Blessed to have gone back to Tōkyō during fall break! Enjoyed the sites, the food, and especially meeting up with friends. I was worried because of the recent bad weather, but the weather was nice. Would have liked it to be a bit cooler (it was mid-60s to mid-70s) but I’ll take sunny & clear anytime.

Some of my highlights included meeting up with my Kumamoto fam, going to izakaya with my friend エマ, and taking a day trip to Hakone with my cousin Val & Patrick.

I also attended church in Japan for the first time! I went to New Hope Yokohama for Sunday service. I got to meet Pastor Tantan and his wife Ai. I also introduced myself to the worship leader and shared that her worship video appeared on my YouTube algorithm. I told her that her video made me want to visit and gifted her a bag of Hawaiian Host chocolate macnuts.

Two new things:
1. I never go shopping on my Japan travels, mainly because I only fly with one carry-on. However, I finally, finally realized that my daypack wasn’t a good fit. Now I really, really love how compact and light it is. It is perfect for travel, but not for Tōkyō travel. The reason is that in Tōkyō, it’s all about catching trains. I realized that putting on and taking off the day pack repeatedly (and having it get caught on my watch or cuff) was mendokusai (a hassle.) So this is what I picked up…

This is the Porter Flash Sling bag. If you’re “in the know,” Yoshida Porter is a luxury brand. However, the Flash (nylon) product line is not sold at their stores but can only be found at department stores like Hands. Still, it was a pricy investment. I took advantage of the ¥en exchange and tax-free shopping.

2. Something free! I recently discovered on YouTube that eki stamp collecting is a “thing.” Train stations (and popular tourist spots) have stations set up with their stamp and stamp pad.

This is the Tōkyō (東京) Eki stamp. I mentioned to my friends that I was unable to find it earlier in my trip, and that it wasn’t a big deal. But they were determined to help me, and it became a fun night’s challenge. Another great memory…

Another great trip, 楽しかったです☺️ So blessed, and so thankful.

We successfully hosted our annual Kamehameha Schools Education Technology Conference at the Blaisdell Exhibition Hall this past week. It was a blast! I especially liked the variety of formats, activities, and session topics. It was a great conference experience, and I truly felt a sense of community.

Our friends from HSTE put on Edcamp Honolulu as one of our pre-conference activities. It is a privilege & blessing to work alongside these passionate educators.

Our high school drumline opened Day 1 and rocked the Pikake Room! (I was also touched that they wore our conference t-shirts under their unbuttoned uniforms.)

We also had student DJs bringing the energy to our conference🎵 How cool is that?

Along with Hawaiian crafts, we had a wellness station called “Paws & Relax,” a partnership with the Fur-Angel Foundation who are looking to get puppies adopted.

I also participated in the HSTE AI Slam. I shared about SUNO, a free AI music generating platform. I created the image in Adobe Firefly for a training and needed music for the storytelling component.

One of my conference duties is to do the announcements. My main goal is to make our attendees feel welcome and appreciated!

The highlight for me was hosting Mizuki and Kiyomi先生 from UH-Mānoa. It was great making new friends! But I was also able to experience the conference from their perspective. Sometimes when you plan an event, you don’t get to enjoy it. I saw how wonderful the day was unfolding and got to see their reactions. Everyone at the conference was so friendly and filled with Aloha. I was so happy to see my new friends happy. Looking forward to next year!

Blessed to have had the opportunity to visit Japan during Spring Break. This trip was to see the cherry blossoms in full bloom (mankai)🌸 I attended the Ueno Sakura Festa and also strolled along Meguro River & Sumida River. It was also my first time visiting a jazz kissa🎵

Of course, the highlight for me was visiting friends and catching up. Happy memories❣️

The lowlight was experiencing Haru no Arashi⛈ or “spring storm.” It was crazy & ridiculous, but fortunately short-lived.

This is my shopping haul. Haha. Usually, I just get snacks for the office. This time, I got an omiyage for myself and picked up a towel handkerchief タオルハンカチ。In Japan there is no napkin culture, so it’s common for people to carry these.

Spoke 日本語 and made new friends on this trip. So looking forward to the next one🍁

Aloha shirts, that is.

My aloha shirt of choice is the Reyn Spooner. Timeless, classic, and part of the fabric (no pun intended) of our local culture.

Reyn McCullough set up shop at Ala Moana Center back in 1959. He later partnered with Ruth Spooner in 1961, and the rest is history. I’m a big fan of the Spooner Kloth™ (55% cotton / 45% polyester) since it requires no ironing. (I don’t own an iron.)

Some people have amassed huge closet collections. Me? Small kine…

In Hawai’i, aloha shirts are your standard daily work attire. And especially at my school, aloha wear is part of our work culture. Imua💪

But I’m especially fond of Christmas Spooners. They’re fun, unique, and a big part of local Christmas tradition. I always wear one to Honolulu City Lights each December. Mele Kalikimaka🎄

Spooners are also released in limited editions to commemorate special occasions, places, and sometimes people. This one is for Chinese New Year🧨

OK, OK, but these shirts are premium and can get a bit pricey. How can anyone possibly afford them?

Well, here’s the secret… Shhhh🤫

eBay.

There are great deals to be had! I limit my purchases to around $25. With shipping + tax, it comes out to around $34. The $128 price tag for brand new is way too rich for me🤪

Another option is the Reyn’s Again program where you can trade in gently used shirts for store credit. You can get $20 credit for Spooner Kloth and $15 for 100% cotton. Make sure that there is no fading and that all of the tags are intact. I traded in a few shirts that I hardly ever wore and picked up Kikaida👊

Finally, at the end of the day, you just sometimes need to treat yourself to a little “liquid aloha.” And you know what? Somehow, someway, it always tastes best in a Spooner aloha shirt🤙

Blessed to have gone to Tōkyō for Fall Break. This trip felt different in that I had more meetups than usual, but that’s a good thing! Got to spend precious time with people who mean so much to me❣️

There was a typhoon nearby, but the weather held up. The yen rate was ￥150 per dollar. I got to try Jiro-kei and Ie-kei ラーメン for the first time🍜 I also got to explore new places and ate new things. Of course, the highlight (as always) was the people and the relationships. So looking forward to the next one…