Aloha Pickleballer You Should Know: Jody Kamisato
Aloha Pickleballer You Should Know Jody Kamisato, performing in Poland
Honolulu: The definition of an “Aloha Pickleballer” is someone who spreads aloha at the courts and beyond. And that’s exactly what Jody Kamisato is all about.
I met Jody at the courts one day, and later found out that he owns and runs the Ukulele Hale, a ukulele school and studio. Interesting!
But I also learned that for around a decade, he’s been a volunteer with HUGS, a non-profit organization that supports children with a life-threatening illness (and their families). He and his Ukulele Hale Youth Leadership Team play games and watch movies with the children of HUGS, and perform at Respite Nights and Celebration of Life events.
He recently had the opportunity to create a show and perform on a Disney cruise ship with Honoka, which was a career highlight, but he admitted that the first thing he looked for when he boarded the ship was a pickleball court!
Learn more about Jody Kamisato, pickleball devotee and ukulele visionary, and our Aloha Pickleballer You Should Know!
Jody (front 2nd from left) with the HK Crew
Let’s start out with the “Hawaii” question…where did you grow up and what high school did you go to?
I was born and raised in Hawai'i, I went to Kaiser High School, go Cougars! Class of 1995.
How and when did you discover pickleball?
Kind of late in the game. During COVID, my brother Kelly, who is four years younger, took pickleball lessons. He called me up and said “Jody, you gotta come out, it’s gonna be a lot of fun. Trust me.”
So, he ended up buying a net, and we went to Kaimuki Community Park, and it was my first time ever playing pickleball…honestly, I had no idea what pickleball was. I thought it was like tennis, but it looked like ping pong, and I was like, “what is this game?”
And then he mentioned “kitchen” and I got hooked (laughs).
But I remember picking up the paddle and thinking “this is such a fun game.” It’s competitive, but there’s a relatively fast learning curve, so I got hooked the first match that we had, and here I am a year later, playing pickleball 5-6 times a week.
I feel there are a lot of similarities between ukulele and pickleball…what I mean by that is going from a technical part, like learning to play pickleball, you have the strokes, it’s the same thing as learning and picking up the ukulele. Your technique is so important.
So, I love those challenges, where you have to learn the proper techniques, it takes a lot of practice, and then you set goals.
Jody at his Ukulele Hale Studio with his students
Tell us about your journey with the ukulele.
My journey started when I was a kid. My Dad was in a surf rock band called “The Morticians”. He played the lead guitar, but he also played a little bit of ukulele, and so did my Grandma…the only way she could keep my attention was to play the ukulele. On the weekends, she would take out her ukulele, and that’s where I got my interest.
And then, I kind of lost interest and got back into it in high school. There was a band called “Pure Heart”—John Yamasato, Lopaka Colon, and of course, Jake Shimabukuro played the ukulele. Just blew me away. So, I called him up and said “hey, can I sign up for lessons?” and a few months later, started taking lessons with Jake.
I started to really get into it, I would practice for hours on end, like 8 hours a day sometimes. This was a little after high school.
About a year later, Jake opened a school called Ukulele Academy in Hawai’i Kai, where Costco is now. And he asked me to teach with him, and that’s how I got my start teaching…I fell in love with teaching.
And then a year later, he ended up closing his school, because he got so famous and popular as a performer—he was never there at the school. His younger brother, Bruce, and I, continued to teach in their garage in Kaimuki.
So…humble beginnings.
And then, a few years later, we found this current location, here in Kaimuki, on 12th Avenue, and I’ve been teaching ever since. It’s been 23 years.
Jody playing the ukulele at the Soweto camp in South Africa
What paddle are you currently using?
I’m currently using the SIXZERO Double Black Diamond 14MM.
Is there a question you wanted me to ask you that I didn’t?
Hmmm…..I’d say, “what is your other mission in life?”
Do tell.
My other mission in life is to find the world’s best burger.
What is currently in contention?
Ooooh, it’s unfortunate, because they’re no longer here, but one of my favorite burgers was Alan Wong’s Pineapple Room…they had the best, juiciest burger, homemade buns, juicy, crispy on the outside. Since they’re not around anymore, I need your help, if you have anything in mind, please recommend it, I’d be happy to try it, because I’m on a quest…a quest to find the world’s best burger!
Any last thoughts?
How about combining pickleball and ukulele? We could do a tour!
Jody’s two worlds: playing PB in Setagaya 🇯🇵 and performing with Honoka in Poland
Jody joined me on video to talk about his work with the non-profit organization HUGS, and he describes when he experienced first hand how music transcends culture and why it’s the universal language of mankind. He also reveals a new and exciting project that he’s working on and gives us a tour of his studio!
Connect with Jody on facebook and Insta: @ukulelehale and on the web at: https://ukulelehale.squarespace.com/
