The University of ����ԴDz� Campus Center Ballroom transformed into a colorful hub of games, workshops and music on November 7, as more than 800 people gathered for Nippon Culture Day. The annual event, hosted by the Department of (EALL), offered a full day of hands-on activities highlighting Japanese language, art and community traditions.

Attendees moved from table to table, trying everything from calligraphy and gift-wrapping to traditional Japanese card games such as hanafuda and karuta. Students practiced koto (Japanese string instrument) and sanshin (Okinawan string instrument), folded intricate origami and tested their skills at manga (comic book) character drawing and katakana (character) recognition game. Members of the Japanese Culture Club also supported a station, helping guests of all ages jump in.

“Our department has long been engaged in the study of Japan,” said Hiromi Uchida, a Japanese language instructor. “We see this event as a valuable opportunity for both learning and community building, and we hope to continue making Nippon Culture Day an exciting and enjoyable experience for all students and the community.”

Traditions up close

Nippon is the Japanese word for Japan. Culture-focused workshops ran throughout the morning and afternoon. Visitors sat for abacus lessons, learned the basics of ikebana (flower arrangement) in small-group sessions and experienced the quiet focus of a tea ceremony inside Jaku’an, the campus tea house.

Information tables connected students with academic and professional opportunities tied to Japan. Representatives from UH ����ԴDz�’s (COS), , Japanese Exchange and Teaching Program and spoke with attendees about travel and study opportunities. Japan Airlines also provided details about career tracks.

As the afternoon continued, the event shifted to live performances featuring koto and sanshin demonstrations. The day ended with a bon dance, inviting everyone to celebrate together.

Nippon Culture Day is co-sponsored by the UH ����ԴDz� and COS. Located within the , the EALL department has hosted the free event for more than 20 years.

Mary G. McDonald, who taught and later directed the (CJS) at the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz�, has received one of Japan’s top honors for her decades of work advancing ties between the U.S. and Japan.

At a special ceremony on September 26 at the Japanese Consulate in Honolulu, McDonald received the . The award recognizes her decades of work advancing academic exchange, cultural understanding and international collaboration.

“This recognition is entirely due to the tireless dedication to strong community and educational ties,” said McDonald. “I thank the government and people of Japan and �鶹��ý for the opportunities our UH students and faculty have enjoyed in Japan. I thank the late Dr. Genshitsu Sen for his generosity to UH ����ԴDz� students, emphasizing peace through The Way of Tea. UH ����ԴDz� is truly an excellent place to study Japan, it has been a privilege to play a small part.”

Building bridges

McDonald served on the UH ����ԴDz� faculty for 26 years. She guided countless students and scholars through programs that deepened ties between Japan and �鶹��ý. As director of CJS, she strengthened inter-university exchange programs and supported initiatives that brought Japanese culture and research into the heart of the university. She also served on the selection committee for the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program, also known as JET, helping many participants begin their journeys living and working in Japan.

Mark Levin, the current director of CJS, recalls how McDonald represented the perfect role model in directing the UH ����ԴDz� Center for Japanese Studies.

“She engaged with students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community in her soft-spoken but persuasive manner. Among the accomplishments of her term was overseeing the renovations of Jaku’an, the teahouse located on the UH campus, smoothly overcoming a host of logistical challenges from start to finish,” Levin said.

Leadership honored

At the ceremony, Consul General Yoshinori Kodama praised McDonald’s leadership, especially in study abroad programs and her dedication to advancing Japanese studies in �鶹��ý.

The celebration also featured a congratulatory message from Robert Huey, a professor emeritus of the and a kampai (cheers) toast by Jean Ariyoshi, former First Lady of �鶹��ý.

Acclaimed novelist Crystal Hana Kim brought her powerful stories of love, loss and Korean history to the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz�. The hosted her as the featured speaker in the Hee Kyung Lee Kwon Speaker Series.

About 60 students and faculty gathered on September 18, for the event at the Center for Korean Studies, where Kim read from her two novels, shared her research process, and spoke about writing between two cultures and languages. She also reflected on her interest in Korean history and her experiences as a Korean American author.

“I’m deeply honored to have been selected as the second Hee Kyung Lee Kwon Speaker. Hee Kyung Lee Kwon’s life story inspires and resonates with my lineage,” said Kim. “To arrive here as a picture bride hoping for a greater education, to build a life in a new country and contribute to the Independence Movement of Korea—what an admirable, formidable figure.”

Award-winning author

During her visit to UH ����ԴDz�, a crew from the Korean Broadcasting System filmed her lecture for a documentary on the Korean diaspora that will air in November in South Korea.

Kim authored The Stone Home, a finalist for the Maya Angelou Book Prize, and If You Leave Me, which was named a best book of the year by more than a dozen publications. She received the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 Award and the PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers.

Honoring lineage

On campus, Kim included time with graduate students in Assistant Professor David Krolikoski’s Korean literature seminar, where she spoke about translation, craft and her inspirations.

“It has been comforting to be in an academic space where my culture is so deeply valued,” said Kim. “On a personal level, when my father immigrated to the United States, he first landed in �鶹��ý. To finally visit this land while pregnant holds much meaning to me as I think of the history and lineage of the Korean diaspora.”

Campus partners

The Hee Kyung Lee Kwon Speaker Series is co-sponsored by UH ����ԴDz�’s Center for Korean Studies, Department of English, Creative Writing Program, and Department of Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies.

More than 800 students and community members filled the Campus Center Ballroom at the on October 25 for the annual Nippon Culture Day. The event showcased a vibrant blend of traditional and contemporary Japanese culture. Organized by the Japanese section of the (EALL), the annual showcase offers cultural immersion for �鶹��ý high schoolers, college students and members of the public.

Participants had the chance to dive into various Japanese art forms and practices through interactive workshops on topics such as calligraphy, ikebana (flower arranging), Okinawan language and manga/anime drawing. For those interested in strategy, there were sessions dedicated to igo, a classic Japanese board game.

“What we hope to accomplish with Nippon Culture Day is to expose students and the community to Japanese culture in all its dazzling diversity. Many are learning Japanese language and interested in pop culture products like anime and manga, but here they will get a taste of everything from daily cultural rituals to ancient court music,” said Andre Haag, a professor of Japanese literature and associate chair at EALL.

Perpetuating classic sounds

Audiences were treated to the soothing sounds of the koto, a 13-stringed zither, and the sanshin, an Okinawan three-stringed instrument. Three student musicians from UH ����ԴDz�’s (COS) were featured sanshin performers on stage.

Adding depth to the event, a high school student visiting from Japan offered insights into classical Japanese literature, discussing how iconic Japanese authors drew heavily from nature to help shape their narratives.

Nippon Culture Day is co-sponsored by the UH ����ԴDz� and COS. Located within the , the EALL department has hosted the free event for more than 20 years.

Two students majoring in at the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� have been awarded the MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology) Scholarship by the Japanese government. Koy Yoshizumi and Marques Batoon, are among only four students in the country to receive the highly regarded scholarship this year, and began their yearlong studies in Japan this October.

“I feel truly blessed to receive this scholarship,” said Yoshizumi, who is taking classes at Keio University in Tokyo. “I want to take every opportunity that comes my way, and I guess I want to ‘put myself out there’ a little more.”

Yoshizumi, who grew up in Kapolei, first became interested in Japanese culture through anime, a passion that has fueled his academic journey.

Batoon, a double major in Japanese and , is studying at Doshisha University in Kyoto. His year abroad offers him the chance to work on a unique project.

“One of my goals is to complete my Japanese language study app game and play it with the classmates here who are also studying Japanese,” Batoon said.

His fascination with the language began in the fourth grade when his best friend, moved to �鶹��ý from Japan and spoke English and Japanese.

Both Yoshizumi and Batoon represent the thriving (EALL) department at UH ����ԴDz�, the largest of its kind in the nation, offering courses in Japanese, Chinese and Korean. The department continues to produce globally engaged graduates, many of whom go on to work in fields ranging from academia to government service.

“I hope that the awardees will make a year in Japan as MEXT scholars a fruitful one, by studying hard, by experiencing different aspects of Japanese society and culture firsthand, and by growing as individuals,” said Miki Ogasawara, an instructor who teaches Japanese at UH ����ԴDz�.

In 2023, two more EALL students at UH ����ԴDz� were among the four recipients nationwide to be awarded the MEXT scholarship.

EALL is housed in the UH ����ԴDz� .

Three prominent figures in Korean literature and art highlighted an event hosted by the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa (EALL) in September. Attendees had the opportunity to hear from feminist poet Kim Hyesoon, visual artist Fi Jae Lee and poet and translator Jack Jung.

Kim, a recipient of literary honors, including the Griffin Poetry Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award, performed a bilingual poetry reading in both Korean and English. She was joined by Jung, who is currently translating her collection Thus Spoke No (forthcoming from Ecco, 2026). The reading was followed by an art talk from Lee, whose work is regularly featured in Kim’s books and has been showcased in exhibitions worldwide. Lee discussed the inspirations and themes behind her installations, drawings, and paintings.

“As a literature major, I enjoyed getting to know people in the literary circle and hearing from authors as they reflected on their own works,” said Dasom Han, an EALL graduate student who attended the event. “It was great to hear also from the illustrator and the translator at the poetry reading. Learning about how a book is published and translated to another language reminded me that publishing is a collective work and that the writer is not the only authority of a book.”

The event, held at the Center for Korean Studies Auditorium, also included a Q&A session, where community members and students could interact with the speakers. Following the presentations, there was a book signing with the poet and translator.

The next day, a translation workshop offered EALL graduate students a deep dive into the complexities of translating Korean poetry, led by Jung. Kim also attended to listen to and respond to student translations of her poetry.

Hee Kyung Lee Kwon Speaker Series

This speaker series is dedicated to the celebration of Korean women’s literature and culture. It will feature individuals who have made a significant contribution to the field as authors, artists, translators, scholars, etc. The series was made possible thanks to the contribution of Esther Arinaga to commemorate her mother, Hee Kyung Lee Kwon. Lee Kwon was born in Daegu in 1894 and emigrated to �鶹��ý in 1912, where she supported the Korean Independence Movement abroad from 1915 to 1945.

For further details, inquiries can be directed to event coordinators David Krolikoski or Emily Yoon at dkroli@hawaii.edu or ejyoon@hawaii.edu.

EALL is housed in UH ��ā�ԴDz�’s .

In a story of both serendipity and shared passion, two University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa alumni, Shoichi Iwasaki and Rumiko Shinzato, reunited after more than thirty years to co-author , the first textbook of its kind for English speakers.

The scholars bemoaned the lack of an Okinawan-language textbook in English and decided to write one themselves to preserve and teach the endangered Okinawan language. The resulting text was published by UH Press in May.

“I am passionate about letting people know the fate of the 3,000–5,000 languages that may vanish from the face of the earth in the next 100 years. Okinawan is just one of such languages,” said Iwasaki.

For Shinzato, the motivation was personal: “I wanted to give back something meaningful to my homeland, the people and our ancestors, as they have given me so much.”

While working on his master’s in at UH Mānoa, Iwasaki briefly met Shinzato, who was working on her PhD in . Years later, the professors reunited and co-wrote the recently published book.

Iwasaki credits Shinzato with the idea to structure the textbook around the story of an American exchange student living with a host family in Okinawa. Shinzato also recorded native speakers’ voices to supplement the book’s written dialogues.

Critically endangered language

According to the authors, the Okinawan language, part of the Ryukyuan language family, faces a dire future. Once the primary tongue of the Ryukyu Kingdom, Okinawan was systematically suppressed after Japan annexed the region in 1879.

In 2009, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) officially declared the language “endangered.” Fifteen years later, many now consider the language “critically endangered,” as it is predominantly spoken by older generations and rarely passed on to children.

Cultural and educational impact

In �鶹��ý, the Okinawan diaspora remains an integral part of �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ��’s rich cultural fabric, with nearly 50,000 people of Okinawan descent living in the islands.

The textbook has been met with high praise from experts in the field. “I wish it had been available when I took my first steps in the language. With the learning of Okinawan made such a pleasant experience, this will become the standard English-language work, hard to beat in the years to come,” said Leon Serafim, a retired professor of Japanese and former director of the UH Center for Okinawan Studies.

The multidisciplinary center, based on the Mānoa campus, offers courses, sponsors cultural events, and supports exchange programs. UH ��ā�ԴDz�’s Hamilton Library houses the Sakamaki-Hawley Collection, one of the world’s most significant Okinawa-related archives.

A three-year collaboration between faculty and students in the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz�’s (EALL), scholars in Japan, and the Honolulu Museum of Art has borne fruit: a bilingual cross-platform publication that focuses on 18th century scrolls recently discovered inside a collection at the Honolulu Museum of Art (HoMA).

Nestled within the Lane Collection, an archive curated by the late art dealer and UH ����ԴDz� alumnus Richard Douglas Lane, lay a two-scroll set known as the Jūban Mushi-awase, or A Match of Crickets in Ten Rounds of Verse and Image.

“These scrolls depict a literary event in 1782 Edo (Tokyo), where poets and painters gathered to explore the relative virtues of two humble insects—the bell cricket and the pine cricket,” said Robert Huey, a UH ����ԴDz� EALL professor emeritus. “In East Asian literature, these insects have long symbolized the sadness of autumn and the pain of separation.”

• Related UH News story: 18th century Japanese poem contest thrills UH scholars, September 26, 2023

Seeds of collaboration

The project’s seeds were planted in 2020, when EALL scholars Huey, Assistant Professor Andre Haag, PhD students Hilson Reidpath, Tanya Barnett and alumna Francesa Pizarro teamed up with researchers in Japan to explore the rare scroll set.

“Many of the Japanese scholars we were collaborating with were specialists in these 18th century literary figures and the forms of poetry we were examining,” said Barnett, a PhD candidate who specializes in modern Japanese literature. “The breadth of their knowledge was astounding and a real privilege to learn from.”

Minami Kiyoe, who oversees the Lane Collection at the museum, works closely with the UH and Japan research teams.

• Related UH News story: Japanese literature students prepare to catalog rare book collection, November 1, 2022

Showcasing scholarly perspectives

Thanks to a generous grant from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, the teams officially embarked on their collaborative journey in 2021. This spring, their efforts culminated in the publication of bilingual book .

The book features a transcription of the original text, a modern Japanese translation and a full English translation. In addition, all the team members wrote essays or research papers related to some aspect of the work.

“These elements together fulfilled one of the goals of the project, which was to truly showcase distinct approaches taken to the same material by Japanese and American scholars,” said Huey.

On display

This April, HoMA included the scrolls in the exhibit “.” The exhibit runs through July 28.

All images of paintings in this article are from the Collection of the Honolulu Museum of Art. Purchase, Richard Lane Collection, 2003 (TD 2011-23-415).

About 850 students packed the Campus Center Ballroom at the to soak in a diverse selection of traditional and contemporary elements of Japanese culture. Organized by the Japanese section of the (EALL), the annual Nippon Culture Day event on October 20 featured a plethora of educational workshops for �鶹��ý high school and college students, such as origami (paper folding), calligraphy, gift wrapping, Okinawan language, hanafuda playing cards, manga/anime drawing, and traditional kimono and 13-string koto (zither instrument) demonstrations.

“Most workshops offer hands-on ‘make and take’ sessions that students won’t be able to experience in the classroom,” said Yumiko Tateyama, a Japanese language instructor at EALL. “We hope that the students will take with them a newfound knowledge of the historical roots and meaning behind traditional arts and crafts that are presented.”

The event is co-sponsored by the and the and also spotlighted tea ceremony and ikebana (flower arrangement) activities for attendees.

Traditional cards, reigi lessons

Nippon is the Japanese word for Japan, and Kaito Yamanaka, a junior at UH Mānoa majoring in Japanese and economics, hopes to make a living there after college. This year, Yamanaka volunteered at the karuta exhibit. The ancient card game traces back to 16th century Japan and requires players to match cards associated with short poems or phrases recited during the game.

“I’ve played karuta since I was small, so I enjoyed teaching it to others and seeing them have fun with the game,” Yamanaka said.

One of the newest workshops featured at this year’s event focused on reigi, which is the Japanese words for etiquette and manners. Organizers invited Keiko Okawa, a consul from the Consulate-General of Japan in Honolulu, to shine light on a critical custom— bowing.

“I told the participants that the key to a proper bow is breathing. Thus, you can put your heart to your movement. You inhale as you bow, pause to exhale, and then inhale again as you rise,” Okawa explained. “I believe that learning how to bow properly will be helpful to you when you travel to Japan and want to express your sincere gratitude to someone, or when you work for a Japanese company.”

Okawa also taught students other protocols practiced in Japan’s professional sector, including how to properly present a business card.

Local companies and organizations such as Hawaiian Airlines and Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa were also present at the event to provide students the opportunity to network and learn about future career prospects.

EALL is housed in the UH Mānoa .

Reviving elements of art from the past is not something that is only tied to our present. There are times in history when cultures have recognized the importance of ensuring that certain practices are not lost.

On September 15 at Hamilton Library, scholars took a look back in time when the Japanese people sought to reclaim elements from the country’s golden age of literature and art. During the 18th century, uta-awase or poetry contests were reintroduced in Japan in an attempt to revive the celebrated Heian period (794–1185).

• Related UH News story: Classical Japanese poetry contest inspires UH ����ԴDz� students, December 20, 2022

One 10-round contest in particular which required players to compose poems that pitted the literary qualities of bell crickets (suzumushi) and pine crickets (matsumushi) against each other, is documented on a set of post-medieval scrolls called “Jūban Mushi-awase” (Insect Contest in Ten Rounds). The two-scroll set is housed at the Honolulu Museum of Art (HoMA). Faculty and staff from the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� (EALL) were tasked with translating the scrolls’ hard-to-read cursive style text and lavish paintings which depict live insects featured in table-top displays the uta-awase contestants constructed to present their poems.

“It is satisfying for our students to know that the work they put into this translation can be used by the museum whenever it displays the scrolls or makes them available to researchers,” said Robert Huey, an EALL professor emeritus internationally recognized for his expertise in classical and medieval Japanese poetry. “The scrolls themselves may seem effete, even out of touch, but their focus on reviving an ancient past was part of a growing intellectual movement to shake off the oppressive feudalism of the Tokugawa shogunate, which led, ironically, to the Meiji Restoration and Japan’s rapid modernization in the 19th and 20th centuries.”

At the workshop, Huey gave a historical overview of poetry contests and examined in detail how the text and image in three of the entries worked with each other in the scrolls and also intertextually with Japanese literary works from 900 years earlier.

Deciphering history

Since 2021, the translation project has brought together scholars out of EALL such as Huey, Assistant Professor Andre Haag, PhD students Hilson Reidpath, Tanya Barnett and alumna Francesa Pizarro with researchers from Japan and HoMA. The scrolls are part of the Lane collection, which is approximately 11,000 Japanese paintings, woodblock-printed books and manuscripts collected by late art dealer Richard Douglas Lane, a UH ����ԴDz� alumnus.

The team from UH ����ԴDz� has produced an English translation of the scrolls and penned short essays on some aspects such as text, paintings and historical elements. Reidpath, an EALL graduate student and aspiring professor was among those who presented some of the project’s findings at the workshop. He recalls how complex translations were for him in the beginning.

“It is quite satisfying to be here a few years later after that long afternoon in Moore Hall [in 2020] where we struggled to read a few characters,” Reidpath explained.

Samurai ties, patrolman

A research deep dive into the rare scrolls revealed many of the Japanese aristocrats who competed in the 1782 contest were novice writers. A patrol officer, legal officer and the daughter of a local samurai family were among the competitors. Researchers were only able to discover the woman’s first name, Yasoko. She was one of two females who competed.

Translation of Yasoko’s poem
In the field / of many maiden flowers / the voice of the pine cricket /
intently waiting for someone – / its chirp unrelenting.

Vault visit

This September, HoMA welcomed the Japanese scholars involved in the ongoing collaborative research project inside the museum’s vault to examine the scroll set inch-by-inch for the first time. Headed by Professor Morita Teiko (Kyoto Sangyō University), Iikura Yōichi, a professor emeritus (Osaka University) and joined by other researchers such as Matsumoto Ōki, an associate professor (Kansai University), they presented their findings at the Hamilton Library workshop which included some specifics on the contestants and how the event paid homage to the Heian period.

UH ����ԴDz� continues to pursue other collaborative projects with researchers in Japan and HoMA. Minami Kiyoe, who oversees the Lane Collection at the museum, works closely with the UH and Japan research teams.

• Related UH News story: Hamilton Library houses rare poetry scroll from medieval Japan, September 7, 2023

HoMA will be exhibiting the scrolls in spring 2024 as part of a larger exhibit on the enduring impact of the Heian period in Japanese literature and art. A book featuring the English translation, a modern Japanese translation, and detailed scholarship on the scrolls in English and Japanese is also expected in 2024, to coincide with the HoMA exhibit.

EALL is in the UH ����ԴDz� .

All images of paintings in this article are from the Collection of the Honolulu Museum of Art. Purchase, Richard Lane Collection, 2003 (TD 2011-23-415).