(CNN) — Hawaii has always been one of the most popular vacation destinations for Japanese tourists. But they don’t show love just by going there.
The food, clothing, and even festivals across Japan show that people’s love for the island goes beyond the beach.
According to the 2022 Travel Trends Report by Japanese domestic travel agency HIS, Hawaii was the most booked destination for summer vacation overseas, accounting for 20% of those who booked international travel through travel agencies.
Japan’s two largest airlines, ANA and JAL, resumed daily flights to Hawaii in July and June, respectively, for the first time since the pandemic.
Kotaro Toriumi, a Japanese aviation and travel analyst, said, “ANA and JAL know that Hawaii is the first place Japanese tourists return to when traveling abroad. Hawaii is visa-free and free. It’s a place you can go to,” he said. “These airlines have the most beefed up campaigns in Hawaii. All they do is promote travel to Hawaii.”
The Japanese love for Hawaii can be summed up in one word: healing. It means ‘healing’ or ‘comfort’ in English, but it often encapsulates the sense of freedom and relaxation that many Japanese associate with islands.
Rising popularity, rising prices
Japanese tourists’ love of Hawaii has been going on for decades, but it will be a while before tourist numbers return to pre-coronavirus highs.
Before the pandemic, Japanese tourists made up the largest number of overseas visitors to Hawaii. Japanese tourists also spent the most money per visitor, according to Hawaii Tourism Authority data.
The number of travelers from Japan decreased by 95.2% in the first half of 2022 to just 34,925 compared to 734,235 in 2019. Japanese tourists said he spent $86.7 million in the first half of 2022, down 91.6% from his $1.03 billion in 2019. Hawaii.
Another factor is the depreciation of the yen. The depreciation of the yen against the dollar has made it much more expensive for Japanese to travel to the U.S. The majority of current flight bookings to Hawaii are in upper classes such as business and premium his economy.
“The reason I want to go now is because most of the people here are wealthy or well-paid, and that’s normal. I don’t think young people can go to Hawaii casually.”
Experience Hawaii while staying in Japan
For those who can’t make it to Hawaii, Japan offers a local option.
Hawaii-themed festivals (hula dancers, ukulele players, Hawaiian food trucks, etc.) are very popular.
These festivals are held not only in big cities such as Tokyo, Yokohama and Osaka, but also in rural areas such as Ikaho Onsen, a hot spring town in Gunma Prefecture.
I thought that by bringing this kind of Hawaiian culture to Japan, people would be able to learn about the good things about Hawaii.”
Punalu’u is painted yellow to evoke the sunny skies of Hawaii.
Kathleen Benosa
Aside from the recurring festivals, there are Hawaiian restaurants all over Japan.
Punalu’u, a homely Hawaiian-themed restaurant in Yachiyo, Chiba Prefecture, is decorated with a wide variety of memorabilia dedicated to America and Hawaii. A Harley-Davidson motorcycle is featured by the wall, and above it is a surfboard with the name of the shop written on it.
The owner and head chef, Yuji Nonaka (57), quit his office job and started the restaurant 14 years ago with his wife, Kiyomi Nonaka (50).
Kiyomi discovered her love for Hawaii, especially hula dancing, while on a business trip when she was 18.
“Hula has helped me overcome many things in my life, such as relationships and work difficulties. I opened a hula school,” she said.
A common misconception about hula is that it is entirely a dance tradition for women. No. In ancient Hawaii, men were the first to dance the hula, and warriors were chosen as the best dancers. Today, one of Hawaii’s most famous male hula schools, Kekaiokahiki continues this tradition by telling the story of a warrior in his dance. To do so, dancers train in the same manner as their ancient ancestors, using the land itself as a harsh and unforgiving gym.na
relationship roots
Yuhito Yaguchi, professor at the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Studies, focuses on the cultural relationship between Hawaii and Japan and the United States.
Yaguchi notes that many Japanese immigrated to Hawaii in the early 19th century, making it a friendly and easy place to travel to for Japanese tourists.
Many were visiting relatives, which also helped with the language barrier.
According to data from the American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, a survey conducted from 2016 to 2020 showed that 22.3% of Hawaii residents identify as Japanese or part of it. I’m here.
“I think people today[in Hawaii]speak Japanese for business purposes. displayed in Japanese,” explains Yaguchi. .
For about 20 years after the end of World War II, leisure travel abroad was prohibited in Japan.
Spa Resort Hawaiians is Japan’s first Hawaiian-style resort.
Spa Resort Hawaiians
“Recreational travel was not permitted for nearly 20 years after the war. The war ended in 1945 and international travel was severely restricted until 1964. It was one of the popular places to visit,” Yaguchi adds.
Even if you can’t go, your dream is Hawaii.
Spa Resort Hawaiians, a hot spring theme park in the Joban district of Fukushima Prefecture, was the epitome of pseudo-Hawaii in the years after the ban.
As the coal industry declined in the 1960s, local mining companies turned to tourism to save jobs and revive the local economy, creating Japan’s first resorts, creating heated pools, palm trees, and even Hawaii. We also had an entertainer.
The appreciation of the yen that accompanied the Japanese economy in the 1980s allowed Japanese to afford to visit Hawaii during the height of the bubble economy in the 1990s.
“Hawaii became a beach paradise for the Japanese in the 1990s and also a shopping paradise,” Yaguchi said. “Then there’s this kind of restructuring or reconceptualization, a reconceptualization of Hawaii as a kind of place to be, rather than a shopping his paradise.”
The owner of da plate lunch 808 wanted to create a plate lunch restaurant in Japan like the one he visited in Hawaii.
Kathleen Benosa
peace on a plate
Plate lunches are a product of Hawaii’s multicultural background. Typically, it’s two bowls of white rice, a macaroni salad drizzled with mayonnaise, served with your protein of choice, and usually drizzled with a rich, flavorful gravy.
“When I went to Hawaii and saw plate lunches, I was fascinated. It was a fusion of America, Japan and Asia[cultures]. I was told that there aren’t many restaurants in Japan that serve plate lunches similar to what I had in Hawaii.
Honolulu-based radio station KSSK-FM broadcasts from Hawaii to the restaurant.In the United States, many customers wear “Aloha shirts” called Hawaiian shirts.
Eggs ‘n Things is a Hawaii-based breakfast cafe and restaurant chain that only has overseas locations in Japan. The first store opened in Harajuku in 2010.
Kota Matsuda, CEO of Eggs ‘n Things Japan, cited the brand’s popularity among Japanese travelers visiting Hawaii.
“The barriers to international travel remain high for many people, especially during this difficult time with COVID-19. “We offer the closest experience to anything people don’t come here. We offer not only Hawaiian-style food, but also a unique ‘Hawaiian vibe,'” Matsuda said.
Eggs ‘N Things is a Hawaiian breakfast chain with a huge Japanese following.
Kota Matsuda
wearing your fandom
Aloha shirt enthusiast and driver Yosuke “Yochan” Seki surfs every weekend and has been to Hawaii every year since 2011.
“Ever since I started wearing Aloha shirts, most of my daily life has been with Aloha shirts. It’s a replica with an expensive design that costs several million yen.
Aloha shirt enthusiast, 40-year-old Asami Seki owns an accessory business called 82 of aloha.A year ago, she started making hypoallergenic accessories that people could wear while surfing .
“I’ve only been to Hawaii once, but recently, even though I can’t go there due to the corona crisis, I’ve come to like Hawaii more and more.
“I always wanted to go to Hawaii and always dreamed of it even before my first visit. After returning from my first trip, I started incorporating aspects of Hawaii into my lifestyle.”
Her husband, Yosuke, also agrees, saying, “It’s become something of a status.”
Hawaiian shirts are known as “Aloha shirts” in Japan.
Kathleen Benosa
“I wear Hawaiian shirts when I want to dress up. Wearing them makes me feel sharp, and it’s really exciting to choose the theme of the day and coordinate with others,” Asami added. .
The shirts are heavily influenced by Japanese artistry and design.
Toyo Enterprise’s aloha shirt brand “Sunsurf”, which has a history of about 50 years, is focusing on reprinting aloha shirts from the 1930s to 1950s. Brand director Yoshihiro Nakano (47) is a researcher who started collecting Aloha shirts in his teens.
According to Nakano, Aloha shirts began as Japanese immigrants in Hawaii.
“Hawaii also wore kimono. In the late 1800s, people immigrated to Japan, and immediately after that they began importing rolls of fabric, including kimono. When the local people saw it, they thought it would be interesting to make a shirt using it, so they started making Hawaiian shirts with Japanese patterns,” says Nakano.
After that, mass production began. Instead of importing wafuku roll fabrics from Japan, Hawaii stores imported a wide variety of printed fabrics just for Aloha shirts.
Today, these Aloha shirts are also considered collector’s items.
“We have a lot of[customers]who don’t wear[the shirts]but just collect or frame them,” Nakano said.
Everything is a spirit of healing.
