Friends, family, fans and local celebrities turned out for Na Hoku Hanohano Award winner Pali Kaaihue’s CD release party last night at The Willows. “All In” is his first solo effort and features his instrumental talent through 10 songs. His…
On our first free day with the train pass from H.I.S., Scott Suzui of Ultimate Japan decided that we should do something easy. Nara is about 30 to 40 minutes away, with one transfer. So, off we went. You probably…
As you may have noticed, I’m a week behind in posting my blogs. Every day, as you will see in the coming blog posts, was a packed schedule of activities. Osaka is a city that is a feast for the…
I rarely do IRL focus subjects twice, but this was a special case. Two years ago, I interviewed my niece, Ahnya Chang, who had been directing the Gridiron Show every year for a few years. That was the last annual…
You may have seen a lot of buzz in social media about how travel agency H.I.S. ran some crazy cheap round trip fares from Honolulu to Osaka for the summer, starting at $300. Although summers are notoriously hot in Asia,…
The Signature Prime Steak & Seafood has gotten quite a bit of buzz since it opened in the old Nicholas Nickolas/Aaron’s/The Summit space at the top of the Ala Moana Hotel a month ago. It had not been operated as…
Have you heard of the women’s apparel store, Calypso St. Barth? I had not, until I got invited to their opening at Royal Hawaiian Center, but I’m not as elevated in consciousness about fashion as Tyson or Amanda, our fashion…
Panya, the Hong Kong-style bistro, has moved its flagship restaurant from Ala Moana Center to Hokua in the former P.F. Chang’s space. They held their grand re-opening party last night to introduce their staff, show off their food and bar…
As you know, Hawaii-based pancakes are a big fad in Japan and several local restaurants have opened branches there — to crowds that stand in line for two to three hours just for breakfast. In yesterday’s blog about my Top…
For some strange reason, Hawaii pancakes are the rage in Japan now. A few locally owned restaurants have opened branches in Japan, where customers happily endure a two-to-three-hour wait just to enjoy breakfast. Do they think our pancakes are higher…
People are always asking me where to take their out of town guests — some here in Hawaii for the first time, whereas others have been here many times. It got so frequent that I once made a handy dandy…
As we talked about in a recent Hawaii: In Real Life video, The Aloha Project held its first big fundraiser for its current service project, to build a secondary school in Sierra Leone. The event was held on the USS…
It took a while, but here’s my wrap-up of my trip to Taipei, thanks to Hawaiian Airlines, who launched direct service there and invited me along on the inaugural flight. With so many Taiwanese in Hawaii, there’s no reason not…
I should be finished with my blog series by now, if not for connectivity problems with Verizon. Ah, technology!I was fortunate to have had not one, but two last days in Taipei. My first round of last bites was with…
I’m not going to candy-coat it: the difference between what a Westerner makes in Shanghai, and a local Chinese person, is dramatically different. Laowai (foreigners) make a lot more money, and you might find Chinese senior executives making way less…
I have to interrupt my Asia blogs with an important episode of Hawaii: In Real Life, since time is of the essence. You see, there’s a new nonprofit organization in Hawaii, started by a group of business and community leaders,…
There are three things you will want to do in Shanghai to really get a look at their culture: If you’re a shopper, go to the counterfeit market; even if you’re not a shopper, go to the marriage market; and…
Shanghai is known for their food: street food, fancy food, ethnic food (including the minorities in China), Western food, and more. Beyond sightseeing and shopping, which can be done in a few days, all of your other time in Shanghai…
Aside from the various districts, Shanghai is divided into two distinct areas: Puxi, the main city; and Pudong, where the tallest buildings are. You will see a lot of tall buildings on the Puxi side, but they are a mix…
I left Taipei for a quick detour to visit my niece Cymri in Shanghai, which is about a $400 round trip at this time of year. I had not been to Shanghai since maybe 1983, when it was still very…
The line for shao bing at Hua Shan Market, 7 a.m.When in Taiwan, you have to try a traditional breakfast at least once. Jook or congee is good, but you have to go out to get a freshly-baked shao bing,…
I actually wanted to break this blog up into two parts because we covered so much ground in one day. The photos here, as usual, are just the highlights, but you’ll be amazed when you check out the full gallery…
Our tour guide, Theresa, at right, with Sherrie from Big Island Candies.Back to our regular programming … we had a full day, with a tour of the National Palace Museum, Taipei 101, and lunch at Din Tai Fung during the…
I’m going out of order on my blog posts for obvious reasons today: As you know, Typhoon Soulik hit Taiwan yesterday, a category 3 typhoon that caused quite a bit of havoc on the coast of this island nation. Fortunately,…
As you read this, we’re awaiting Typhoon Soulik to hit Taiwan, but in the meantime you can read about what we did on our first night.The Shi Lin night market is Taipei’s largest one, with 540 stalls in a maze…
I’m a day behind in my blogs due to a different work schedule from Cat Toth (@Thedailydish), who is with me on this Taiwan adventure, but hopefully you will find this useful.As you know, Hawaiian Airlines launched their inaugural direct…
You may have noticed a growing number of men and women wearing hats as a fashion statement lately (not just our Ed Morita!). Celebs like Bruno Mars, Anuhea Jenkins, and Jody Kamisato are known for their signature fedoras, and it’s…
Restaurateur Peter Kim held a grand opening party Friday for his latest venture, Signature Prime Steak and Seafood, located at the top of the Ala Moana Hotel. This is the first upscale restaurant for him, as he’s best known for owning…
Shilin Night Market, Taipei, Taiwan. 士林夜市 by druchoyActually, the above title may not be appropriate, since Taiwanese people do not want to be known as part of China. The true PC way to refer to Taiwan and its people is…
Hawaii people are so funny: Open a new store or restaurant, usually grab-and-go, and people will line up to try it. Offer a free gift, and you’re guaranteed to get people camping out! Such was the case with Brug, the…
By now you’ve heard about (and use) Instagram and Tumblr, the photo sharing apps that push out to Facebook and/or Twitter to share those photos even further. People love sharing photos and making them fun with clever poses and captions.…
If you live or work in the Kakaako area, you might be familiar with Good Eats, a takeout spot with sandwiches and salads on South Street. It’s gone through some ownership and menu changes over the years, but sisters Jamie…
This blog is long overdue, since maybe my Metromix days. Guys had often told me about Club Evergreen and other hostess bars and how great the food was, but not one would go with me. I’d hear the same excuses:…
The Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii (JCCH) held its annual “Sharing the Spirit of Aloha” gala at the Hilton Hawaiian Village last night, with 1,000 people attending to congratulate the honored guests, who exemplify Japanese-American values of Hawaii and the…
Many of you are familiar with Chippendales, the Thunder From Down Under, and other similar male revues. Well, there’s a new show in town, but what makes it different from the others?I headed over to the Alii Kai Catamaran at…
If you haven’t heard the buzz in the last week, Indigo — the Eurasian restaurant in Chinatown that had been closed due to a fire — has not just reopened, but has a new menu. When a locker room fire…
I have a soft spot for Mari Taketa’s sister, Lori (although she only comments on Mari’s blogs!) — not just because she is my classmate, but also because in recent years, she’s developed an allergy to gluten … like the…
Some of you may be familiar with Yuzu, the Japanese izakaya in the depths of the Ala Moana Hotel that serves up fresh, handmade items. They now have a second location at Ko Olina Resort, across Monkeypod Kitchen, and we…
Many of you know that “‘aina” means “land” in Hawaiian. Did you know that it also means “meal” or “nourish?” It’s interesting, but difficult for Western language speakers to grasp, because we are accustomed to having individual words have their…
The next time you’re headed to the mainland and realize you’ve forgotten to get a couple of local gifts for friends, don’t fret … well, not if you’re on Hawaiian Airlines. You now have another omiyage option that will appeal…
