Japan-Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival Welcome Breakfast

June 24, 2024 • Addison Ching • Festivals and Conventions

The Hula Grill Waikiki will host a welcome breakfast for the featured steel guitarists and musicians of the 2024 Japan-Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival.

The invitation-only event will be a kick-off event for Friday's Japan-Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival which is scheduled to begin later in the day around 2:20 PM with opening remarks by co-emcees Masami Sato and Shuji Tomita.

The breakfast will tentatively include special guests and performances by Bobby Ingano, Alan Akaka & The Islanders, and Mālie Lyman. NextGen steel guitarists will participate as will hula dancer Kapuanani, who will dance hula throughout the festival.

Mary Lou Foley, Comminity Outreach at T S Restaurants, said that Hula Grill Waikiki's General Manager Michelle Whitton was the person who made this event happen. T S Restaurants is the parent company of Duke's Waikiki and Hula Grill Waikiki.

The Hula Grill Waikiki is located in the Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort, and offers oceanfront dining with panaromic views and Hawaiian-inspired breakfast favorites.

Festival Update

Steel guitarists from Japan who are participating in the 2024 festival include Yukio Katagiri, Noriko and Shuji Tomita, Paul Okubo, Shinichi Kakiuchi, Masami "Matt" Kobayashi, Kiyoshi "Lion" Kobayashi with a special guest appearance by Lion's student Hajime Takahashi, and Masami Sato & her group Makana.

Moto Suzuki and Miki Reina are unable to participate as originally scheduled due to unforseen cirumstances. Akiko Watanabe of the group Makana will also not participate due to illness.

Other members of Makana include Kazuko Tanaka on steel guitar, Kazuko Ishii on guitar, Ayumi Kato on guitar and vocals, Yoshiko Konno on ‘ukulele and bass, and Michiki Makiuchi on piano, ‘ukulele, and vocals.

Matt Koboyashi will be accompanied by local musicians Leonard Jenkins, Hovey Lambert, Poki‘i Vaughan, and Ernie Morikubo, with a hula troupe consisting of Caroline Affonso, Kela Cuban, and Peter Harrison.