The Rotary Club of Pearl Harbor in coordination with the Rotary Clubs of Hickam Pearl Harbor and Hilo along with Journey to Peace Hawaii, the 100th Battalion Veterans Association, and the West Point Association of Hawaii are sponsoring an Unveiling Ceremony dedicating Storyboards in honor of Richard Miyashiro founder of the Cafe 100 in Hilo and a combat veteran of the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team Nisei Warriors during World War II.
The ceremony will take place on Monday, 13 April 20226 at 10:30AM at the 100th Cafe in Hilo (see invitation)
Below is a synopsis of the upcoming event which was recently published in the the 100th BN newsletter by Kathi Hayashi, President and Education Chair:
Richard Miyashiro and Cafe 100 in Hilo -Presentation of Historical Poster – April 13, 2026 – Fyi - The community organizers changed this event date from April 6 published in the February PPP to April 13 since April 6 is Easter Monday.
It feels so good when people in the community feel compelled to do something special to honor the 100th Infantry Battalion. In this case, Café 100, the locally famous legacy of 100th Battalion soldier, Richard Miyashiro, who named his eatery after his unit. Beyond the ono food, Mr. Miyashiro provided a needed sanctuary with a private room for the veterans to decompress and share time, no words needed, of the horrors they experienced in war.
Well, just like “The 100TH, Seeds of Aloha” theme, a little seed of kindness can grow into a beautiful Giving Tree. The current owner, Mari Kobayashi Leung, is the daughter of Gloria Kobayashi, thus granddaughter of Richard Miyashiro. In planning for the presentation of the poster, we’ve all become friends.
Mari and the Miyashiro family are so grateful and look forward to celebrating their 100th Patriarch and the One Puka Puka unit that proudly bears Café 100’s name. Mari said receiving the special gift in 2026 is perfect, “What a wonderful way to start 2026! This year Cafe 100, Inc will be 80 years old…”. There will be a presentation of the poster and a few speeches. Thank you to Isami Yoshihara [brother of Hisashi Yoshihara (A)] and Amy Kwong [granddaughter of Eugene Kawakami (A)] for helping with edits for historical accuracy. It is a beautiful poster and I’ll share it in the next issue. If you can’t wait, let’s go and celebrate with our 100th Big Island family. I’m going and I hear around 5 other Club members are making plans to attend. It will be fun to connect and savor the original “Loco Moco” recipe created by Richard Miyashiro.
The tree of Aloha spread out even wider as Stephen and Chris are involved with an organization called “Journey to Peace.” I connected them with the Thomas Taro Higa family and please read the article in this edition by COL Chris Moylan on how they recognized 100th Veteran Higa and his personal commitment to help the world heal post war.
Here is some information that may help that we as Rotarians may be able to spread to members and neighbor in need of help. With the severe weather Hawai‘i has had and more in the forecast, along with the damage it has already caused across the state, there are resources available to assist residents with recovery and relief.
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 P.O. Box 3325 Honolulu, Hawaii 96801 |
