From left: Baba Alimoot, Jody Kamisato, me and Chris Kamaka. This weekend is the eighth annual Ukulele Picnic in Hawaii, full of musical events featuring some of the biggest ukulele stars in the world (most of whom hail from Hawaii,…
This weekend is the big celebration: On Friday, February 13, you’ll see lions dancing through Chinatown for Choy Cheng; and on Saturday, February 14, Maunakea Street will be closed all day and night for the big street festival and parade.
It’s that time of year! Chinese New Year is February 19, where we will be welcoming in the year of the ram. If you are at the Chinatown festivities this weekend, you’re likely to get some gau, jai, and jin…
With Kathy Lohman of the YMCA of Honolulu. Have you started your resolutions yet? Most people resolve to lose weight and get in shape, but they don’t always know how to get started. I’ve been a member of the YMCA…
Waikiki beachgoers — locals as well as tourists — are familiar with the Australian-inspired take out place in the Park Shore Waikiki Hotel, Tucker & Bevvy. It’s known for its fresh, light fare, perfect for hot, sunny days.What you may…
A couple of months ago, I got to attend the first collaboration “table to farm” dinner at Moke’s Bread and Breakfast, presented by B&D Butchery and Shinsato Farm. Award-winning chef and charcuter Doug Kocol and Brett Robinson, both known for…
The upcoming Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) of Hawaii Spring Soiree will be its 15th, but I only went for the first time last year … and was blown away. I go to a lot of nonprofit events during the year,…
We’ve visited Kaulana Chang before on my blog to talk about products at Razor Concepts, but this time, I wanted to feature him to talk about Kaulana Chang. You may have seen him around town working with 24-7 DanceForce or…
Marc (left) and his friends with five days of growthYou’ve probably seen a lot of guys sporting new facial hair this month and posting them in updates on their social media. “What’s up with that?” I mustache. Nyuk nyuk.But seriously:…
If you’re reading this on Wednesday morning, there’s some fun things happening downtown today in Tamarind Park. Servco Lexus is launching their 2014 IS 250 this week, so they have it on display for you to see, touch, sit in…
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 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…
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…
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…
My head looks funny because it's windy at Maunalua Bay!You’ve seen these unusual yellow vehicles driving around Oahu, some actually making quacking noises. Other than asking what the heck it is, I hear a lot of people say they thought…
No doubt, you’ve seen a lot of things popping up in Kakaako over the last couple of years as part of Kamehameha Schools’ revitalization of the area. One of the players in that hip new vibe is Amanda Corby (@UMUHawaii),…
As you saw in last week’s Hawaii IRL, the Hawaii Foodbank is holding its annual foodie fundraiser on March 23, Great Chefs Fight Hunger. (Click here to see last year’s photos.) About 20 local chefs are participating, so the food…
Today’s IRL blog is actually twofold: One, to talk about Whole Ox Deli (@WholeOxDeli), and two, to talk about the upcoming Great Chefs Fight Hunger event put on by the Hawaii Foodbank (@HawaiiFoodbank) on March 23. Click here to see…
As you saw from Ed Morita’s blog, Doraku Sushi recently opened their second Hawaii location on Kapiolani Blvd. I knew that owner Kevin Aoki was the son of Benihana chain founder Rocky Aoki, but if you met him, you’d never…
Have you heard of the Harlem Shake? Now that Gangnam Style has played itself out (and PSY is galloping all the way to the bank), a new video meme craze has taken over the YouTube channels. It’s kind of a…
A new food truck hit the streets two weeks ago with a cute name and interesting offerings: Whatchafillin.’ No, there shouldn’t be a question mark there; it’s their statement of a name. If you’ve ever had the Japanese obanyaki/dorayaki, or…
You may have heard that Hawaiian Airlines revamped its snack service and product offerings this past summer. In addition to complimentary meals and wine, they have a new “pau hana snack bar” on mainland flights, where passengers can mosey up…
You may have seen the Sweet Revenge (@SweetRevengeHNL) pie truck at Eat the Street every month since last year … or maybe you haven’t, if you came too late and found that their amazing sweet or savory pies had sold…
It seems almost wrong to be thinking about the holiday season when Halloween hasn’t happened yet, but in this case, you probably want to plan ahead. My twitter friend Leslie Ashburn (@MacroHawaii) is doing a series of macrobiotic cooking classes…
The home base for the 2022 Hale ‘Aina Restaurateurs of the Year is a hidden paradise that serves up the best Lao and Thai food in Honolulu.
