Keiki kendama tournament adds to fun at annual ‘Ohana Festival

Celebrate the Year of the Horse at the Japa­nese Cultural Center of Hawaii’s 21st annual New Year’s ‘Ohana Festival Sunday.

For the first time, the free event will feature a keiki kendama tournament. Kendama became such a huge hit with youngsters last year that some schools banned them, but kids can go "Over the Valley" and defy "Gravity" (both are kendama tricks) to their hearts’ delight at this contest.

Registration for the head-to-head tournament opens at 10 a.m., and the competition starts at 10:30 a.m. Register early — the contest is limited to 16 participants per age bracket in four age groups: 5-7, 8-11, 12-15 and 16-18.

Also offered will be traditional activities such as mochi-pounding, brush-painting and the perennially popular kimono-dressing for kids ages 3 and older. Although registration for kimono-dressing is already closed, walk-in slots may be available. Cost is $65 for JCCH members and $80 for nonmembers, with a separate charge for professional photography.

The festival will feature 20 food vendors, serving specialties like okonomiyaki, grilled mochi, shave ice and andagi. Actor Taylor Wily, who plays Kamekona on "Hawaii Five-0," will be there with his shrimp bus, Big T’s Shrimp Truck, and will appear during the kendama tournament finals. There will also be nearly 40 craft vendors.

Entertainment will include appearances by the Royal Hawaiian Band, Taiko Center of the Pacific, martial arts schools and others.

The festival will be held at Moiliili Field and the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii at 2454 S. Beretania St.

Parking will be available at the University of Hawaii at Manoa parking structure on Dole Street, with free shuttle service provided. Visit www.jcch.com or call 945-7633 for information.

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Steven Mark, Star-Advertiser

Furry friends kick off library series

Buddy and Zoe are furry, kid-friendly and happy to sit down and listen to stories.

The two Labrador retrievers from the nonprofit group Hawaii Fi-Do will be at the Salt Lake/Moanalua Public Library at 10:30 a.m. Jan. 24 for a special dog-centered story time.

Buddy and Zoe will be accompanied by their human, Loren Lasher, in a presentation geared toward toddlers and preschoolers about the appropriate, safe way to interact with dogs. No registration is necessary for the free program.

The story time kicks off the library’s new Reading Therapy Dog event series, which begins Feb. 11.

From 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. that evening, therapy dog teams will be on hand to listen to readers of all ages. Students may make 15-minute appointments to read to the dogs in a relaxed, noncritical environment.

The therapy dog sessions will take place once a month at the library, with dates still to be determined.

To make a reading appointment on Feb. 11, call Christine Illichmann at 831-6831.

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Nina Wu, Star-Advertiser

The power of puppets

The exquisite detail and exciting action of Taiwanese puppetry goes on display at the East-West Center on Jan. 25 with three shows next weekend.

Taiwanese glove puppetry features elegantly embroidered costumes, lifelike martial arts scenes and clowning by skilled puppeteers. Characters from Chinese legends and Chinese opera are often featured.

The East-West Center will also feature an exhibit of more than 100 rare puppet artifacts from Taiwan and mainland China, which will be on display for the first time in Hawaii. The puppets are from the Lin Liu-Hsin Puppet Theatre Museum in Taiwan.

To celebrate the opening of the exhibit, the Tai­yuan Puppet Theatre Company will perform "A Sea of Puppets," a romantic tale about a young man who saves a girl from a villain, complete with music performed live. The show has been performed in more than 30 countries.

The performances will be at 2 and 4 p.m. Jan. 25, and at 4 p.m. Jan. 26, at Jefferson Hall, 1777 East-West Road (opposite Kennedy Theatre) on the University of Hawaii at Manoa campus. Cost is $10 for adults, $5 for students. Tickets can be obtained at ewcarts.brownpapertickets.com or 800-838-3006.

The exhibit will run from Jan. 25 to May 11 at the East-West Center Gallery, John A. Burns Hall, 1601 East-West Road. Gallery hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays. Admission is free.

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Steven Mark, Star-Advertiser