Ennichi Corner at the 15th Annual Honolulu Festival-A Big Hit with the Kids

A new event at the 14th Annual Honolulu Festival was the Ennichi Corner. This was a replica of a typical Japanese Saint’s Day festival. This introduction to children and families to a unique aspect of Japanese family life was such a success that the Honolulu Festival Foundation has decided to make it even better for the 15th Annual Honolulu Festival. Recreating an exciting fair atmosphere, Ennichi Corner will introduce keiki to traditional Japanese games, crafts, food and traditions.

The area will have a variety of games for the children to play, Japanese style. There is the goldfish scooping contest where children were given scoopers made of paper. The challenge is to scoop up as many goldfish out of the water and to put them in a plastic bag before the paper scooper rips apart. Quite similar to this game is the water yoyo hooking game. The hook is linked to a string made of paper so the challenge is to see how many balloons you can scoop out of the water before the paper hook tears. The goldfish game is very popular, we will make sure that we won’t run out of the scoopers. It is fun watching all the children so focused on getting as many goldfish and water yoyos as possible. The parents watching their children seem to enjoy it as well.

The younger children can enjoy the ring toss and cork gun games. There are prizes given for those who win. Other games are kendama (cup and ball game), spinning the top, origami and face paint.

There will be a cotton candy and shave ice corner, always favorites at Ennichi. Our goal is to expand on the food section of the Ennichi and include other Japanese favorites such as okonomiyaki, takoyaki, andagi and crepes. Okonomiyaki are unsweetened Japanese pancakes, takoyaki are round flour batter balls filled with octopus and andagi are Okinawan fried donuts. Everybody loves the food section. Make sure you bring your appetite.

There are many Japanese children who are born in Hawaii and raised speaking Japanese in their homes. The kamishibai, Japanese storytelling, is an opportunity for them to experience something from their homeland. Even the parents will enjoy the stories of old Japan. Nostalgic!

Dressing up in yukata and taking pictures is also a part of the Ennichi Corner. Moms and dads will busy taking pictures of their children in the colorful kimono. Don’t forget to bring your cameras!

Please look forward to more fun and games, food and activities at the 15th Annual Honolulu Festival’s Ennichi Corner. We hope that the children will learn a bit about traditional Japanese customs and have fun at the same time. The Ennichi Corner will definitely bring back wonderful childhood memories for all of us. See you there.