Each year at the end of summer the Hawaii United Okinawa Association puts on the Okinawan Festival. The 26th Annual Okinawan Festival was held at Kapiolani Park on the weekend of August 30th and 31st this year. There are various activities throughout the two days that make it fun for all interest groups. I will get into that later.

For me the Okinawan Festival gives me an opportunity to experience my heritage once a year. My father is Okinawan. Having lived in Okinawa as a child I am probably one of the luckier Okinawans who has been exposed to the Okinawan culture. I took Okinawan dance as a child in both Okinawa and Hawaii. My grandmother who lived in Ewa cooked Okinawan food, something I recall eating when I visited her during the summers. However my mother's influence was strongest and her being from Yokohama, Japan, I grew up learning more about the Japanese culture than the Okinawan. My father eventually retired in Okinawa and he took it upon himself to master the art of sanshin. I am proud to say that he was one of the few "foreign" sanshin players in the 80's and 90's.

Food booths

Scrip booth at the Okinawan Festival

I love to listen to Okinawan music. There is something about the rhythm and melody of the Okinawan folk songs that make me feel peaceful and nostalgic. In Japanese they say "furusato", it's a term that refers to your home, where you are from, where you belong. The Okinawan music makes me feel the comfort of furusato.

Bandstand

The Okinawans came to work Hawaii's sugar cane and pineapple fields from 1900. They were not considered Japanese and in history there is much written about the animosity that was felt towards each other. That was also a common thread in my family's history since my Dad, an Uchinanchu (Okinawan), married my Mom, from Naichi (Japan). But all of that is in the past and the Tamashiro Family did pretty good to keep the Okinawan culture alive. My grandfather came to Hawaii first and then my grandmother came to join him as his picture bride. They had eight children. I have over forty cousins and second cousins to continue the Okinawan traditions.

I give a lot of credit to the Hawaii United Okinawa Association for keeping the Okinawan culture alive. The association sponsors many programs throughout the year but I think that it is the Okinawan Festival that upholds the culture best. The music and dance. The arts and crafts. And we cannot forget the food.

During the Okinawan Festival the performances fill the stage at the Kapiolani Bandstand throughout the day. There are the dancers, musicians and singers from Okinawa and Hawaii. There is also a bon dance in the evening. Other activities include kids' games and a country store that sells all sorts of items made in Okinawa. There is also the Cultural Tent with ceramics, glassware, textiles and plants. For those who do not know much about Okinawa you can learn a lot by visiting each area.

Kapiolani Bandstand

Balloon Animals

Disney

Kid's Park

Kid's Slide

Kids wait for their turns

I think one of the best parts of the Festival is the food booths. Scrips are sold, fifty cents per scrip. You can eat andagi (Okinawan donuts) made right there. For more information about andagi please read my article "Donuts, Malasadas and Andagi" posted May 1, 2008. And then there's the anda dog (hot dog on a stick, dipped in andagi batter and deep fried). There's pig feet soup, Okinawa soba, Okinawa yaki soba, shoyu pork and goya champuru (bitter melon stir fry). Yes, enjoying the food is probably the best part of going to the Okinawan Festival. At least for me it is.

Andagi Booth

People line up for Andagi

Andagi Dunk

Volunteers make Andagi

Food booths

Okinawa yaki soba

They say that about 50,000 people attend the two day event. Wow, that's a lot. I am proud that so many people in Hawaii feel close to the Okinawan culture and make it an annual affair to attend the Okinawan Festival. Mark your calendars, the dates for next year are September 5-6, 2009 !