The books are The Companies We Keep & The Companies We Keep 2. They're written with the help of my students at Hawaii Pacific University. They're available at most Hawaii bookstores and http://www.CompaniesWeKeep.com

A visitor from Japan came to my Rotary club and asked if anyone knew who the first person from Hawaii was to go to Japan. Several of us knew it was King David Kalakaua in 1881. It inspired me to look up more information about his visit and I put it in my second book.

I also wondered who was the first person from Japan to come to Hawaii, and learned about Manjiro, and his story is in the book as well.

I also wrote about Pearl Harbor: How Col. Billy Mitchell predicted in 1923 that the Japanese would attack PH on a Sunday morning at 7:30 (it was actually 7:55 AM); and Japan's fatal miscalculation in the attack – leaving our dry docks, ship yard, sub base and fuel depot untouched, which allowed the US to re-float and repair its ships, and turn the tide of the war just 6 months later at the battle of Midway.

The second book also talks about Seiichi Toguchi, a man who was interned during WWII because he had lived in Japan as a boy. He learned to cook there and opened Highway Inn when he was released, 63 years ago.

Additionally, it has the story of a replica of Iolani Palace, built at the Sapporo Snow Festival in 1982, a story about Yoshiaki Tsutsumi, Marilyn Monroe's honeymoon in Hawaii, Japan and Korea, where she entertained the troops, and Hitachi, using a monkeypod tree at Moanalua Gardens for its logo.

My first The Companies We Keep book talks about the dozens of Hawaii companies that have connections to Japan, such as Shirokiya, JTB, Kozo Sushi or Daiei. It has the meaning of Hawaii restaurants and shops with Japanese names, and stories behind the names.

I write about the Japanese Charity Hospital that became Kuakini Hospital. Emperors Taisho and Hirohito contributed to it.

Interestingly, over 250 Hawaii restaurants were started by people from Okinawa, including over 70 from just one village there.

My upcoming book will have several stories about Hawaii and Japan, including why some many people in Hawaii trace their ancestry to Kyushu and southern Honshu, and Okinawa's greatest cultural export. Developed in the 1600s, but first demonstrated outside Japan in 1927 at the Nuuanu YMCA – Karate.

My books are interesting stories about Hawaii people, places and companies, not just about Hawaii and Japan. If you know if any great stories I've overlooked, please ket me know. Aloha,

Bob Sigall

sigall@yahoo.com

Would you like to introduce to us the 2 books you have written. Some readers may have an interest in those also.

Again, thanks. This is a great piece of history for Japan and Hawaii.

Hope it was ok to show the video here?