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 September 24, 2010

The Cherry Blossoms’ Queen Court and DVD Party Remarks

Yoshi Kamo, Consul General of Japan in Honolulu

 Good evening. Thank you for joining us here today. We are honored by your presence. Well this is an enticing Friday evening. I am sure there are many other distractions you may be allured. Your loyalty is much appreciated. We are gathering here to give a hearty send-off to the Cherry Blossoms Queen and her Court as they embark on their goodwill tour to Japan next week.

 The Queen and her Court is certainly one of the great assets to the Japanese Junior Chamber. Of course, the Junior Chamber is more than a guardian for the Court. I appreciate for their active participation in the community events, in promoting Japanese culture and heritage, besides their commitment to boosting the local economy..

 There is another pretext worth mentioning to explain why we are here.

 While I ago, a DVD was sent to me from Ken Ochiai, Japanese film director, saying that this is an award winning DVD and is worth showing by the Consulate. I saw it and liked it. Its title is “Frog in the Well” “Frog in the Well” is a well-known Japanese metaphor to imply someone who does not know the outside world, but is content with his small world. I don’t mean that the Cherry Blossoms Court is a frog in the well. Don’t get me wrong. This story features a young man who travels extensively in Japan in his effort to fulfill his mother’s will. At the end of his journey he discovers the meaning of life and gets to know his mother’s intention. I thought this DVD offers an excellent travel tip for the Queen and her Court.

 Last, we have here with us the Honolulu International Film Festival people. I admire for their dedication to great movies and commitment to making Honolulu an exciting place for film lovers. I invited them because I just wanted to introduce Ken Ochiai to them. He is a talented and ambitious film maker. If they like him, maybe we will see him at the Film Festival in the future. He is currently residing and operating in Los Angels.

 So friends, enjoy the DVD and the rest of the evening.

 Mahalo!.