Iolani School eighth-grader Brett Watanabe gained insight on life last year while visiting Japan for the Ehime-Hawai'i youth baseball series.

"I will always remember going to the Memorial at the Uwajima (Fisheries) High School to pay our respects for the teachers and students who were lost as a result of the accident," 14-year-old Brett wrote in an essay. "It is important that we continue to build strong ties between Japan and Hawai'i, to try to let people know that we really care."

The baseball series has helped ease the pain after the February 2001 collision of the submarine USS Greeneville and the Ehime Maru off Diamond Head that killed nine people aboard the Japanese fisheries training vessel.

Now, the Japanese teams are visiting Hawai'i for games today and tomorrow.

The 53 Ehime players and supporters, here for four days, visited the Ehime Maru Memorial at Kaka'ako Park yesterday morning before heading out to Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park.

Masaki Seike, spokesman for the Ehime group, said it's becoming a challenge to keep the Japanese players from focusing only on the baseball series.

"It's important that they not forget who passed away in the incident, and also that by fostering friendship between Ehime and Hawai'i, we are able to remember them in a good way," Seike said.

The bond between Ehime prefecture on Shikoku island and Hawai'i comes straight from the heart, said Brett Watanabe's father, Curt "Tank" Watanabe, former Waipahu High and University of Hawai'i baseball star. He attended the memorial service last year with his son.

"When you're far away, you don't see the suffering they feel," Curt Watanabe said. "The grieving is still fresh. You place flowers on the memorial but when you see our own moms crying, I think it says a lot."

Baseball has contributed to the healing process by opening the door for friendship, said state Rep. Ken Ito, D-48th (Kane'ohe), chairman of the Ehime-Hawai'i Youth Baseball Exchange Program.

"People in Japan are aware that in Hawai'i, we care about what happened and something beautiful has come about from it," said Ito, who noted that Hawai'i and Ehime have officially developed a "sister state" relationship. "The kids there really look forward to coming to Hawai'i to play baseball."

"It's not only about playing baseball but showing people we care," said Punahou freshman V.J. Alcomindras, 15, who will be playing in his fourth Ehime-Hawai'i series. "I've enjoyed the whole travel experience and found that despite the language barrier, they're not really different from our guys."

The Japanese players, mostly from Ehime's capital of Matsuyama, were selected from tryouts and given special permission to take their middle-of-the-term tests next week to make the trip to Hawai'i, Seike said.

The friendships between the two island states have developed to where merchants in Matsuyama celebrate an "Aloha Day" on Aug. 1, selling made-in-Hawai'i products. "There's Hawaiian music and they even have their own halau that you would think was from Hawai'i," Ito said.

When Ehime last came to Hawai'i in 2003 to play, parents here introduced them to park potluck, recalled Roxanne Kamalu, whose son Keoni plays on the 15-and-under team.

"When we went up last year, the Uwajima parents did it for us," Kamalu said. "They mirrored what we did with the grill and fed us seafood. When they were here last, we found out the (Japanese) kids really liked hamburger steak with gravy."

That will be on the menu at today's Hawai'i potluck along with steaks, chicken and macaroni salad. "I'm sure someone will bring the poke," Kamalu said.

"It's an honor to play them in memory of the Ehime Maru," said Punahou sixth-grader Tyler Mizota, 12. "When we went to Japan, they showed us they cared about visitors from Hawai'i. I want them to feel the same way, that we care for people here."

Reach Rod Ohira at rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com.