Konnichi-wa and Aloha!
The 4th Annual Japan-Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival (J-FESTA) was held on Friday, July 11, 2025 at the Royal Grove Stage in Waikīkī's Royal Hawaiian Center.
The 2025 festival featured seven steel guitarists and steel guitar groups from Japan. Performers included Michiyo Fujita, Shinichi Kakiuchi, Yukio Katagiri, Kiyoshi "Lion" Kobayashi, Masami "Matt" Kobayashi, Paul Okubo, and Masami Sato & Makana.
The Japan-Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival is a collaborative project between HIMELE and Japanese steel guitar planners to bring Japanese steel guitar players to Honolulu to showcase their talents. The Royal Hawaiian Center will provide the Royal Grove Stage and other support for this project.
The festival is a culmination of years of planning with Hawai‘i and Japanese planners, including Japanese steel guitarist Tadashi Arakawa who passed away in early 2022. The 1st annual festival was dedicated to him in his honor.
The 2025 festival was a part of the weeklong 2025 Waikīkī Steel Guitar Week, a celebration of the Hawaiian Steel Guitar that was held during the week of July 6-12, 2025. The festival was livestreamed.
Would you like to participate next year? Please feel free to contact us in Japanese at JAPAN@HIMELE.ORG. Please click on the CONTACT button or see the contact page.
About the Line App
In Japan, the Line app is used more than email or TEXT, so as a convenience it is referenced here.
The app works on Smartphones (iPhone or Android) and Windows PCs. You'll need the app installed before you can access any Line accounts including the J-FESTA account.
Use your smartphone's camera to read the QR code and take you to the Line website (or click on the "Add Friend" button) where you will either access the J-FESTA page (if you have the app already installed) or be directed to the appropriate source to download and install the app. On a Windows machine click on the "Learn More" link that will take you to the Line home page. Scroll down to view the app download links.
2025 Festival Poster
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Statewide Festivals
Kaua‘i Steel Guitar Festival
Maui Steel Guitar Festival
Waikīkī Steel Guitar Week
Hawai‘i Island Steel Guitar Festival
Japan-Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival
Kona Steel Guitar Festival
Community Festivals
Ka Makana Ali‘i – Kapolei
Windward Mall – Kāne‘ohe
Keiki Kine – O‘ahu
Livestream Hawaiian Steel Guitar Showcase