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Consul General Kamo’s Remarks at the opening ceremony of Watabe Wedding’s new business operation in Ko Olina

October 29, 2010

Good Morning and Aloha!

Thank you for a kind introduction. And thank Mr. Watabe for including us, my wife and me, in this fortunate and exclusive group of people. It is our honor and privilege to be invited to this grand opening ceremony for Watabe Wedding‘s new business operation here in Ko Olina. When I came out here this morning and saw this very beautiful facility, I was just stunned. It is so impressive. We have just heard the blessings offered by our Reverend and enjoyed a wonderful feeling of sharing and caring by offering our hand to people standing next to us. This is the first time that I was encouraged to do this and I found that holding our neighbor’s hand each other works best to create a sense of oneness among the gathering crowd. This is the Aloha spirit  in action and at its best and I thank you Reverend for showing us what the Aloha spirit can bring.

This is a very special occasion to me. In fact, my dream has come true today. I am not saying that I am going to get a new bride. No, no. But this is the first time that I have been invited to an opening of a new business operation in Hawaii. About twenty years ago, I was in Bangkok, Thailand, working at the Japanese Embassy there. In those days, the Japanese economy was healthy and strong and a lot of Japanese investments were made in that country. I saw my Ambassador routinely attending numerous opening ceremonies for Japanese factories there with an envious mind. I just wished that someday I would become ambassador and attend ceremonies like this as a honored guest to cut ribbons and offer pleasantries.

Getting married in Hawaii is a honeymooner’s dream. Japanese couples are no exception. Hawaii is blessed with nature, hospitable people and proximity to Japan, which make it an ideal destination for Japanese honeymooners. To entice Japanese tourists to Hawaii is a local tourism industries dream. Each year, 1.2million tourists visit Hawaii from Japan. They are by far the largest foreign visitors group. The good news is they are generous spenders. The average consumption by Japanese tourists, according to statistics, is two times larger than that of their U.S. mainlanders. Mr. Watabe, supported by Mr. Stone and Mr. Wong, masterfully blends these dreams in setting forth a solid business model which combines business with hope, happiness and future. I mean that newly-weds would do return to Hawaii for their wedding anniversaries and allure their children to checking out what their parents’ Hawaiian wedding looked like. I wish him every success for his business endeavor.

Mahalo!