奈良鑑三氏 北海道新聞「ひと」2017年
設立45周年を迎えたハワイ北海道人会の会長
奈良鑑三さん
「北海道で生まれ育って18年、来年でハワイに住んで18年になる。人生の半分ずつを過ごしたハワイと北海道が友好提携を結んだ。何より幸せ」。北海道と米国ハワイ州の友好提携を記念して8日にホノルルで開かれた式典であいさつに立った。
ハワイ北海道人会はオアフ島の道内出身者の親睦を目的とし1972年発足。会員は約120人で2015年に会長に就任した。
父が日本人、母が米国人で、小樽や紋別などで育った。札幌の高校を中退後、日夜アルバイトをして移住費用をため、ハワイの州立大学に入学。卒業後はホノルルの旅行会社で働きながらハワイ大に通い、06年にIT会社を設立した。日本語と英語に対応するウェブデザイン会社として、日米双方の企業を顧客としている。ハワイで初のIT専門学校も開校した。
経営が軌道に乗り「ふるさとに関わるボランティアを」と参加したのが道人会だった。公式ホームページの作成やNPO法人化に取り組んだ。友好提携の式典は、道人会の設立45周年も祝い、開催準備に奔走した。
昨年10月、神奈川県出身の妻との間に長男今人（いまじん）ちゃんが生まれた。将来はハワイと対照的な北海道の冬を経験し、日本の教育も受けて欲しいと願う。「友好提携は新たな関係のスタート。道人会が、これからも北海道とハワイ、太平洋を繋ぐ架け橋でありたい」熱い思いを語る35歳。 （竹中達哉）
Kanzo Nara: Hokkaido Shimbun “Person” 2017
President of the Hokkaido Club of Hawaii, which celebrated its 45th anniversary
“I spent 18 years growing up in Hokkaido, and next year it will be 18 years since I moved to Hawaii. Hokkaido and Hawaii, where I have spent half of my life each, have established a friendship agreement. I couldn’t be happier.” He gave this greeting at the ceremony held on the 8th in Honolulu to commemorate the friendship agreement between Hokkaido and the State of Hawaii in the United States.
The Hokkaido Club of Hawaii was established in 1972 with the purpose of fostering friendships among people from Hokkaido living on the island of Oahu. With about 120 members, Kanzo Nara was appointed president in 2015.
His father is Japanese, and his mother is American. He grew up in places like Otaru and Monbetsu. After dropping out of high school in Sapporo, he worked part-time day and night to save up for relocation expenses and enrolled in a state university in Hawaii. After graduating, he worked for a travel agency in Honolulu while attending the University of Hawaii and founded an IT company in 2006. His web design company caters to both Japanese and American businesses, offering services in both Japanese and English. He also opened Hawaii’s first IT vocational school.
With his business on track, he participated in the Hokkaido Club of Hawaii as a volunteer to “connect with his hometown.” He worked on creating the official website and establishing it as a non-profit organization. The friendship agreement ceremony also celebrated the 45th anniversary of the Hokkaido Club of Hawaii, and he was busy preparing for the event.
In October last year, his first son, Imagine, was born with his wife, who is from Kanagawa Prefecture. He hopes that in the future, his son will experience Hokkaido’s contrasting winter and receive an education in Japan. “The friendship agreement is the start of a new relationship. I want the Hokkaido Club of Hawaii to continue being a bridge connecting Hokkaido, Hawaii, and the Pacific.” Nara, 35, passionately expresses his thoughts. (Tatsuya Takenaka)
