The Craft Fair was held at the Hawaii Convention Center for 2 days on Saturday, March 12 and Sunday, March 13.

This event is very popular among families. There was a long queue even though it was 30 minutes before the opening which was at 9:30 a.m. We interviewed some of the guests that were waiting in-line. The majority told us that they are looking forward to the cultural exchange every year.

Perhaps our Craft Fair highly emphasized the cultural exchange compared to all the other events of the Honolulu Festival.

The anticipated guests rushed to their desire booths as soon as the doors opened at 10 a.m.

One of the popular booths was the workshop held by the Nagaoka Institute of Design. The guests made a chopstick rest that shaped like the cherry blossom leaves, which had the artistic beauty of Japan.

Despite of language barrier, the guests participated in making a craft with a hammer under the proper instruction of the presenter.

This is a booth of Welcome to KYOTO (by Imagine) & KYOTO Wagashi Club. They presented Japanese confectioneries which is the traditional culture of Kyoto.

The guests were intrigued by the traditional Japanese confectioneries which were made beautifully by the hands of skillful confectioner.

Some of the guests may be the first time to see the traditional Japanese confectionery from Kyoto. Everybody was preoccupied to make their own.

There were many other exhibition of Japanese traditions such as samurai (Japanese warrior), and omikuji (fortune slip) where the guests can feel the Japanese culture.

The booth of Uonuma Takamachi Onigiri-tai offered rice balls made from Uonuma Koshihikari which is one of the best rice in Japan. You can’t miss this!

The rice ball made from the plumped rice with adequate amount of salts gave an outstanding taste.

These breads were also popular!

There were many visitors by the booth of BRUG Bakery, which is a popular bakery in Hawaii from Hokkaido, Japan. All the breads were sold out by the early afternoon.

The smiles of the presenters gave a sense of joy toward the guests. Many conversations and interactions were exchanged between them.

The picture above shows the booth of Hawaiian Legacy Hardwood, which is an organization that became widely known in the symposium last year titled “Vision for the Future Ecotourism of Hawaii”. Currently, they are working on the project called “Koa Tree Plant Project” which is to plant Koa trees in the green land of King Kamehameha the Great of Hawaii.

According to the global industrial production index from the years 1978 to 2012, deforestation has occurred every 25 days (*researched by Hawaiian Legacy Hardwood).

In addition, Hawaiian Koa is an indigenous tree that only grows in Hawaii which only 10% of them have survived.

The Honolulu Festival Foundation supports the Koa Tree Plant Project to protect and preserve the world’s environment.

Also, the 111-Hawaii Project is a social contribution project that is officially certified by the Hawaii Tourism Japan. This is an opportunity for all sorts of local businesses to sale their locally made products through this project.

A portion of all sales will be donated to the local communities. Thus, it can lead to local revitalization by building a strong local brand and selling the local products, which can benefit socially and economically for Hawaii.

There were Hawaiian character merchandise as well!
Many of Hawaii lovers made a visit which the booth was filled with smiles.

Also, the Ennichi Corner was held to encourage cultural exchange for the youth of the next generation. There was a special exhibition booth hosted by the students of Sakuragaoka Junior and Senior High School. In addition, all the volunteers assisted in the festival.

Similarly to the Educational School Tours, everybody played their role to make the event successful.

There were various Japanese exhibitions such as sword fighting, Kamishibai (picture card theater) and calligraphy.

The students of Sakuragaoka Junior and Senior High School shared about the Japanese culture using language, various actions and visuals. Also, they themselves have discovered lots of things through cultural exchange.

Furthermore, the exhibition of Chiune Sugihara was one of the booths that stood out in the Craft Fair. The passers-by were attracted by the exhibition panels and monitors that were been displayed.

Do you know the real story of Chiune Sugihara, who saved the lives of 6,000 people? 70 years after the end of the World War II, his life was depicted on the film which has gained high rating.

Indeed, the Craft Fair is a place for motivation to learn about different cultures via cultural exchange.

This year’s Craft Fair was filled with interactions in which we had hoped for! Also, we hope that this event will contribute to world peace.

When you’re happy, you can give your kindness to others. When you’re touched by the kindness of others, you can be generous and happy as well. The interaction between others will bring happiness in which peace can spread around the word.

We will keep on fostering the Honolulu Festival to provide a place for more interactions!