![]() |
|
||||||||||
March 12, 2001 Honolulu FestivalLast year's yabusame demonstration at the Honolulu Festival was totally awesome, and for weeks Kyle and I looked forward to it. However, this year's festival could have come and gone without a clue if I hadn't received a certain letter in the mail on Friday.Actually, I received a notice to pick up an Express Mail letter on Tuesday or Wednesday, but because I had to work and go to school, I didn't have time to pick it up. So not until Friday, when I decided I had to go to work late in order to get my mail, did I get this special letter. It was from my friend in Japan, and she and her daughter were coming to Hawaii for the Honolulu Festival. By the time I got the letter, they had already arrived. And I had plans for the weekend. But we worked it out, and Kyle and I made a surprise visit to Ala Moana Centerstage to see them perform. I spotted Azumi-chan quickly. She was the only child in the taiko group, and still as cute as I remembered. And then I saw Miya, her mom, who I taught with at the preschool in Japan. Since we had arrived just before the performance was to start, we peeked over the rows of people already lined up to watch the show. Just before it began, Miya spotted me, and waved frantically. I was pleased that we could meet in Hawaii. The funny thing was that after the performance, when I finally could talk to them and give them leis, everyone wanted to know about Azumi, "the cute little girl." She was totally a hit with the audience. I was sorta proud that I actually knew this kid, but on the other hand, Miya and Azumi were kinda stoked that they knew someone from Hawaii. We were all pretty excited. Anyway, we spent time together doing some tourist-y things, like shopping and going to Tantalus to see the view. We also enjoyed my favorite Waiola shave ice, and a nice, casual dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory. It was a unexpected visit, but a wonderful weekend. And, I ended up going to the Honolulu Festival this year!
|
|||||||||||