From July 31, 2022 to August 4, 2022 Ran visited Hawaii to get away for a little bit and also to visit the Big Island with Grandpa and Grandma. While there he would travel around Oahu, visit Great Grandma in Hilo, catch up with Aunty Fay, Uncle Ed, and Uncle George, and sample as much island cuisine as he could. It was a fantastic get-away as he learned a great deal from Grandpa as he reminisced about his time on the Big Island growing up.

Oahu

Ran flew out Sunday, July 31st in the morning. He arrived in Honolulu around 10:30am (HST). Grandpa and Grandma picked him up and drove him back to the condo where they ate lunch. Right after, they jumped back into the car and headed to the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet. It was a little disappointing as by this time it was early afternoon and many vendors decided to pack up. While they weren't able to find anything they wanted at the swap meet they quickly headed on to Aunty Fay's and Uncle Ed's. They only visited for a little while but it was still really nice to see them. After Mililani, they proceeded to Haleiwa and stopped at Matsumoto's for a quick shave ice. Ran was amazed how much Haleiwa changed since the last time he visited. A shopping center was built around Matsumoto's and there were people and cars all over the place. Parking was tough, but luckily Grandpa found a space. As soon as Ran finished his shave ice they drove around Oahu to get the car out on the open road. It was a nice drive followed by dinner back in Honolulu at Eagle Cafe on Nimitz.

Hilo

On Monday, August 1st we drove to the Honolulu Airport where we parked the car to catch our mid-morning flight to Hilo. Grandpa and Grandma went to the Premier Club check-in where it took a super long time to check in their bag. In the end, we couldn't go to the Premier Club because by the time they were done we had to proceed directly to the gate. Hilo was raining (of course), but we were covered the entire time so we stayed dry. We waited a little bit to get our rental car (Dodge Charger) and decided on Zippy's for lunch. After our meal we visited Great Grandma to see how she was doing. We had a really nice visit. She said she was fine and was happy to see us. Finally, we stopped at Great Grandpa's and Great Grandma's old house to check the mail. Once we were done there we started our journey to Kona around the south side of the island.

Kilauea

Our first pit stop was at the Kilauea Crater. We parked the car and walked straight through the Visitor Center to the other side so we could take pictures in front of the steaming crater. As soon as we were done we were back in the car continuing our drive.

Na'alehu

Our next stop was in Na'alehu. Na'alehu used to be a reasonably large sugar cane mill town back in the 1920's to early 1950's. Now it's just a small community with a population under 1,000 residents. However, one of Grandpa's cousins, Aunty Gladys (91), resides here in a care facility and he wanted to take a little time to see her again to say, "Hi!". They had a really nice conversation and she said she's happy and thinks she'll live forever. She was in great spirits and still very sharp. After we said our good-byes we stopped at the Punalu'u Bake Shop just down the road in the hopes of picking up some Cinnamon Bread but the lines were enormous, so we opted to simply use the restrooms and continue our drive to Kona.

Captain Cook

While most of the drive was behind us, this last leg of our journey took some time due to the curvy narrow road. Grandpa said back in the day the road to Na'alehu was unpaved, so this is quite an improvement. Just the same, it was a beautiful drive and it was nice to see so much unspoiled land seemingly untouched by the hands of time. Finally, about 5:00pm we arrived in Captain Cook just south of Kona. We made reservations to stay at the Historic Manago Hotel. Manago's has been around for over 100 years and it still does business as a hotel and restaurant. Unfortunately, we couldn't eat dinner there because the restaurant is closed on Mondays. Luckily, Dad remembered one of his friends and Aunty Fay said there's a Chinese restaurant up the road a little bit called Ono Home Kitchen. They both said the food there isn't bad, so we decided to check it out.

Kona

Our first full day on the Kona side would be for touring around the area and ohakamairi. We started the morning with breakfast at Manago's. Ran enjoyed a tasty breakfast with papaya, scrambled eggs, portuguese sausage, and toast. Grandma had French Toast and Grandpa had rice, portuguese sausage, and egg (over easy). After that we made it down to the Kona Hongwanji Mission to visit the Omoto gravesite and the Nokotsudo where the Nagai's are inurned. Ran remembers visiting this cemetery a long time ago when he went to Hawaii with his grandmother in 1973.

Kealakekua

After the cemetery we made our way to Grandpa's cousin Hilda's house. Aunty Hilda is the younger sister of Gladys who we saw the day before. She and her husband were the owners of Sugai Kona Coffee Farm where they grew the coffee, roasted it, and sold it all on their own. Her children now run the business and have rebranded it as Kona Grove. Grandpa and Aunty Hilda had a nice time reminiscing, and we all enjoyed some wonderful Kona coffee.

Holualoa

Following our visit we made our way to Holualoa where Grandpa's uncle, Edward M. Sato, is buried. He was part of the 100th Battalion (Co. C) 442nd Infantry in World War II. While in France he was wounded in the battle to rescue the Lost Battalion (141st Texas Regiment, 1st Battalion). Uncle Edward wasn't found for several days after the hostilities ended. He suffered from his injuries until he died.

Kealakekua Bay and Honaunau

After Holualoa we drove down the mountain to visit some of the areas Grandpa remembered when he was a Boy Scout. These places are now tourist attractions, but in his youth they were swimming spots and campgrounds. At Kealakekua Bay we could see the Captain Cook Monument across the water. Grandpa remembers as a Boy Scout he had to hike down the mountain to the monument. Similarly, at Honaunau (City of Refuge) he said they would swim in the waters and camp just south of what is now a National Historic Park.

Konawaena High School
Wildcats
Class of 1954

When we were done along the coastline we made our way back up the mountain and made a few more quick stops. We visited Konawaena High School first, Grandpa's alma mater. We made it onto campus and got a quick look at all the buildings and the football field. He didn't recognize much, but he was able to get a quick picture with the school sign.

Daifukuji Soto Mission

Our next stop was at the Daifukuji Soto Mission where Uncle and Aunty Ota are inurned. We weren't able to enter the Nokotsudo so we just took a look around and proceeded to our next stop.

Central Kona Union Church

Along the main drive through town was Grandpa's old church, Central Kona Union Church. While the church itself is still standing - there is a new facade with a new name. Grandpa remembers having to rake the grass in front and on the side when he was a boy.

Nagai house

On the way back to the hotel, Grandpa said to take a quick trip up the hill to see Aunty Nagai's house. The property no longer belongs to the family, but the two houses are still there. When Grandpa was in high school he lived with the Nagai's in the green house. He has many fond memories growing up with his cousins there. Years later, Aunty had another house built across the way where she moved into later in life.

Teshima's

Dinner was at Teshima's. This restaurant has been around for a long time and Dad remembers coming here years ago. Fortunately, we got there early just as they opened because there was a line to get inside.

Back to Hilo

On Wednesday, we headed back to Hilo to take care of some banking and see Uncle George for lunch. We started the morning at Manago's for breakfast. Dad decided to have egg, rice, and spam. Grandma and Grandpa split the pancake breakfast. Each received one huge pancake that was both light and fluffy. They were so big they were too much to eat. As soon as we were done, we drove across the Daniel K. Inouye Highway that crosses through the middle of the island. This route takes less time than driving around either the north or south side. When we got to Hilo we met with Uncle George who recommended we eat at Kuhio Grille to try their 1 pound laulau. Of course, it was delicious. After saying our good-byes we proceeded to take care of the banking and headed back to Kona around the northshore. We got back just in time for an early dinner at Manago's. Dad and Grandma ate their famous pork chops while Grandpa feasted on Opelu.

Back to Hilo (again)

An interesting story that came up had to do with a park that is now located across the street from the Manago Hotel. Years ago that space was occupied by a house, shops, and a fish market. One of those shops back in the mid to late 1940's was owned by Great Grandma Nora Sato. She went to Cosmetology School for about 9 months in Honolulu where she received her license. She returned to the Big Island and opened her shop shortly thereafter.

For our final meal in Kona we spoiled ourselves with one last breakfast at Manago's. Dad enjoyed papaya, egg, portuguese sausage, and toast, while Grandpa and Grandma split the French Toast. After breakfast we immediately hit the road and headed back to Hilo over the Daniel K. Inouye Highway again. When we got to Hilo we visited Great Grandma one last time to say, "Good-bye" and then checked the house. For lunch we heard about Island Style Cafe where the food is good (so ono) and portions are big so we decided to check it out. Dad ate the Korean BBQ Mix Plate, and Grandpa and Grandma split the Mento Bento and a salad. After lunch we needed to gas up the rental car, return it to the airport, and check in for our flight back to Oahu.

Since Dad checked in online and had no bags to check he proceeded directly to TSA. Grandma and Grandpa had to go to the counter to check in their luggage and get their boarding passes. While checking in, it turned out their flight was delayed by at least an hour, but they could be bumped to an earlier flight since they were at the airport so early (thanks Grandpa). The thing was, Dad was already through TSA and he wasn't Pualani Gold (the reason Grandpa and Grandma could get bumped to an eariler flight). The woman at the counter said, "Let me see what I can do". Luckily for Dad he was bumped to the earlier flight with Grandpa and Grandma (they even got to sit together in bulkhead seats). To top it off, Pualani Gold members get to sit in a special lounge before their flight, so Dad tagged along and sat in an air conditioned room with free drinks before departing for Oahu. Back in Honolulu we returned to the condo for dinner, and Dad prepared for his flight home the next morning.