Konnichi-wa and Aloha!

The 2^nd Annual Japan-Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival was held on Friday, July 14, 2023 at the Royal Grove Stage in Waikīkī's Royal Hawaiian Center.

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 is providing 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 1^st annual festival was dedicated to him in his honor.

The 2023 festival was a part of the weeklong 2023 Waikīkī Steel Guitar Week, a celebration of the Hawaiian Steel Guitar that was held during the week of July 10-15, 2023.