Islands apart

We found that the vibe in Hawaii was basically opposite of Japan: “hang loose” vs “do your best”. In Japan you would never see girls riding around on mopeds in bikinis, or shirtless men running barefoot down the sidewalk, or old women sunbathing in thongs…but those are everyday sights in Hawaii. It was fun to see the vibrancy of the Hawaiians, but it took some getting used to, coming from a place where people wear full-body coverage to go for a run AND to the beach!

Japan in Hawaii

Since Nana has not been able to come to Japan, we found a few things that reminded us of Japan and shared those with her:

1. 7Eleven - it wasn’t quite the same (though probably more Japanese influence than other state’s stores)… I don’t think she got the allure, but the kids were very excited to check it out 😅

2. musubi - it's pretty easy to find rice balls in Hawaii, but instead of being stuffed with fish or pickled seaweed, they mostly use Spam! (There are actually a lot of Japanese restaurants, too, but we couldn't bring ourselves to spend triple what it costs back home)

3. Temple visit - the Byodo-in Temple was designed as a replica of the famous Byodo-in temple outside Kyoto (a UNESCO World Heritage site, originally built in 1052). It felt very familiar, minus the fresh coconuts for sale, and the backdrop of vertical valleys.

A bit of Japan in Hawaii

Pure Hawaii

During our trip we spent some time learning more about the culture and history of Hawaii, too. One place we went was the palace of King Kalākaua (and subsequently his sister, Queen Liliʻuokalani).

Kalākaua seemed like a pretty cool guy…he loved to visit other countries and bring back interesting things he found overseas. (He was actually the first monarch to circumnavigate the world.) He also promoted global education for Hawaiian children. And he threw big parties (bringing hula back to popularity, and mastering the ukele so that he could perform with a hand-selected group of musicians called the King's Singing Boys).

Unfortunately, he got tangled up in a bribe and lost a lot of his power before he died. His sister then took over as queen, but she only had 2 years in the role before the monarch was overthrown and Hawaii was annexed to the United States.

'Iolani Palace

Another educational experience was the Bishop Museum, where we saw lots of ancient indigenous artifacts and also learned about the oceans, volcanoes, flora and fauna that make up Hawaii.

Making waves, wind, and lava

And of course we spent lots of time outside enjoying the sun and the sand…Mostly at Waikiki Beach, but we also went to Hanauma Bay. It is a beautiful calm bay with lots of coral reef, and as a result, lots of aquatic life. We did some snorkeling there and spotted a few colorful fish! We also spotted a few mongoose (mongeese?) checking unattended picnic blankets.

Hanauma Bay

E, M, and I even got to do a sunrise paddleboard tour. We paddled out past the breakers and over to a shelf reef that our guide called “Turtle Canyon”. There we found lots of large Green Sea Turtles, some tropical fish, and even a pod of dolphins passing through.

Sunrise paddle

Aside from some sinus issues due to Vog (poor air quality caused by volcanic emissions), and G having to endure multiple scans at the hospital, it turned out to be a pretty good trip to Hawaii. And the best part was that G got a clean bill of health!!!

A hui hou, Hawaii (until we meet again)!