August 2008

Nijiya Market is now open at Pucks Alley near the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Grand opening is scheduled next month in September. This is a California based Japanese organic grocery store. According to my co-worker, she has never seen such fresh sliced fishes and produces. Check it out!

Update (8/24/08): Photos below.

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Over the weekend, we were invited to one of the Buddhist temples to partake in bon dancing and the matsuri. There are many Buddhist temples here on Oahu and many of them provide matsuri for people to enjoy the cultural dancing, ethnic foods, and entertainment that have been passed for many generations.

This was our first ever matsuri attended on this island, and we had a good time seeing the differences and how much involvement there are in the community. Unlike the real big matsuri in Japan this was fairly a small one, but there were many people enjoying about everything.

Most of the young generation had to learn from the leading dancers ahead.

L-R: Stacy, Vena, Lance and Emiko.

Even though the people did not know how to dance, their participation was more than enough to make it a fun matsuri night.

And speaking of participation, there were lots “oji-chan” and “oba-chan” who actually knew how to dance to almost all the music. That surprised me a lot!

It was international too.

This is Lance trying to keep up the rhythm. He’s actually a native from Guam.

The cafeteria was packed with everyone trying out musubi, beef stick, saimin, and mochi.

Ira-shai mase!

Emiko’s co-workers and friends.

The matsuri in Makiki was fun with everyone taking part in this event. It was a nostalgic moment to think back since my sister, cousins, friends and family would all participate in the Guam matsuri held at the Ypao Beach Park. Guam matsuri was quite fun with many games, shops, and the fruit stands. Those hot and humid nights were always a nice memory to ponder.

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The other weekend we both checked out the new location of The Wedding Cafe at the Ward Warehouse. The Wedding Cafe has been a great place to organize wedding programs and at the same time enjoy the pasteries and drinks which are mostly organic. Read the old posts here and here. They have recently moved to Ward Warehouse and closed the Manoa location. At the new location, they will be expanding another store next to it so it will have more room inside the cafe. Limited outdoor seating available.

We ordered the Pumpkin Crunch pie, the Acai Bowl and the lychee iced tea. All 3 are highly recommended and probably the best selling ones.

It was our first time to try the acai treat, and it tasted great. The presentation was nicely prepared, and it was more than enough for 2 people. If you are ever at the Ward Warehouse area, this is definitely a place to stop and enjoy the afternoon break and a smile.

Check out their blog too.

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Co-worker and myself had a fun afternoon laugh about a new Vietnamese Restaurant in Kapahulu.

A Vietnamese restaurant owned by a Korean national with a Filipino last name has opened in Honolulu.

Pho 38 recently celebrated its grand opening on the corner of Palani and Kapahulu avenues. The 1,800-square-foot eatery’s specialties are Vietnamese noodle-soup combinations and teriyaki-chicken plate lunches.

There are more than 30 items on the menu.

http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2008/08/11/daily45.html

I’m still confused, but the chef must have a multi-ethnic background in terms of 30 food items.

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Where is Hana? Hana town is located all the way east of the island away from the commercial town of Kahului. Honolulu Advertiser published a nice article today about this unknown community and the Hasegawa General Store.

When Neil Hasegawa’s grandfather and father ran the family’s Hasegawa General Store on Maui, a few customers who didn’t like banks left bags of cash in the store’s safe and would ask to “withdraw” their money when needed. That’s the kind of trust that was built in the tiny and isolated community of Hana.

Times have changed since then and an automated teller machine has replaced the safe. As in the past, however, Neil Hasegawa and his customers still rely on each other to get by in a town that has just one general store, one bank with limited hours, a single gas station, no traffic signals, and a population of around 700.

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080813/BUSINESS17/808130386/1071/

Now that’s a community of the good ol’ Hawaii. It’s always great to hear something like this exist even today!

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Today, Longs Drugs was bought by CVS Caremark Corporation.

Rhode Island-based CVS said today it’s buying Longs Drug Stores Corp. in a deal valued at $2.7 billion, excluding the assumption of debt.

Longs has 521 drugstores in California, Hawaii, Nevada and Arizona and also operates Rx America, a prescription benefits management program that services more than 8 million members.

While the Longs stores in the continental U.S. will be converted to the CVS brand, the 39 stores in Hawaii will retain the Longs’ brand, CVS Chief Financial Officer David Rickard told The Associated Press in an interview.

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080812/BREAKING03/80812042

Hawaii’s Longs has been a long tradition and service of providing prescription drugs and also the various daily commodities and gifts for the tourists. The business has been quite successful and always packed during the peak hours. Everybody living here knows the favorite yellow coupon book which lists their sale items. Though the sale items run out quickly, everyone still goes to Longs and it’s a local favorite. With the recent acquisition, I hope all the employees are kept and the new company continue the tradition that has been such a success for a long time. I am sure the employees are what makes a company successful.

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With the U.S. economy dwindling, the retailers are now offering a mix of goods more than before to offset the slow sales.

Over the past year, Eau Claire, Wis.-based Menard Inc., the home improvement chain, set up grocery aisles in three out of every four of its 240 stores, so shoppers can buy milk, canned goods, boxed dinners and frozen pizza alongside roofing materials and insulation.

Drugstore chain Walgreen Co. introduced a clothing line, called Casual Gear, at most of its 6,000 stores in April.

And last week Best Buy Co., the consumer electronics powerhouse, began selling musical instruments and music lessons at more than 75 of its 965 stores. The in-store shops offer more than 1,000 guitars, bass, drums, keyboards and recording equipment. Band instruments including entry-level trumpets, violins, clarinets, saxophones and flutes from Suzuki are available online.

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080810/BUSINESS08/808100342

If I am running a book store, can I also offer food products? Well, is this something being prepared or already packaged? If something is being prepared, then there are food permitting and sanitation involved. If you are selling something already packaged like a bag of chips, then that’s something less of a headache. It all boils down to your leases and the clauses. Read them carefully.

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Waikiki Nei (website) is a new theatrical stage show which opened in the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center on the 4th floor. This is something new in the entertainment industry where they spent lots of time and money to build a sophisticated venue for a stage show (Waikiki Nei) and a premier night lounge called Level 4 (L4). Their lighting and sound system is incredible.

I was invited to their 2nd relaunch showing as the first pre-opening (during the last days of July) was not that good due to technical difficulties and theatrical organizations. I was impressed by their show and recommend seeing how Waikiki was born and how generations have surpassed since then. Though things have gotten very modern, the “Aloha” is something that has never changed or died. The lightings are incredibly colorful and if you like colors, this is something you have to see. If you are new to the island and have interest in theatrical performances, this is also a good way to learn and enjoy the Hawaiian entertainment.

The stage show is about 80 minutes long with no intermission. I recommend wearing something warm as it could get cold. After the show, there are many restaurants and a new food court that are available so dinner is right there.

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Have you ever wondered about how the airport has changed from a decade ago in terms of the commodity they offer? A good example is the Narita Airport in Japan. I have never seen as much variation in terms of restaurants and the various retailers like omiyage (gift), watch/jewelry, magazine/book, and the digital camera shops for the techies.

Here in Honolulu, the restaurants at the Honolulu International Airport have undergone many renovations to improve their offering. 3 new restaurants have opened according to this article. In New York, they are offering special touch screens for customers to place orders.

Read more from New York Times here. As all sounds decent and exciting, but wait until you see how much they cost altogether. Any commodity or even a hard earned vacation does have its weigh.

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