Waikiki, OahuHawaii

The Japanese Invasion of Hawaii


Waikiki Half Moon
Panoramic view of Waikiki Bay.
Brief Dry Lesson
Vacationers receive a surf lesson on Waikiki Beach.
The Stupid Factory
Waikiki passersby contemplate a window of "The Stupid Factory"
byodo-in
Facade of the Buddhist temple of Byodo-in, an expression of the strong Japanese presence in Oahu and Hawaii in general.
Waikikki Surfers
Surfers practice in the tranquil sea off Waikiki Beach.
Longboard fleet
Succession of longboards, popular surfboards on Waikiki beach.
Waikiki coastline
Excerpt from Waikiki Beach, in the Hawaiian capital of Honolulu.
Outgoing bathers
Bathers leave the seductive Pacific Ocean that bathes Waikiki.
Forest of bathers
A crowd of mostly Asian bathers, entertained with buoys and mattresses.
overcrowded sea
A conglomerate of mostly Asian bathers, entertained with buoys and mattresses.
Hawaiian at ease
Dock Island Cafe Maid poses for a photo.
A Flowery Recognition
Statue of Duke Kahanamoku, Father Hawaiian Surf, filled with wreaths placed by his admirers.
kendo pose
Kendo practitioners hold an exhibition in the garden of the Byodo In Buddhist temple.
A Bath in the Pacific
Waiki beach goers bathe in the (very) Pacific ocean off to the sea.
Colorful and communal vacations
Waikiki tourists enjoy themselves in the gentle Pacific ocean over there.
in good company
A bather is photographed next to the statue of the Father of Hawaiian surfing Duke Kahanamoku.
Honolulu skyline
The bright skyline of Honolulu, the Hawaiian capital and one of the largest cities in the heart of the Pacific.
Decades after the attack on Pearl Harbor and from the capitulation in World War II, the Japanese returned to Hawaii armed with millions of dollars. Waikiki, his favorite target, insists on surrendering.

We got used to appreciating expressions of the unbreakable Japanese group spirit, on trips through Japan and other places where we came across its people on vacation.

Still, the one we discover when we reach the beach in front of the Royal Hawaian Hotel leaves us awestruck.

On a stretch of the Pacific Ocean that looks more like a swimming pool, hundreds of Japanese bathers have fun floating and splashing around.

Oahu: The Japanese Gathering Island in Waikiki

Several wear wet white t-shirts, but even more strange is the splash of sea on their mattresses and buoys, all green or pink.

Bathers, Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii

Waikiki tourists have fun in the Pacific ocean there and then smooth.

We walked along the beach. We almost only see faces and bodies from the Far East, too white to fit the bathing and semi-tropical scenery.

They do everything possible to forget the 355 days a year of social submission, of rules and regulations that straddle the Emperor's land.

A couple imitates the teachings of a native instructor and balance on boards parked a few feet from the water.

Surf Lesson, Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii

Vacationers receive a surf lesson on Waikiki Beach.

In the opposite direction, closer to the road, others feed the cult of photography vice versa and line up next to the bronze statue of Duke Kahanamoku, king of surf teachers and sportsmen in the archipelago.

statue Duke Kahanamoku, Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii

A bather is photographed next to the statue of the Father of Hawaiian Surf Duke Kahanamoku.

We're on Oahu, the island that Hawaiian mythology called the reunion, and despite their somewhat alien presence, these tourists seem to do the gods' will.

By 1885, Japan was a rural nation and part of its population faced extreme poverty. For some time now, the prospect of emigration has enticed families from various regions and Hawaii, full of sugar cane and pineapple plantations to which the first workers – many, Madeirans and Azoreans – did not give an answer, was revealed to be the preferred destination. .

The "Infamous" Nippon Aggression of Hawaii

Even against the will of the Emperor – who was concerned about the degeneration of their race – the Japanese continued to leave and, in 1920, they already constituted about 43% of the population of the territory, which had since been annexed by the United States. But Japan industrialized.

It became heavily militaristic with expansionist ambitions that spanned the dominance of Asia and began with the infamous surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, one of the largest US naval bases, also located on Oahu.

Kendo Exhibition, Byodo-in, Oahu, Hawaii

Kendo practitioners hold an exhibition in the garden of the Byodo In Buddhist temple.

As time left behind the painful Japanese capitulation in World War II, resentment toward the Americans faded and Japan resumed the family and ethnic ties that linked it to the middle of the Pacific. Shortly thereafter, the advent of jet aviation boosted tourism in the Hawaiian archipelago.

Now, already enriched, many Japanese once again could not resist the journey of their lives.

Some still let themselves be seduced by the climate and the freedom felt in Hawaii and, despite the different reasons, they moved there trying to unburden their existence. Even if only partially.

Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii

Excerpt from Waikiki Beach, in the Hawaiian capital of Honolulu.

We returned from the center of Honolulu tired and decided to replenish energy in a greedy way in an eccentric frozen yogurt shop. The establishment is sophisticated and creative.

Japanese Presence, Japanese Mentality

For this reason, as we fill the glasses with flavors and extras with which we compose the meal, we can't resist photographing part of the crazy design, something that makes the almond-eyed cashier run from her post anxiously and warn us with as much diplomacy as possible. : “Stop, stop. You can't take photos in here!”.

Our commercial interest in the place is below zero as the frozen yogurts that we devoured but still aroused fears of industrial espionage inherent in the lady's high-tech motherland that neither the sun nor the incredible landscapes and Hawaiian culture had relaxed.

Cafe Maid Dock Island, Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii

Dock Island Cafe Maid poses for a photo.

If Japanese emigrants find it difficult to divorce their habits, those who land on the island for just a few days feel even more so. Waikiki offers them the beach and exoticism that arrives but saves them from too sudden changes.

Av. Kalakaua: The Hawaiian Way of Rapprochement among USA and the Japan

After walking around it over and over, we confirm that the long Kalakaua avenue is more than the favorite haven of Japanese visitors. It is also a symbol of the close collaboration between Japan and the United States in the 80s that allowed Hawaii in 2010 alone to have 1885 million Japanese visitors (six times more than all immigrants between 1941 and XNUMX) .

The Stupid Factory, Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii

Waikiki passersby contemplate a window of "The Stupid Factory"

Most of the boutiques, hotels and other businesses that delimit that main artery belong to Japanese corporations and even the Yakuza mafia.

Accordingly, a considerable part of passersby reveal themselves as Japanese consumers who rejoice at being able to buy with the refinement of Ginza or Omotesando (Tokyo's high-profile commercial zones) locked in by the rising value of the yen against the dollar.

They are honeymoon couples who are just as passionate about the couple as they are about the luxurious windows. And families of salarymen with enviable incomes.

We see them enter stores in a disciplined manner, often greeted in Japanese with the heightened delicacy and reverence one appreciates across lands of Hokkaido, Honshu and Kyushu: “irasshaimaseeee!”, the necessary greeting is repeated over and over again by the thoughtful maids.

But the “Nipponizing” of Waikiki and Hawaii in general is far from everyone's satisfaction. Once we return to the beach, we get into conversation with native surf instructors who are resting in the shade of coconut trees and one of them ends up venting indignantly: “These islands belong to us but we are increasingly forced to leave.

Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii

Panoramic view of Waikiki Bay.

The real estate speculation in Honolulu and Waikiki is such that normal Hawaiians can only live many tens of kilometers from the city center, which forces us to spend a lot of money traveling. But the worst thing is that we also find ourselves cut off from jobs.

After bringing the business here, the Japanese started sending employees. What's left for many of our families is moving to the mainland. Las Vegas, for example, is overflowing with Hawaiians.”

As far as we can see, it didn't happen that the local community had imposed itself in numerical terms. The number of Nikkei Hawaiians has even declined, and immigrants from the remaining 49 US and Philippine states have arrived for decades.

But the Japanese presence gained great relevance and opened the doors to massive investment. Non-Japanese Hawaiians are more aware than ever of the Japanese invasion.

And, in beach and coffee conversations, they play with the situation and repeat, between uncomplexed laughter, that the Rising Sun has returned to finish in peace what it had started to do in Pearl Harbor.

Key West, USA

The Tropical Wild West of the USA

We've come to the end of the Overseas Highway and the ultimate stronghold of propagandism Florida Keys. The continental United States here they surrender to a dazzling turquoise emerald marine vastness. And to a southern reverie fueled by a kind of Caribbean spell.
Maui, Hawaii

Maui: The Divine Hawaii That Succumbed to Fire

Maui is a former chief and hero of Hawaiian religious and traditional imagery. In the mythology of this archipelago, the demigod lassos the sun, raises the sky and performs a series of other feats on behalf of humans. Its namesake island, which the natives believe they created in the North Pacific, is itself prodigious.
Morro de São Paulo, Brazil

A Divine Seaside of Bahia

Three decades ago, it was just a remote and humble fishing village. Until some post-hippie communities revealed the Morro's retreat to the world and promoted it to a kind of bathing sanctuary.
Melbourne, Australia

An "Asienated" Australia

Cultural capital aussie, Melbourne is also frequently voted the best quality of life city in the world. Nearly a million eastern emigrants took advantage of this immaculate welcome.
napali coast, Hawaii

Hawaii's Dazzling Wrinkles

Kauai is the greenest and rainiest island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is also the oldest. As we explore its Napalo Coast by land, sea and air, we are amazed to see how the passage of millennia has only favored it.
Big Island, Hawaii

Searching for Rivers of Lava

There are five volcanoes that make the big island of Hawaii grow day by day. Kilauea, the most active on Earth, is constantly releasing lava. Despite this, we live a kind of epic to envision it.
Mauna Kea, Hawaii

Mauna Kea: the Volcano with an Eye out in Space

The roof of Hawaii was off-limits to natives because it housed benevolent deities. But since 1968, several nations sacrificed the peace of the gods and built the greatest astronomical station on the face of the Earth.
pearl harbor, Hawaii

The Day Japan Went Too Far

On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked the Pearl Harbor military base. Today, parts of Hawaii look like Japanese colonies but the US will never forget the outrage.
Esteros del Iberá, Pantanal Argentina, Alligator
Safari
Iberá Wetlands, Argentina

The Pantanal of the Pampas

On the world map, south of the famous brazilian wetland, a little-known flooded region appears, but almost as vast and rich in biodiversity. the Guarani expression Y bera defines it as “shining waters”. The adjective fits more than its strong luminance.
Annapurna Circuit, Manang to Yak-kharka
Annapurna (circuit)
Annapurna 10th Circuit: Manang to Yak Kharka, Nepal

On the way to the Annapurnas Even Higher Lands

After an acclimatization break in the near-urban civilization of Manang (3519 m), we made progress again in the ascent to the zenith of Thorong La (5416 m). On that day, we reached the hamlet of Yak Kharka, at 4018 m, a good starting point for the camps at the base of the great canyon.
coast, fjord, Seydisfjordur, Iceland
Architecture & Design
Seydisfjordur, Iceland

From the Art of Fishing to the Fishing of Art

When shipowners from Reykjavik bought the Seydisfjordur fishing fleet, the village had to adapt. Today, it captures Dieter Roth's art disciples and other bohemian and creative souls.
Full Dog Mushing
Adventure
Seward, Alaska

The Alaskan Dog Mushing Summer

It's almost 30 degrees and the glaciers are melting. In Alaska, entrepreneurs have little time to get rich. Until the end of August, dog mushing cannot stop.
Parade and Pomp
Ceremonies and Festivities
Saint Petersburg, Russia

When the Russian Navy Stations in Saint Petersburg

Russia dedicates the last Sunday of July to its naval forces. On that day, a crowd visits large boats moored on the Neva River as alcohol-drenched sailors seize the city.
ice tunnel, black gold route, Valdez, Alaska, USA
Cities
Valdez, Alaska

On the Black Gold Route

In 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker caused a massive environmental disaster. The vessel stopped plying the seas, but the victim city that gave it its name continues on the path of crude oil from the Arctic Ocean.
Meal
World Food

Gastronomy Without Borders or Prejudice

Each people, their recipes and delicacies. In certain cases, the same ones that delight entire nations repel many others. For those who travel the world, the most important ingredient is a very open mind.
Horseback riding in shades of gold
Culture
El Calafate, Argentina

The New Gauchos of Patagonia

Around El Calafate, instead of the usual shepherds on horseback, we come across gauchos equestrian breeders and others who exhibit, to the delight of visitors, the traditional life of the golden pampas.
Sport
Competitions

Man: an Ever Tested Species

It's in our genes. For the pleasure of participating, for titles, honor or money, competitions give meaning to the world. Some are more eccentric than others.
Manatee Creek, Florida, United States of America
Traveling
Florida Keys, USA

The Caribbean Stepping Stone of the USA

Os United States continental islands seem to close to the south in its capricious peninsula of Florida. Don't stop there. More than a hundred islands of coral, sand and mangroves form an eccentric tropical expanse that has long seduced American vacationers.
Tabatô, Guinea Bissau, tabanca Mandingo musicians. Baidi
Ethnic
Tabato, Guinea Bissau

The Tabanca of Mandinga Poets Musicians

In 1870, a community of traveling Mandingo musicians settled next to the current city of Bafatá. From the Tabatô they founded, their culture and, in particular, their prodigious balaphonists, dazzle the world.
View of Fa Island, Tonga, Last Polynesian Monarchy
Got2Globe Photo Portfolio
Got2Globe Portfolio

Exotic Signs of Life

Visitors at Talisay Ruins, Negros Island, Philippines
History
Talisay City, Philippines

Monument to a Luso-Philippine Love

At the end of the 11th century, Mariano Lacson, a Filipino farmer, and Maria Braga, a Portuguese woman from Macau, fell in love and got married. During the pregnancy of what would be her 2th child, Maria succumbed to a fall. Destroyed, Mariano built a mansion in his honor. In the midst of World War II, the mansion was set on fire, but the elegant ruins that endured perpetuate their tragic relationship.
View of Serra do Cume, Terceira Island, Unique Azores
Islands
Terceira Island, Azores

Terceira Island: Journey through a Unique Archipelago of the Azores

It was called the Island of Jesus Christ and has radiated, for a long time, the cult of the Holy Spirit. It houses Angra do Heroísmo, the oldest and most splendid city in the archipelago. These are just two examples. The attributes that make Terceira island unique are endless.
Oulu Finland, Passage of Time
Winter White
Oulu, Finland

Oulu: an Ode to Winter

Located high in the northeast of the Gulf of Bothnia, Oulu is one of Finland's oldest cities and its northern capital. A mere 220km from the Arctic Circle, even in the coldest months it offers a prodigious outdoor life.
shadow vs light
Literature
Kyoto, Japan

The Kyoto Temple Reborn from the Ashes

The Golden Pavilion has been spared destruction several times throughout history, including that of US-dropped bombs, but it did not withstand the mental disturbance of Hayashi Yoken. When we admired him, he looked like never before.
Porto Santo, view to the south of Pico Branco
Nature
Terra Chã and Pico Branco footpaths, Porto Santo

Pico Branco, Terra Chã and Other Whims of the Golden Island

In its northeast corner, Porto Santo is another thing. With its back facing south and its large beach, we unveil a mountainous, rugged and even wooded coastline, dotted with islets that dot an even bluer Atlantic.
Sheki, Autumn in the Caucasus, Azerbaijan, Autumn Homes
Autumn
Sheki, Azerbaijan

autumn in the caucasus

Lost among the snowy mountains that separate Europe from Asia, Sheki is one of Azerbaijan's most iconic towns. Its largely silky history includes periods of great harshness. When we visited it, autumn pastels added color to a peculiar post-Soviet and Muslim life.
Fluvial coming and going
Natural Parks
Iriomote, Japan

The Small Tropical Japanese Amazon of Iriomote

Impenetrable rainforests and mangroves fill Iriomote under a pressure cooker climate. Here, foreign visitors are as rare as the yamaneko, an elusive endemic lynx.
Roça Sundy, Príncipe Island, Theory of Relativity, Lookout
UNESCO World Heritage
Roca Sundy, Príncipe Island, São Tomé and Principe

The Certainty of Relativity

In 1919, Arthur Eddington, a British astrophysicist, chose the Roça Sundy to prove Albert Einstein's famous theory. More than a century later, the island of Príncipe that welcomed him is still among the most stunning places in the Universe.
View from the top of Mount Vaea and the tomb, Vailima village, Robert Louis Stevenson, Upolu, Samoa
Characters
Upolu, Samoa

Stevenson's Treasure Island

At age 30, the Scottish writer began looking for a place to save him from his cursed body. In Upolu and the Samoans, he found a welcoming refuge to which he gave his heart and soul.
Bather, The Baths, Devil's Bay (The Baths) National Park, Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands
Beaches
Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands

Virgin Gorda's Divine “Caribbaths”

Discovering the Virgin Islands, we disembark on a tropical and seductive seaside dotted with huge granite boulders. The Baths seem straight out of the Seychelles but they are one of the most exuberant marine scenery in the Caribbean.
The Crucifixion in Helsinki
Religion
Helsinki, Finland

A Frigid-Scholarly Via Crucis

When Holy Week arrives, Helsinki shows its belief. Despite the freezing cold, little dressed actors star in a sophisticated re-enactment of Via Crucis through streets full of spectators.
Chepe Express, Chihuahua Al Pacifico Railway
On Rails
Creel to Los Mochis, Mexico

The Barrancas del Cobre & the CHEPE Iron Horse

The Sierra Madre Occidental's relief turned the dream into a construction nightmare that lasted six decades. In 1961, at last, the prodigious Chihuahua al Pacifico Railroad was opened. Its 643km cross some of the most dramatic scenery in Mexico.
Magome to Tsumago, Nakasendo, Path medieval Japan
Society
Magome-Tsumago, Japan

Magome to Tsumago: The Overcrowded Path to the Medieval Japan

In 1603, the Tokugawa shogun dictated the renovation of an ancient road system. Today, the most famous stretch of the road that linked Edo to Kyoto is covered by a mob eager to escape.
Casario, uptown, Fianarantsoa, ​​Madagascar
Daily life
Fianarantsoa, Madagascar

The Malagasy City of Good Education

Fianarantsoa was founded in 1831 by Ranavalona Iª, a queen of the then predominant Merina ethnic group. Ranavalona Iª was seen by European contemporaries as isolationist, tyrant and cruel. The monarch's reputation aside, when we enter it, its old southern capital remains as the academic, intellectual and religious center of Madagascar.
Cliffs above the Valley of Desolation, near Graaf Reinet, South Africa
Wildlife
Graaf-Reinet, South Africa

A Boer Spear in South Africa

In early colonial times, Dutch explorers and settlers were terrified of the Karoo, a region of great heat, great cold, great floods and severe droughts. Until the Dutch East India Company founded Graaf-Reinet there. Since then, the fourth oldest city in the rainbow nation it thrived at a fascinating crossroads in its history.
The Sounds, Fiordland National Park, New Zealand
Scenic Flights
Fiordland, New Zealand

The Fjords of the Antipodes

A geological quirk made the Fiordland region the rawest and most imposing in New Zealand. Year after year, many thousands of visitors worship the sub-domain slashed between Te Anau and Milford Sound.