When news of the disappearance of Masumi Watanabe spread from Honolulu to Japan last April, a friend of the stricken family quietly sat down and began to painstakingly craft 1,000 origami cranes, or Senbazuru, the traditional Japanese symbol of peace and good luck.

Meanwhile, a Japanese woman living in Honolulu, touched by the story of the shy young visitor from Japan whose body has never been found, fashioned her own Senbazuru as a gesture of sympathy to the grieving family.

Today, both sets of Senbazuru, from either side of the ocean, will come together in a memorial service for Watanabe that's aimed at comforting members of the Watanabe family well as those in Hawai'i who wish to express their condolences.

"Masumi's parents, who arrived on Wednesday, brought the man's thousand cranes with them from Japan for the service," said Bob Iinuma, who arranged the memorial. "And on Thursday, the lady from Honolulu finally met the mother and presented her with the thousand cranes she made. So, we're going to be using those two sets."

By now most people in Hawai'i know the tragic story of Watanabe, a 21-year-old Japanese exchange student who was last seen one year ago this morning during her regular walk along Pupukea Road on O'ahu's North Shore.

Since that day, accounts of the woman's disappearance, presumed death, the arrest of pest-control technician Kirk Lankford as a suspect in her disappearance, and a sensational weeks-long trial, have made headlines in Hawai'i and Japan.

But this morning at 10 a.m. the public is invited to attend the memorial at Kawaiaha'o Church, during which the sordid details surrounding Watanabe's death will momentarily be set aside.

"The purpose of this memorial service is to express the heartfelt sorrow and sympathy of the people of Hawai'i to the Watanabe family," reads the invitation. "Hopefully, this service will begin the healing that is in great need by Masumi Watanabe's family and the people of Hawai'i."

The eulogy will be given by Watanabe's father, Hideichi Watanabe. The journey to Honolulu will be one of numerous trips he and his wife, Fumiko, have made to Hawai'i in the past 12 months. The couple have been joined this week by Masumi's two older brothers, the first time the whole family will be here together since Masumi disappeared.

Jessica Lani Rich, executive director of the Visitor Aloha Society of Hawaii, who has been a spokeswoman for the Watanabe family in the past, said it is difficult for her to comprehend what the family has gone through.

"On this one-year anniversary I can't even imagine what they are feeling," said Rich, who will be among those attending today's memorial. "But it should bring them some comfort to know that there are a lot of people in the community who care about what happened to Masumi, share in the family's loss, and offer their love and support during this tragic time."

According to a family background statement Rich wrote for www.findMasumi.org — a Web site devoted to Watanabe — Masumi was born and raised on the island of Sado, part of Japan's Niigata prefecture.

She was interested in Internet games, pop music and movies, and she showed an artistic flair in sketches of animals, particularly beagles, basset hounds and collies.

Watanabe visited Hawai'i briefly for the first time in September 2006 and was so moved by O'ahu's beauty that she returned several months later for a longer stay with a relative in Pupukea. Her parents had hoped the extended Hawai'i stay might build her confidence.

One of her favorite pastimes on O'ahu was doing volunteer work at Sunset Elementary School and interacting with students. Another pleasure was taking morning walks along Pupukea Road.

Iinuma, a 52-year-old Waipahu mortgage broker, created Watanabe's Web site as a way to help authorities locate the woman's body. He said he was moved to do something because he felt so bad for Watanabe's family.

He knew that finding the body would represent closure to them. But before going online with the Web site on Oct. 10, 2007, Iinuma contacted the parents to get their permission. The couple gave their approval in the hope that it might spare some other young woman from a similar fate.

"I told them, 'I believe she is going to be found,' " he said.

As time passed and the first anniversary of Watanabe's disappearance drew nearer, Iinuma said he concluded that a memorial might be a way of bringing some kind of closure for the family.

"I definitely still think that she will be found — more so now than I did before," said Iinuma, who attended Lankford's trial from the day it began until Thursday, when the case was turned over to the jury.

But www.findMasumi.org now has a life of its own for Watanabe, he said — with its Condolence Album, Prayer Book, Media Reports, How to Help, and Meet Masumi links.

"Oh, yes, the Web site will remain," Iinuma said. "Not only until she's found, but even after that."

It will be a tribute to Watanabe for those who care from each side of the ocean, he said.