Gift Shop

Raced to Death in 1920s Hawai‘i: Injustice and Revenge in the Fukunaga Case by University of Hawai‘i professor Jonathan Y. Okamura is an examination of the trial of Myles Yutaka Fukunaga. Okamura identifies racism, colonization, and economics as the causes for the deeply flawed defense of Fukunaga. The book challenges the notion that Hawai‘i is a racial paradise, showing how the criminal justice system in the 1920s favored the growing anti-Japanese sentiment in the islands.

What was introduced in the 12th century has captured the imagination of international audiences in the 21st century. Astroboy, Speed Racer, Pikachu, and Mazinger derived from that ancient history. The Discovery of Anime & Manga: The Asian Hall of Fame by Phil Amara and Oliver Chin, with wonderful illustrations by Juan Calle, details the evolution of animation and comics in Japan and how it spread around the world. This is a great introduction to this popular art form for readers of all age and is a follow-up to the children’s book, Discovery of Ramen.

More than a cyborg, more than a hero, he is a pizza delivery guy. Mecha Warrior Henshin Rider Presents Special Delivery is the newest graphic novel by Audra Furuichi and Scott Yoshinaga. Colorful, detailed, and action-packed, this manga by the folks that created the sensational Nemu Nemu entertains the reader with action, humor, and pizza. Great for all ages, Henshin Rider will be a welcome addition to your comic collection.

Blue Hawaii: Big Wave by Audra Furuichi collects the spin-off of Nemu Nemu in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. In full color, these are the adventures of a surf crew of a parrot, a goldfish, a spider, a gecko, and a robot. Blue leads this ragtag group as they have fun figuring out life and catching waves.

A Resilient Spirit: The Voice of Hawai'i's Internees, compiled by Claire Sato and Violet Harada, presents the Japanese American wartime history through the voice of “those who lived it.” Culling through the JCCH’s archives of oral histories, poetry, memoirs, historical photos and documents, Resilient Spirit makes history come alive. It honors the memory of all Japanese Americans incarcerated during World War II, their voice is a testament to courage and a reminder that such an injustice should never happen again.

An Internment Odyssey; Haisho Tenten; Tatsumi Hayashi, translator; Sheila Chun, Karleen Chinen, Joe Udell, editors. This translation of a memoir by Honolulu businessman and poet Suikei Furuya was first published in Japanese and tells the first-hand story of Furuya's sudden incarceration after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. He was torn from his family and sent on an arduous journey of imprisonment and emotional humiliation in harsh environmental conditions across seven states on the continental United States. Now, for the first time after fifty years, readers of English are able to share in Furuya's experience of spiritual and physical struggle in An Internment Odyssey. Through his poet's eye, he captures on page eleven thousand miles of an immigrant life turned upside-down and creates an important contribution to literature about race, ethnicity, and American identity.

Following a world premier at the Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF) and sold-out screenings across the state, The Untold Story: Internment of Japanese Americans in Hawai‘i is now available on DVD.

Produced by the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i, The Untold Story is the first full-length documentary to chronicle the internment experience of Japanese Americans in Hawai‘i. While the story of mass internment of Japanese Americans in California, Oregon and Washington has been well documented, very little is known about the internees and confinements sites in Hawai‘i.

This project was funded, in part, by a grant from the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant Program. Additional support was provided by the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i, Island Insurance Foundation, The Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation, and the Japanese American Citizens League - Honolulu Chapter.