{"id":1139,"date":"2026-06-13T09:01:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T00:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/secondnature-hawaii.com\/?p=1139"},"modified":"2026-07-13T05:34:42","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T20:34:42","slug":"ukulele-music-and-bodywork-therapy-in-the-forest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/secondnature-hawaii.com\/en\/blog\/ukulele-music-and-bodywork-therapy-in-the-forest\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukulele Music and Bodywork Therapy in the Forest: Healing for Body, Mind, and Spirit ~2026 Summer Solstice Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Gary
Gary and Takae welcome Takako, a popular bodywork therapist in Honolulu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s Summer Solstice Festival, held on June 13, offered a chance to connect with nature, enjoy healing workshops, and experience community spirit. World-renowned ukulele player Herb Ota Jr. (nicknamed \u201cJunior\u201d) and Takako, one of Hawaii\u2019s leading bodywork therapists, each led a mini workshop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Takako's
Takako’s brief therapy session for a shoulder issue<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Takako's
Takako’s one point lesson to align posture<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Thanks to Takako\u2019s simple, do-it-yourself posture-correction exercises and Junior\u2019s mini-ukulele class and impromptu gig, everyone gathered in our forest pavilion (constructed by volunteers with recycled and repurposed materials) was deeply healed, both mentally and physically. Junior and Takako, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedules to visit our farm event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
A world-renowned musician Herb Ohta, Jr.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Since the Autumnal Equinox Festival in September 2023, our farm\u2019s seasonal events\u2014held every three months, including the Winter Solstice Festival and the Spring Equinox Festival\u2014have now reached their 12th installment with this Summer Solstice Festival. Even in Hawaii, often called \u201ceternal summer islands,\u201d we wanted participants to feel the changing of the seasons firsthand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Even
Even ukulele beginners could immediately join the session<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Kapono
Kapono (right), a long-time student of Junior, assisting his mentor to help beginners<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We guide them through the changing scenery, with updates on our farm\u2019s progress, and they enjoy a delicious and fun potluck luncheon, featuring dishes made with vegetables and fruits harvested during the event season, as well as the items everyone brought to share, which fill the tables. It started with that intention, and as the number of events has increased, each has gradually developed its own unique character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Guiding
Guiding the update of the farm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

During the Spring Equinox Festival, we work together with participants on soil preparation, planting seedlings, and sowing seeds, all while praying for the cycle of nature, the symbiosis of diverse living things, and the healthy growth of our crops. The Summer Solstice Festival features workshops designed to build healthy bodies resilient to the sweltering heat and cultivate a mind in harmony with nature. The Autumn Equinox Festival features recipes made with crops harvested through our natural farming, allowing participants to experience the bounty and the fresh, delicious flavors of this approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then there\u2019s the Winter Solstice Festival at the end of the year, where we reflect on the past year and pray for each other\u2019s health and happiness\u2014in this way, a natural rhythm has gradually taken shape. Every time we met someone who shares our farm\u2019s philosophy, we discussed ideas like, \u201cCould we try something like this at the next event?\u201d and it seems each event\u2019s color of the seasons has naturally come to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Lively
Lively green leaves of turmeric<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Meyer's
Meyer’s lemons looking forward to the harvest season<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Our next seasonal event, the Autumnal Equinox Festival, is scheduled for a Saturday in September 2026, when the Ulu (breadfruit) begins to ripen in abundance. If you\u2019ve read this article and are interested in our farm\u2019s mission, we look forward to welcoming you \u2014 please get in touch with us via the \u201cContact Us<\/a>\u201d page to learn more and join us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"With
With Herb Ohta, Jr.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

(Photos courtesy of Seiju Nakai and Chihiro Kitagawa)<\/em><\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This year\u2019s Summer Solstice Festival, held on June 13, offered a chance to connect with nature, enjoy healing workshops, and experience community spirit. World-renowned ukulele player Herb Ota Jr. (nicknamed \u201cJunior\u201d) and Takako, one of Hawaii\u2019s leading bodywork therapists, each led a mini workshop. Thanks to Takako\u2019s simple, do-it-yourself posture-correction exercises and Junior\u2019s mini-ukulele class […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1142,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"swell_btn_cv_data":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1139","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-farms-records"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/secondnature-hawaii.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1139","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/secondnature-hawaii.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/secondnature-hawaii.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/secondnature-hawaii.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/secondnature-hawaii.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1139"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/secondnature-hawaii.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1139\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1160,"href":"https:\/\/secondnature-hawaii.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1139\/revisions\/1160"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/secondnature-hawaii.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1142"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/secondnature-hawaii.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1139"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/secondnature-hawaii.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1139"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/secondnature-hawaii.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1139"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}