It's game on in today's episode as we sit down with Aunty Helen Nakano, the enthusiastic founder of Hanafuda Hawaiʻi. From her childhood in the 1940s on South King Street to teaching across Kauaʻi and Japan, Aunty Helen shares her journey of reviving the traditional Japanese card game, Hanafuda, for players across the islands. Learn how she’s using these “flower cards” to bridge generations and inspire joy in players from ages 5 to 104 including at kūpuna centers, correctional facilities and local schools. Discover the story behind the latest Hanafuda Pilina cards, which celebrate Hawaiʻi’s native flora and fauna, and hear her practical advice on how to be an engaged citizen in your home community. Mahalo for tuning in to this conversation about heritage and the power of play - all recorded in a karaoke room in Mānoa!

Episode Highlights

0:22 Intro to Aunty Helen Nakano

1:28 Childhood in the heart of Honolulu on South King Street

3:27 Becoming a teacher - teaching on Kauaʻi and in Japan

5:03 Hanafuda or "Flower Cards"-  a Japanese card game

6:25 Playing with her grandchild 2,500 miles away

9:20 Founding Hanafuda Hawaiʻi

11:05 Hanafuda Pilina cards about Hawaiʻi's native flora and fauna

13:34 Thursday Hanafuda days at Nā Kūpuna Makamae

15:19  Players are 5 to 104 years old

17:20 Win-Win: One person's junk, another person's treasure

19:25 Hanafuda tournaments at a women's correctional facility

23:26 Hanafuda kits for Hawaiʻi's 4th grade teachers

25:17 Sharing knowledge and making it simple

26:38  A mover and a shaker: tips to become an active citizen

Host and Producer: Molly Mamaril

Guitarist: Amund Gismervik