KAILUA KONA, Hawaii — Hawaii Community FCU is hosting a tribute to the history of Japanese immigration to the islands. In the late 1800s, when the pineapple and sugar crops were thriving, more than 180,000 Japanese contract laborers came to the islands to improve their lives; at the same time they unknowingly enhanced the culture of the region, the credit union said.
The story of these “Nikkei” — Japanese immigrants and their descendants — will be shared with the public throughthe “Hawaii Nikkei Legacy Exhibit,” a traveling international photo array featuring 150 pictures and more highlighting Hawaii’s Japanese immigration. The exhibit covers the 1885 immigration of Issei (first generation immigrants) up to modern day Hawaii.
The Hawaii Nikkei Legacy Exhibit will be hosted and presented by Hawaii Community Federal Credit Union (HCFCU) at its Kaloko facility in the John Y. Iwane Credit Union Center Training Room. It opens to the public on Thursday, Nov. 1 at 11:00am and closes Wednesday, Nov. 28 at 5:00 p.m.
“Hawaii Community Federal Credit Union’s founding fathers were Nisei, or second generation U.S.-born Japanese men; their legacy is just one important example of the impact of immigrants in Hawaii,” said Tricia Buskirk, HCFCU’s president and CEO. “We are so honored to host this special presentation and we invite the community to visit it again and again.”
The credit union said the exhibit includes photos of prominent Japanese Americans from Hawaii along with the prefectures in Japan from which their ancestors emigrated. Its intent is to educate people about Hawaii’s Nikkei, and to promote a deeper understanding of the cross-cultural values and customs between Japan and Hawaii.
HCFCU is also planning free, complementary events on Nov. 3rdand 10ththat will further showcase the melding of Japanese-Hawaiian culture, such as cooking demonstrations, calligraphy, origami, bonsai, and a lot more.