Originally brought in to work on Hawaii's plantations, the Japanese came with and have since shared their cultural heritage with the rest of our polyglot community since settling down in the 1930s.

The mission of the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii is to educate the community about “;the evolving Japanese-American experience”; in the islands, and its latest exhibition sets to doing just that.

“;Celebrate!: The Evolution of Japanese Celebration in Hawai'i”; shows, in various ways, how traditional seasonal celebrations from the home country were adapted by the local Japanese-American community and made into their own.

Brian Niiya, director of program development at the center, said the historical exhibition of photos, display panels and objects “;works on different levels. It provides the basic information on meaning and origins of traditional celebrations like Boys and Girls Days, New Year's and the bon festival, and lesser-known ones such as the Tanabata Star Fest in the summer and the Setsubun Lunar New Year in February.”;

One example of a custom that has changed over the years is mochitsuki, he notes.

“;Mochi pounding was something families used to do all day to celebrate the new year, but over time, more people were using machines to do the work. Nowadays we mainly buy already made mochi. Twenty, 30 years ago, some (Japanese-American) organizations kept the custom going for political reasons or just to show how things were done. But mochi pounding is making a comeback, coming full circle as later generations are reasserting their Japanese identity.”;

As part of the exhibit, two short videos play in constant rotation, one on mochitsuki and the other on the bon dance.

“;The bon dance in particular has, to a greater extent, broadened more than just to include the Japanese community,”; said Niiya. “;And many participants aren't there for the original religious significance to honor the dead. Instead, it's become a fest, where you can eat shave ice and teriyaki chicken.”;

But the exhibit reminds viewers of how a gathering like that was a bonding experience for the transplanted Japanese.

“;There's one bon dance photo from 1950 that we blew up to mural size. The density of crowd seen in it is very striking. You can see the motion and energy emanating from the crowd. It's a reminder to us to see, five years after the end of the war, how quickly Japanese culture came back in Hawaii.”;

Originally from Los Angeles, Niiya remembers that because after entire Japanese-American populations were placed in internment camps during World War II, traditional celebrations like the bon dance weren't held until many years later, after the 1950s.

ONE TRADITION that made a circuitous route from Japan to Los Angeles, and then to Hawaii, is the Cherry Blossom Queen contest.

“;The contest was copied from the one held during the Nisei Week Japanese Festival in L.A.,”; Niiya said. “;Someone from here, who was an extra in the Hollywood movie 'Go for Broke,' saw it and brought it to the attention of the Honolulu Japanese Junior Chamber of Commerce when he came back.”;

Exhibit displays representing the contest include the “;very ornate”; scepter and crown and “;a really nice behind-the-scenes photo by Shuzo Uemoto of kimono dresser Eiko Korita, who was with the contest since its inception in 1953 and well through the '80s, as she works with a queen contestant.”;

Niiya said some activities for the keiki are part of “;Celebrate!,”; including one about Tanabata, where they can write their wishes on pieces of paper and tie them to bamboo.

Combining related talks and panel discussions—including one of bon dancing through the generations from 1 to 3 p.m. May 22—Niiya said that “;this is a very high-density exhibit. There's a lot going on.”;