The new issue of the Hawaii Herald is on stores now. This isn’t any issue, however, it’s our New Year’s special, a jam-packed edition containing three sections and an insert!

Inside you’ll find stories on the neighbor islands, New Year’s fiction works, the secret to Kapiolani Coffee Shop’s famous oxtail soup and the first of several selected stories by award-winning author Graham Salisbury.

Ring in 2009 and the Year of the Ox with the Hawaii Herald!

The Herald is available at Borders Books and Music in Kaneohe, Waikele Center and Victoria Ward Center; Best Sellers in downtown Honolulu; Shirokiya; the Kahala, Kaimuki, McCully, Waimalu and Waipahu Times Super Markets; and the Hawaii Hochi Office building located at:

917 Kokea St.
Honolulu, HI 96817

We can also be reached by phone at 808-845-2255.

• Get ready for an interview with Dr. Jack Fujimoto, the first Japanese American college president in the mainland United States.

• Unlike their counterparts in America, Japanese politicians are wary of harnessing the full power of the internet.

• Find out why asking, “What’s your blood type?” has become the equivalent of asking, “What’s your sign?” in Japan.

• A Japanese man and his touching reunion with his nanny - 60 years later.

• Learning to speak Japanese is a top priority in India.

• Meet Japan’s only full-time Barack Obama impersonator, Nozomu Sato. A man who suddenly finds himself in high demand.

• American and Japanese researchers crack the code of the deadly 1918 flu pandemic.

And just a friendly reminder from us at the Herald to have a happy and, most importantly, a safe New Year’s! See you all again in 2009!

Happy Holidays to everyone out there in cyberland. Hope it was a relaxing and a safe one - as always, we present to you interesting news from around the globe . . .

• A lengthy article on new Seattle Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu in the New York Times about his efforts to be a role model for fellow Japanese Americans.

• The art of ikebana is about patience . . . and silence.

• The Japanese fishing industry gets a lift from . . . technology?

• Japan loves American hamburgers - with a twist.

• Tracing the rise of the Japanese pickup truck in America.

• A Japanese-style garden aims to bring tranquility to the people of Nikkei Senior Gardens in Arleta, CA.

• TIME takes a look at the Japanese town of Kuzumaki, which kicked its dependence on oil.

• Not so great news for Japan’s economy.

They have been called the “greatest live band ever,” fusing together punk, reggae, jazz, rock, heavy metal and funk - not to mention influencing countless A-list musicians - for over 30 years.

They have endured musical trends and outlasted imitators despite a lack of mainstream radio play.

They are even clothing designers, recently teaming up with urban boutique giant Supreme on a fall line that hit stateside and Japan late last month.

They are Bad Brains, a dreadlocked quatro from Washington D.C., and for roughly two hours last night they turned Pipeline Cafe into a thumping mosh pit. Teengers and middle-aged rockers alike braved flash floods to attend this BAMP Project and watch the band perform both old classics and new material from their 2007 release Build a Nation.

Bad Brains did not disappoint.

Even in their 50s, the band still managed to generate a high energy performance reminiscent of their early hardcore days, when they played so loud that they were unofficially banned from D.C.-area clubs and were forced to relocate to New York. Lead singer H.R. was in his usual form, bowing and smiling in between delivering a rabid storm of lyrics. Dr. Know, his counterpart on guitar, set the mosh pit on fire with a storm of guitar solos.

But words don’t do Bad Brains justice, here’s some pictures from the show:

H.R. warming up the crowd . . .

And then in song . . .

From a bird’s eye view . . .

All in all it was a great show from a legendary music act. Who knows when they’ll be back, but if you want some Bad Brains gear and don’t happen to be in Los Angeles, New York or Japan, check out the band’s collaboration with Supreme.

• For Japanese companies, it’s important to invest in themselves - even in tough economic times.

• Big news for the Tule Lake Segregation Center. Here’s a hint: it involves the words National Historic Monument.

• After school taiko drumming classes inspire State Island youths.

• William “Mo” Marumoto, a former internee and White House aide to President Richard M. Nixon, passes away at the age of 73.

The new issue of the Hawaii Herald is in stands now!

Be sure to check it out for the third installment of Joe Udell’s Japan series, in which he ventures throughout Kyoto and winds up in the middle of nowhere . . .

Plus, a story on Milton Murayama and a review of his new book, Dying in a Strange Land, the final book in his tetralogy . . .

And meet new Herald columnist Kosaku Yada, a professional basketball player for the Tokyo Apache!

As always, there is much, much more inside!

The Herald is available at Borders Books and Music in Kaneohe, Waikele Center and Victoria Ward Center; Best Sellers in downtown Honolulu; Shirokiya; the Kahala, Kaimuki, McCully, Waimalu and Waipahu Times Super Markets; and the Hawaii Hochi Office building located at:

917 Kokea St.
Honolulu, HI 96817

We can also be reached by phone at 808-845-2255.