On a visit that was equal parts official and joyful, Chief of Staff Andy Sugg welcomed a group of young students from Chigasaki, Japan, to Honolulu Hale.
When Chief of Staff Sugg asked the students (all between 10 and 12 years old) what their favorite part of the trip had been so far, the answers were immediate and enthusiastic. SPAM musubi topped more than a few lists. The Bishop Museum was a hit. But what seemed to resonate most deeply was something harder to put in a souvenir bag: the warmth of the people they had met. The kids spoke about how friendly everyone had been to them, and how they had made real friends at the local school they visited.
Chief of Staff asked the group about their families and what they love to do back home. Sports featured prominently: baseball, cheerleading, and ballet were all popular among them.
Chief of Staff brought his own warmth to the room, sharing that he had personally visited Chigasaki and had a wonderful time there. He also passed along a notable endorsement: Mayor Sato, he told the kids with a smile, is quite fond of him.
He also took a moment to point out something the students had in common with their Honolulu hosts, their matching aloha shirts. Chief of Staff shared that in Honolulu, aloha shirts are welcome attire every single day of the year. The students, already dressed the part, seemed pleased to learn they had arrived in perfect style.
What made the visit all the more meaningful was how the students came to be there. Out of roughly 70 applicants, each of these kids had been selected through a competitive process that required writing an essay and passing a formal interview. Many of them admitted they had been nervous during the interview. Coming to Hawaiʻi had been a dream, and they had worked to make it real.
The students closed the visit with a presentation, sharing photos and stories from life in and around their city. Among the highlights was the Hamaori Festival, a striking beach celebration held each July, a reminder that Chigasaki, like Honolulu, has a deep and living relationship with the sea.
