The 2013 Maui Matsuri festivities will begin on Friday, May 10th with the Matsuri Movie Night from 6:30p to 9:00p and the Matsuri Festival on Saturday, May 11th from 2:00p to 9:00p.  The Movie Night and the Matsuri Festival will be held on the campus of the University of Hawaii - Maui College on the Great Lawn.

The 13th Annual Maui Matsuri is a free admission event to the public produced by a volunteer team.  The 12th Annual Maui Matsuri held in 2012 had more than 10,000 people in attendance.  (2013 マウイ祭り詳細)

Read more: 2013 Fact Sheet

Maui Matsuri

  • icon Maui Matsuri: - Maui Matsuri organizers today announced the winners of various contests held at the 13th Annual Maui Matsuri held on May 10-11, at University of Hawaii - Maui College. The event celebrated Japanese culture with offerings of food, art, crafts and entertainment. Included in the cultural matsuri, or festival, were contests involving pieces of Japanese culture. The best noodle eaters in this year's annual Sam Sato Saimin contest were: Adult Division - Tyler Orikasa, first; Clancy Wolf, second; and Lani Gleason, third; Children's Division - Gabe Salazar, first; Mika Suzuki, second; and Kamalani Eldredge, third. Natto is a Japanese delicacy of fermented soy beans. The winners of the Iwamoto Natto Eating Contest were: Adult Division - Casey Ota, first place; Charles Araki, second place; and Jonathan Forte, third place; Children's Division - Devyn Kochi, first; AJ Bianco, second; and Dean Omura. The third annual Hanafuda/Sakura tournament, which was sponsored by Hale Mahaolu, was won by Tara Ulep (advance division) and Kayla Ewing (beginning division). The winners for the manga art contest were: 3rd-5th grade - Alyssa Ferreira, first; Joshua Krueger, second; and Jasmine Keith Tunac, third; 6th-8th grade - Alyssa Fusato, first; Keanna Wright, second; and Chayse Tamaki, third; 9th-12 grade- Sabrina Futch, first; Rhiannon Hernandez, second; and Kaili Mossman, third. The winners for the traditional art contest were: 3rd-5th grade - Emma Fusato, first; Sarah Fusato, second; and Brandon Kwock-Fukuda, third; 6th-8th grade - Frances Cabulisan, first; Laura Dodson, second; and Frances Cabulisan, third; 9th-12th grade - Aysha Ishibayashi-Rincon, first; Jovelle Ziela Cabulisan, second; and Joselle Cabulisan, third. Both the manga and traditional art contests were sponsored by A & B Properties, Inc. A cosplay contest was held and sponsored by Sanrio Kaahumanu. The cosplay competition involved contestants dressing up as anime or manga characters. The winners of the Hallway Cosplay Contest in the student division were: Anna Maiwa, first; Xin Yun Cao, second; and Rachel Inouye, third. In the adult division, the Hallway Cosplay winners were Marc Cabalo, first; Yvonne Ladera, second; and Megan, third. The winners of the Cosplay Showcase were: Rachel Inouye, first; Marc Cabalo, second; and Lilina Ernzer, third. The Video Game Tournament winners were: Victor Le, first place; Anna Maiwa, second; and Kainalu Sano, third. Shinnyo-En Maui was the winner of the craft booth decorating contest, and TJ’s Warehouse Outlet took the food booth decorating contest. The winning organizations each received $100 cash. The 2013 Maui Matsuri was presented by the Japanese Cultural Society of Maui. Major supporters were Hawaii Tourism Authority and the County of Maui. Major sponsors were IBEW Local Union 1186, Island Honda, Maui Taiko, Oceanic Time Warner Cable, and University of Hawaii - Maui College. For more information on sponsorship opportunities for the 2014 Maui Matsuri, call the Matsuri Hotline at 283-9999. 4 days ago
  • icon Maui Matsuri: Congratulations to Kayla Ewing on winning the Maui Matsuri Hanafuda Tournament in the Beginner Division category! 6 days ago
  • icon Maui Matsuri: Congratulations to Tara Ulep on winning the Maui Matsuri Hanafuda Tournament in the Advanced Division category! 6 days ago

JCSM

  • icon Brian Nagami: Hope to see you all at Maui Matsuri today at UH Maui College from 2PM to 9PM! Check out schedule on the website! Food, exhibits, performances, demonstrations, crafts! Bon Dance starts at 7:30PM :) 1 week ago
  • icon Brian Nagami: THIS THURSDAY (May 9; 6PM-7:30PM)! 17th generation craftsman Hiroji Hashimoto will be sharing the arts of Hyottoko dance and mask making. You'll have the opportunity to paint your own mask - an art that Mr. Hashimoto's family has been perpetuating for over 300 years! The activity is only $10 per person! Space is limited to the first 100 participants - call Annette Matsuda at 385-0714 to reserve your space! Maui Taiko visited Mr. Hashimoto at his store "Ebisuya" last summer. Our visit was so compelling, we knew we had to bring him over for Matsuri! Here's a video of our visit. FYI - Mr. Hashimoto (the guy dancing) is over 70 years old! Hope to see you, your friends, parents, and kids at the workshop! 1 week ago
  • icon Brian Nagami: Tonight we're kicking off Maui Matsuri at Queen Kaahumanu Shopping Center! Maui Taiko starts it all off with a bang at 6:30PM! Dancing, Hello Kitty, Kimono Fashion Show, and finished off with an Obon Dance Practice. Hope to see you there! 2 weeks ago