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What’s Happening at the JCCH
Registration Ends Tomorrow: Shichi Go San

Last call to register your keiki for our annual kimono dressing event, Shichi Go San! Participants will receive a Shintō blessing, be dressed in kimono, and photographed for keepsake portraits.

Traditionally, Shichi Go San is a rite-of-passage celebration of three-year-old and seven-year-old girls, and five-year-old boys, but we also welcome children around these ages (3-7 years old) to participate.

Register Here

Sunday, November 10, 2024*

*Registration is required to attend. We recently emailed JCCH members a coupon code for 15% off the registration fee. You may sign up or renew your membership at bit.ly/jcchmember to receive the discount.

Next Weekend:
JCCH Craft & Collectibles Fair

The holidays are near and it's time to start preparing! Enjoy browsing among a unique selection of gift items at the JCCH Craft & Collectibles Fair next Saturday. Support local this season by shopping with our small business vendors specializing in Japanese and Japan-inspired clothing, accessories, home decor, and much more!

Saturday, November 9, 2024 | 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
JCCH HOLIDAY CRAFT TABLE
(shown above): Find one-of-a-kind handcrafted gifts at a pop-up sale produced by JCCH volunteers.100% of sale proceeds will benefit the JCCH. Special thanks to this group of wonderful volunteers for their time, talent, and generosity.

JCCH 2025 Year of the Snake T-Shirts Sneak Peek

In celebration of the 2025 Year of the Snake, the
JCCH Gift Shop will be releasing a new t-shirt designed by Sumofish. This year, we are offering three styles and expanded sizes.

JCCH members will receive early access to pre-order t-shirts starting next week (apologies for the slight delay). You may sign up or renew your membership at bit.ly/jcchmember to receive the early access email and special coupon code.
JCCH Office Featured Ikebana

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

Ikebana by:
Barbara Tinius
Ikenobo

More Upcoming JCCH Programs and Events
JCCH Scholarship Program
Do you know any undergraduate junior or senior students enrolled at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa or West Oʻahu and pursuing a major or minor related to Japanese language, Japanese Americans, or Japan? They may be eligible to apply for the Spring 2025 JCCH Scholarship Program. Please review our additional program qualifications here.
感謝 - With Gratitude

Kagirinaki Ai to Jihi:
Toward LGBTQ+ Equity & Inclusion in Hawaiʻi's Japanese Communities

A heartfelt mahalo to the 73 attendees who joined us last Friday to listen, learn, and celebrate LGBTQ+ equity and inclusion with panelists
Bill Kaneko, Justice Sabrina McKenna, Aiden and Marsha Aizumi. We'd also like to thank the following organizations who made this event possible: Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawai'i Office of Buddhist Education, Honpa Hongwanji Hawai'i Betsuin, Honolulu United Buddhist Women's Association, JACL Honolulu Chapter, Lei Pua 'Ala Queer Histories of Hawai'i, Spill the Tea Café, Pflag, and Okaeri.

If you were unable to attend, a recording of the talk will be shared soon.
Community Announcements

Constitutional Law
Talk Story Session

Join the William S. Richardson School of Law Alumni Association for an event that revisits the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Baehr v. Lewin (1993), which declared same-sex marriage laws presumptively unconstitutional and ignited a global movement for marriage equality. Thirty years later, Japan is now grappling with similar constitutional questions in its courts.
Learn More

Saturday, November 2, 2024
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Blender Papermaking and Shifu Class

Learn the art of papermaking at Temari Hawaiʻi’s
Blender Papermaking & Shifu Class with Jake Wroten. In two sessions, you will learn how to form handmade sheets of paper and create decorative and functional paper crafts. Classes will be held at the Moiliili Community Center.
IMAGE: Temari Hawaiʻi

Learn More

November 10 & 24, 2024 (Sundays) | 9:00 - 11:00 AM

Support the JCCH








Copyright (C) 2024 Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaiʻi. All rights reserved.

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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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