!

Okay, now let’s compare ours to an authentic Japanese Ennichi.

First of all。。Here’s an authentic water yoyo hooking game. (right)










And this is the same game replicated at Honolulu Festival’s Ennichi Corner. (left)

Next, the authentic goldfish scooping game.










Honolulu Festival’s goldfish game.












A typical lottery drawing booth in Japan.The whole world loves Hello Kitty! (left)











And here is Honolulu Festival’s prizes, all from Japan. (right)

These are all pictures taken at Ennichi in Japan.




















So many Matsuri activities!

Here are pictures from the 14th Annual Honolulu Festival Ennichi Corner.





















Pretty authentic, don’t you think?









Please look forward to Ennichi Corner at our 15th Annual Honolulu Festival next year. We hope to expand on our concept and excite our local attendees and visitors! Aloha.