A new event at the 14th Annual Honolulu Festival was the Ennichi Corner.  This was a replica of a typical Japanese Saint’s Day festival.  The area had a variety of games for the children to play, Japanese style.  There was the goldfish scooping contest where children were given scoopers made of paper.  The challenge was to scoop up as many goldfish out of the water and to put them in a plastic bag before the paper scooper ripped apart. Quite similar to this game was the water yoyo hooking game. The hook was linked to a string made of paper so the challenge was to see how many balloons you can scoop out of the water before the paper hook tore apart. The goldfish game seemed to be so popular that they ran out of the scoopers. It was fun watching all the children so focused on getting as many goldfish and water yoyos as possible.  The parents watching their children seemed to enjoy it as well.
The younger children enjoyed the ring toss and cork gun games. There were prizes given to those who won. And then there was the cotton candy corner, always a favorite at Ennichi.

cork gun games

goldfish scoop

Yukata Dressing

There are many Japanese children who are born in Hawaii and raised speaking Japanese in their homes.  The kamishibai, Japanese storytelling, was an opportunity for them to experience something from their homeland.  Even the parents seemed to enjoy the stories of old Japan.  Nostalgic!

Dressing up in yukata and taking pictures was also part of the Ennichi Corner.  Moms and dads were busy taking pictures of their children in the colorful kimono.
Other games included kendama (cup and ball game), spinning the top, origami and face paint. A visitor from Canada, Ms. Taranova, was so focused on playing the kendama that she persistently tried over and over again until she was able to get the ball in the cup. She commented, “The people here all have smiles on their faces, it’s such a wonderful and warm feeling.”All in all there was much to see and do for the family at Honolulu Festival’s Ennichi Corner.  We hope that the children were able to learn a bit about traditional Japanese customs and have fun at the same time.  The Ennichi Corner brought back wonderful childhood memories for all of us.  Please look forward to more games and activities at the 15th Annual Honolulu Festival’s Ennichi Corner.