2019 Kauai High School graduates Brandon Marcos, Tiffany Sagucio, Micah Matsunaga and Kelli Okayama produced this particular story about the Spam Musubi. The team was challenged to “tell the story behind the food” for PBS Hawaii’s Hiki No 2018 Fall Challenge within a period of 4 days. Having tied for first place, students had to be accountable for all aspects of production and teachers could not provide any assistance.

Kauai High School’s media class was established in 2009 with a mission to share stories produced by their media students that involve celebrating Kauai’s culture, community and students.

For Laurel Tamayo’s Documentary Production Project at Chapman University, she decided to explore her Japanese heritage by interviewing her great uncle, Ikito Muraoka. Mr. Muraoka is 99 years old and lives in Kauai.

From early immigration at the dawn of the Meiji era to the present-day efforts to protect the historic Japantown’s, the saga of the Nikkei community will be chronicled in a documentary film. The film, entitled Paper Chase -Japanese American History Through the Lens of Vernacular Newspapers, will coincide with the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the Wakamatsu tea and silk colonists to the mainland United States and the first immigrants to Hawaii in 1868.

Keiro hosted their first virtual Keiro No Hi Festival on Saturday, September 12, 2020. This free event was delivered on an interactive virtual format. Keiro no Hi, or “respect for the aged day” (a national holiday in Japan) honors the older adults in our community and consisted of an online livestream with performances, workshops, and special guest speakers. One special performance included the Grateful Crane singing Sukiyaki. For more info about Keiro, please visit Keiro.org. For 60 years, Keiro has focused on improving the quality of life for older adults and their caregivers in the Japanese American community of Los Angeles, Orange, and Ventura counties.

This story features Keith Kimura, whose passion for Japanese-style woodworking led him to invent a unique musical instrument stand called the K-Stand. He recently lost his day job as a golf professional due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, and now he’s going all-in to pursue his entrepreneurial dream.

Christine Lee is an Emmy-Nominated TV Reporter who founded Kimbop TV LLC to share meaningful stories. She has been donating her time during Covid-19 to create videos that can help small businesses.

From Grandma Chie to Tony Osumi and now to his daughter, Maiya Osumi, the classic Japanese-American Bacon Fried Rice recipe lives on.