US (HI): ‘Delicious flower’ comes to Kauai
Monday, near the end of his stay on Kauai, Otani sat under the windy, cold, and overcast skies, working with raffia and flowers to brighten the bleary conditions that enveloped the Kealia Farm market.
“He has published a book on lei,” said Elvrine Chow of Heavenly Haku. “He just showed up at the farmers market, Saturday after not being able to meet with Marina Pascua. Kauai Museum sent him to the farmers market.”
Unable to work on a lei at the Kauai Community Market, Otani returned to the Kealia Farm market armed with a collection of flowers, raffia and other supplies.
“At the flower markets in Japan, I tell them I’m looking for colors like cherry, or chocolate,” Otani said. “That led to the title of the book on lei — Umahana. ‘Umai’ translated is ‘delicious,’ and ‘hana’ is, of course, ‘flower.’ The name means delicious flower.”
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