Ehime Maru Memorial Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon

(Originally published March 31, 2023)

On Tuesday, March 28, 2023, the Ehime Maru Memorial Association (EMMA) hosted a special luncheon via Zoom celebrating the efforts of our dedicated volunteers from local Japanese American community groups who have donated numerous hours of service to clean and maintain the Ehime Maru Memorial in Kakaʻako Waterfront Park. Thanks to weekly cleaning by these volunteers, the memorial remains pristine after over 20 years to honor the memories of those who were lost in the tragic accident.

During the virtual luncheon, a slideshow of this year’s memorial ceremony and new footage of the ceremony in Hawaii and Japan were shared with our volunteers. For lunch, volunteers picked up special bento from Kokoro-Tei via drive-through pick-up at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii earlier in the morning.

EMMA President, Reyna Kaneko, expressed sincere gratitude to the volunteers from many organizations in Hawaii who have cleaned the Ehime Maru Memorial every Saturday since its unveiling in 2002 and encouraged them to continue nurturing the relationship with Ehime Prefecture and Uwajima City as more in-person exchanges resume. Mr. Ken Saiki, EMMA Director, who coordinates the volunteer groups for weekly maintenance and cleaning, also thanked the volunteers for their tremendous contributions throughout the years. In addition, volunteers gave special thanks to Mr. Saiki for his dedicated services to support and care for the memorial and in turn, the bereaved families.

The Ehime Maru Memorial Association would like to thank all the volunteers again who continue to keep the memories alive and pass them on to the next generation. JASH serves as the administrator of the Ehime Maru Memorial Association and works to preserve the memory of the lives lost in this tragic accident and to maintain the memorial in perpetuity.