Anne Namba Fashion Show 2023

We held our annual Anne Namba Fashion Show on August 31, 2023, featuring the 71st Cherry Blossom Festival Court! Anne highlighted her beautiful designs and allowed guests to purchase her items in-store after the show.

Due to COVID-19, we didn't have this event for the past couple years so we were excited to bring it back. As a new addition this year, Anne partnered with Sulwhasoo Skin Care and they provided samples to guests in attendance.

HJJCC Installation Banquet

On Saturday, July 22, 2023 at 6:00 PM we held our annual HJJCC Installation Banquet at the Generations Ballroom at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii. We installed our newly elected 2023-2024 Board of Directors, listed below, as well as celebrated our outgoing board members. We also announced and recognized our HJJCC Director of the Year, HJJCC Member of the Year, and 71st CBF Steering Committee Member of the Year award winners at the banquet.

Chairman of the Board – Sheri Morishige
President – Aaron Muraki
Executive Vice President – Heather Furutani
VP of Community Development – David Torigoe
VP of International Relations – Kirstie Maeshiro-Takiguchi
VP of Management Development – Eric Imada
VP of Membership Development – Kacie Hirotsu
Secretary – Kristyn Sugibayashi
Treasurer – Scott Motobu
Director – Tobie Egami
Director – Lori Higashi
Director – Ashley Ishimura
Director – Crystine Ito
Director – Garrett Lau
Director – Hailey Takayesu
Director – Claire Tsuha
72nd Cherry Blossom Festival General Co-Chairs – Kristin Alm & Garrett Matsumoto
71st Queen’s Advisor – Gina Maeda
Young Business Roundtable Chair – Kristine Okada
Historian – Kathryn Fujitani
Sports Director – Curt Ueda

HJJCC: Dodgeball Invitational

The HJJCC Sports Committee is hosed their first HJJCC Dodgeball Tournament - Invitational on Sunday, May 7, 2023 at the Manoa Valley District Park Gym from 9:00am to 3:00pm.  Members gathered a team and joined us for a day of friendly competition amongst fellow members and other JCI Hawaii organizations!


This invitational was open to HJJCC members only, along with invited teams from RPJ, HCJ, MJC, JCI Honolulu, and FJC.  JCI Hawaii Chapter Members.

Karaoke Night

On April 28, 2023, we held a Karaoke Night! Fellow members hung out and sang their hearts out!

To add in more fun, we had members play our game by bringing a food item to share that starts with the same letter of your first name (e.g. Hailey can bring a Hummus & veggie platter or Sheri can bring Shrimp cocktail).

HJJCC YBR - People Smarts: Strategies to Bridge the Communication Gap

On March 15, 2023, we had Cindy Sakai, Co-Founder and Resultant, of Th!nk Training. Cindy introduced us to a relationship-building tool called DiSC, help us to identify our DiSC style, and most importantly, taught us strategies to bridge the communication gap to strengthen relationships and our approaches to leadership.

Following the workshop, attendees had an opportunity to network with Cindy and had access to a complimentary online Everything DiSC Workplace profile (valued at $81) to get a deeper dive into their DiSC style.

Udon and Matcha Tiramisu Workshop

On February 28, 2023, we had a fun and exciting cooking workshop! We learned how to make your own hand-made udon noodles complete with garnishes and matcha tiramisu for dessert!  The workshop was taught by Chef Makoto Ono and Chef Amanda Cheng, both of whom just finished time at Senia Restaurant as the head chef and pastry chef, respectively.  Chef Makoto is an award-winning Canadian chef who specializes in French and Japanese cuisine and Chef Amanda is an acclaimed pastry chef who graduated from The Culinary Institute of America in New York. 

YBR - Climbing the Corporate Ladder: Tips to Advancing Your Career

Climbing the Corporate Ladder: Tips to Advancing Your Career.

On December 8, 2022, we hosted a panel discussion with three (3) business leaders in Hawaii: Rob Nelson (President, Finance Factors), Kai'ulani "Lani" Shinsato (Director, Customer Energy Resources Programs, Hawaiian Electric Company) and Mark Nakamoto (Vice President, Sodexo). Our guest panelists had a conversation on how they climbed the corporate ladder, adversity they had to overcome, people who played an instrumental role in their professional career, and advice on how we can advance our own careers as emerging professionals. Following the panel discussion, attendees had an opportunity to network with the panelists and other guests.

Kō Hana Rum Tour & Tasting

Supporting local, learning new things and getting to taste some good rum?! Count us in!

Over the weekend, HJJCC members got to enjoy a tour and tasting at Kō Hana Hawaiian Agricole Rum. We learned from co-founder, Jason Brand, about Hawaii’s agriculture, saw firsthand where the rum is made, got to compare the different varieties against each other, and tasted Kō Hana’s brand new daiquiri mixes!

Mahalo @kohanarum for having us!

Young Business Roundtable - Investing: Tips for Better Investment Outcomes

Last week, we hosted our first Young Business Roundtable, Investing: Tips for Better Investment Outcomes. Gordon Nihei, co-founder of Humble Capital Management, LLC provided us insights around how to determine a company’s value and how to make wiser, educated decisions when making investments in the stock market. After the presentation, attendees got to ask Gordon their own questions  and network with their fellow HJJCC members and friends. 

Thank you to everyone who joined us and please stay tuned for our next YBR coming soon!