杉 cedar news: Oahu

PAMLA (Pacific Ancient Modern Languages Association) held its annual meeting in Honolulu. A surprise, but the Association for Asian Studies will land in March, as convention hotels are offering deep discounts. We had some fun on the front end.

Michael is a natural surfer, it seems.

and were pleased to find onigiri rice balls everywhere.

Waikiki was a tourist ghetto for well-heeled Japanese in the '80s, facilitating designer label shopping and money-is-no-object cultural tastes. Our hotel elevator had an electronic signboard announcing the day's activities in a very planned, Japanese, mass tourist kind of way.

However, Japan's recession has brought lower-income strata to the islands who manage to get there on discount packages, but aren't dumping hundreds of dollars at a sushi bar anymore; hotels are full but businesses are suffering.

I was amused by this ad, attracting overseas Japanese with a forbidden thrill, as handguns are prohibited in their homeland.

Initially put off by the heavy tourist vibe, we rented a car and drove to the North Shore, searching for sea turtles..

and kakikori (shaved ice)

Matsumoto's is an institution which features the traditional azuki red beans at the bottom. Far better than most, but still not quite the delicate snow that I recall which could be effortlessly shaved off.

Food trucks and lunch plates are renowned in Oahu, but Giovanni's shrimp truck was especially flavorful; the shrimp harvested just yards away.

Loaded with butter and garlic and really tasty (ie freshly cooked) rice

We finally made it to the lovely white sands of Lanikai, near where my cousin got married several years ago.

where Carolyn and Michael built an elaborate castle and Michael made me a birthday cake:

Elle came along!

At Lanikai, we helped a local charity. We are thinking of ways to incorporate service projects in the Beacon Hill curriculum, as well, so these youngsters proved inspiring, even as their store bought cookies were not.