Do You Love Sushi?

“I Love Sushi,” a traveling exhibition sponsored by the internationally renowned Japan Foundation, opens on June 27 at the Hawaii Japanese Center in Hilo.

The world-traveling exhibit pays recognition to sushi’s immense popularity all over the world, dating back to its introduction to Japan over 1,000 years ago. “I Love Sushi” artfully tells the story of sushi’s key transformations over time and offers visitors a look into how sushi evolved from its ancient origins into a global culinary phenomenon.

The exhibition is produced by the prestigious Japan Foundation headquartered in Tokyo. The exhibit’s showing in Hawaii is coordinated by the Consulate General of Japan in Honolulu in coordination with the Hawaii Japanese Center. The visually stunning presentation includes ukiyo-e paintings, woodblock prints, video installations, and scale models of realistically depicted seafood, reproductions of sushi, and even a replica of a Japanese sushi restaurant.

“I Love Sushi” also touches on broader aspects of Japanese history and culture, as sushi has undergone many transformations as it adapted to the environment, climate, and lifestyle of Japan. Nigirizushi, for example, a small mound of rice topped with raw fish or other ingredients originated about 200 years ago in Edo (Tokyo). Hawaii itself is of course no stranger to its own multiethnic traditions involving raw fish and rice.

“I Love Sushi” opens Saturday, June 27 and closes Saturday, August 22 at the Hawaii Japanese Center (HJC), located at 751 Kanoelehua Avenue. HJC is open Wednesday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Admission is free. For more information, email HJC at info@hawaiijapanesecenter.com or call (808) 934-9611.