My family was in town a couple weeks ago, and we got to spend some quality time together. It was the first time that all of us Yokoyama’s were together since New Years, so I was ecstatic to see them all again! I took a Friday off to spend a day with them in San Francisco, and then we drove to South Lake Tahoe for the weekend. Here are some photos from the Yokoyama reunion! 😀
My family making their way down the steps of Lombard Street
Me with my mother and siblings.
Ramen lunch at Tanpopo in Japantown.
For dinner, we went to Zabu Zabu in Berkeley, a shabu shabu restaurant.
Dan and I treated the family to a delicious shabu shabu all-you-can-eat dinner.
On Saturday morning, we headed out in the morning to drive to South Lake Tahoe. I’ve been to Tahoe before, but it was in the winter when there was snow, and it was the northern side at Northstar, so this was a whole new experience to visit the southern side and in the summertime!
My parents with the mountains in South Lake Tahoe.
Dan's got the blues
Miwa advertising her canned green tea.
I love my parents!
At night, the siblings came together for game night in our hotel room.
The next morning, at Heavenly Ski Resort.
The Yokoyama ladies
Miwa and I with our parents.
After breakfast, we rode the gondolas up to the lookout point.
Me with my sister and brother on the gondola.
Arriving at the lookout point.
The Yokoyamas at South Lake Tahoe
A gorgeous view of Lake Tahoe!
We ended our weekend in Tahoe with mini golf, a Yokoyama family tradition.
It was really hot in Tahoe, so we cooled down with some shaved ice. (They claimed it was Hawaiian style, but it just didn't compare....)
I had a wonderful time with the family, but as always, I wish I could have made it longer! It’s so hard when you live across the country from your family and loved ones. I can’t wait until the holidays, when we can go visit them back East! 🙂
This past weekend, I flew down to Los Angeles to spend the weekend with a couple of my close college friends! Ryosuke had been in SoCal for a week for a business trip, and Mariko was very gracious to host us again and drive us around everywhere. We had a memorable, fun-filled weekend together!
I flew down to LAX on Friday morning, and after Mari picked me up at the airport, we went to Il Chianti, an Italian restaurant in Lomita. But this is not just any Italian food — it’s Italian food that is tailored to Japanese tastes, so it was very light yet flavorful, and it doesn’t leave you with the heavy feeling that a lot of other traditional Italian restaurants leave you with.
Il Chianti in Lomita
We got to the restaurant a little early, so we caught up on a bench outside while we waited for it to open.
Manila clam pasta with herbs
Afterwards, we went shopping to get a joint birthday present for Ryosuke, and waited for him to get out of work….
Boba Loca
Mari and I shared a watermelon slushy.
Cute Mari with our boba.
We took a walk around Charles H. Wilson Park in Torrance.
Ryosuke finally got off of work, so we picked him up at his hotel in Hawthorne and after wandering around Book Off and Marukai in Gardena, we headed over to dinner in Koreatown, at Honey Pig. My coworker Estella repeatedly recommended it, saying it was some of the best Korean BBQ in LA, so I’d been really wanting to try it!
Me at Honey Pig in Koreatown!
Mari and Richard at dinner
Doesn't it look delicious? It was a little different from the typical Korean BBQ I was used to from Annandale Koreatown.
Mari and I are ready to eat!
The service was great, and our waitress was very friendly and knew some Japanese. She showed us how to eat everything since it was our first time at Honey Pig. They even gave us some complimentary octopus to grill along with the amazing galbi and samgyeopsal that we’d ordered.
At the end, they added rice and lettuce to the leftover meat to make "bibimbap."
After stuffing ourselves to satisfaction at Honey Pig, we drove to Max Karaoke to spend a couple hours singing our hearts out! When the three of us would hang out back in Northern Virginia, we always went karaoke, so we decided to stay true to tradition! 🙂
Mariko and I at karaoke
They had a book of Glee songs!
We tried to get a photo of the three of us together with a timer, but it didn't work as well as we'd hoped... the base ended up being too reflective.
Ryosuke sang an impressive rendition of Jason DeRulo’s “Whatcha Say” at my request. (I have been loving all the covers of that song on YouTube — they’re even better than the original!) He should be one of those YouTube celebrities that do cover songs! 😛
The next day, we headed over to Orange County and stopped at Mitsuwa’s food court for lunch.
Mitsuwa Marketplace in Costa Mesa.
Santouka Ramen -- it was very popular, and the line was pretty long!
Everything looks so good!
My shoyu ramen from Santouka.
Mari enjoying her ramen!
The ramen was well worth the wait! Sooooo good!
After finishing our lunch and hanging around Mitsuwa for a while, we drove to the OC Fair in Orange County!
Walking from the car to the OC Fair.
Mari and I at the OC Fair, having some shaved ice.
Shaved ice... very sweet! Unfortunately not as good as Hawaii's.
These turkey legs reminded us of our football games from back at school! We were too full to get any though...
Mari with the pugs!
Ryosuke and Mari waiting for the ferris wheel ride.
Ryosuke and I patiently waiting...
Mari and I, finally on the ferris wheel!
We were a little alarmed by how shaky the ride was.
Our view overlooking the OC Fair from the ferris wheel.
The three of us on the ferris wheel!
The Ice Museum at the OC Fair - some very detailed ice sculptures!
I think it was a Chinese lion...?
Angel carved out of ice.
Mari and I by the ice dragon, in the blankets they provided us.
An ice version of Rodin's "The Thinker"
At the photography exhibition at the OC Fair. We played around with the color isolation (color accent?) settings on my camera.
Mari at the photo exhibit.
highlighted oranges
The green stripes in Richard's shirt didn't really show up, but the green in the background did!
A stylish Mari among the photographs
Lots of orange showing up!
Peeking out from behind the walls.
Mari and I with the giant camera at the exhibit.
Ryosuke and I at the exhibit
We spotted these performers on stilts. Amazing how they can walk so well in them!
Taking a break to enjoy some Dippin' Dots.
Rainbow Ice Dippin' Dots!
Mari and Ryo went on the rollercoaster, but I decided to sit it out...
Ryosuke at the end of the ride.
I played a game to use up my tickets, and ended up winning this ugly little bear doll. The pattern makes it look diseased... gross! haha*
We left the fair in the late afternoon to catch a showing of Inception. It was my second time seeing it, but it was still really enjoyable to watch and I was able to pick up on more of the details of the film. Definitely got me thinking all over again. What a great movie! I don’t think I will ever get sick of it! We enjoyed a late Japanese dinner at Sanuki no Sato back in Gardena. They are known for their udon and soba noodles, as well as their great izakaya food.
buta no kakuni
I ordered tempura with zaru-soba!
Ryosuke's sanshoku wariko soba.
A delicious dinner to end an eventful day!
The next day, after we dropped Ryosuke off at LAX for him to catch his morning flight back to Tennessee, I went to church with Mariko. Her father is a pastor and gave a very intriguing and inspiring message. 🙂 It’s interesting to attend a service in Japanese, because it’s so foreign to me since I never had the experience growing up — any and all services I’ve gone to were always in English. Afterwards, we had some delicious cake at Patisserie Chantilly before heading over to the airport for me to catch my flight.
Patisserie Chantilly in Lomita
I had the Chantilly Fromage, their signature cheesecake with a creamy cheese filling, baked on a buttery honey graham cracker crust
It was really nice to kick back and relax with old college friends again, since the opportunity is so rare these days, living all the way on the other side of the country from most of them. A huge thanks to Mariko for being such a gracious hostess as usual, driving us all over the megalopolis that is LA… and to Ryosuke for extending his stay in California so we could all hang out for a couple days! 😀 Looking forward to another reunion, hopefully in the near future!
Day Nine was the last day of our vacation in Hawaii! :'(Â This was actually the only day that we didn’t have anything concrete planned, so we winged it. It was nice to just relax and drive around without a real itinerary for once. 🙂
For breakfast, we stopped by Sweet Marie’s, a gluten-free bakery in Kapaa. We just randomly found it and decided to eat there, but it ended up being really good! We recommend. 🙂
Breakfast at Sweet Marie's!
Gluten-free muffin and vegan cookie. The cookie was especially delicious! Who knew vegan cookies could be so yum?
Leave it to me to procrastinate on my souvenir shopping… Thankfully, the Kauai Products Fair on the East Shore had some really nice goodies — this is where we did the bulk of our souvenir shopping for my family. 🙂
The Kauai Products Fair on the East Shore
I loved these frogs! They made such cool sounds, so I got a bunch of the smaller ones as gifts. I really wanted to get a large one for my grandfather who makes bamboo carvings, but I had no room in my luggage for it.
An interesting doll we found at the products fair. Looks like something my brother Ted would like.
Upon completing our souvenir shopping, we went onto get shaved ice. (Yes, again!) This would be the last time we’d get shaved ice in Hawaii. :'(Â We went to Ono Ono Shave Ice.
At Ono Ono Shave Ice in Kapaa. Look at all the flavors!
Dan's shaved ice: banana + guava.
I got the "Zen Break": green tea + lychee. Such a great combination!
In the early afternoon, we returned to the Coconut Marketplace (which is right by our hotel) and watched a free hula show. One of the girls who was performing had been at a fruit stand we went to the previous day, and had urged us to stop by to watch her perform.
Free hula show at the Coconut Marketplace. These girls were adorable!
The female singer whose songs the girls were dancing to sang the famous Israel Kamakawiwo’ole version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” It was so pretty of it, I took a video to capture the audio:
The girls performing a Tahitian dance.
We were able to get a picture with these very talented ladies!
The dancers' mothers were selling handmade leis to fundraise for the girls' costumes, so Dan bought me a lei to support them.
We were pretty hungry after the hula show, so we drove over to The Fish Express in Lihue for a late lunch/afternoon snack. Dan’s coworker had recommended the place for their good poke.
The Fish Express storefront.
So many varieties of poke! I wanted to get everything.
We got a whole bunch of stuff for only about $11.60! We couldn't wait to dig in, so we ate in the car.
This was seriously hands-down the best poke I've ever had! Perfectly flavored.
Ocean salad. This was also amazing.
Kimchee shrimp poke. I am drooling just remembering it.
I'm so excited about all the food we got at The Fish Express!
You can see the effect the poke had on me.
The Fish Express is definitely a place you must go if you’re in Kaua’i and love raw fish like us! My only regret was not going to this place sooner. I would have been totally content with having poke from there every day we were in Kaua’i.
One of the better known places in Kaua’i that we had not been to yet was Poipu Beach, so we drove down to Poipu once our stomachs were stuffed with poke fabulousness.
The sign at Poipu Beach.
A beached Hawaiian Monk Seal. Don't worry, it's not dead - just lazily sunbathing.
Poipu has a strip of the beach which extends down the middle, and the waves come in from either side and meet, and then retract again. I felt like Moses parting the sea; so powerful!
Dan walking further down the beach strip, where there's lava rock.
Me at gorgeous Poipu Beach!
Dan found a sea cucumber... for some reason, he is really good at finding these slimy things.
Walking on lava rock at Poipu.
Against the ocean at Poipu Beach.
The waves were really crashing against the rocks!
Never before have I seen a rooster on the beach!
Dan and I at Poipu Beach.
We had time to stop by one more location before having to grab dinner and head towards the airport, so we drove over to the nearby Wailua Falls.
Wailua Falls
With the video, you can sort of see a more accurate view of how the falls looked from our vantage point. We even caught a rainbow on camera. 🙂
Double waterfalls... too bad there was no double rainbow there, too!
The pool of water at the base of Wailua Falls.
For dinner, we decided to eat near the airport at the Japanese restaurant Kintaro.
Eating dinner at Kintaro Japanese restaurant.
My soba from Kintaro.
Tempura to go with the soba.
Great sushi!
Our last meal in Kaua'i... so sad!
I don't want to leave! :'( ::sniffle::
But alas, we had to leave. After dinner, we promptly returned our rental car and dragged ourselves to the airport to catch our flight. The lines for check-in and for the security check were heinous… it seemed like half the island was flying to LA! But after all the waiting and stress, we were able to safely board our plane. The journey back to San Francisco was anything but fun, since it was an overnight flight and I was freezing the whole time in the overly air-conditioned cabin. I barely got any sleep! We arrived at Los Angeles International Airport early in the morning, where we had a three-hour layover. Not fun! 🙁
Freezing and sleep-deprived at our layover in LAX. I knew it was a bad idea to return to the mainland...
We were surprised to find many more beached creatures lying around in LAX than on the beaches of Hawaii.
But eventually, we boarded our one-hour flight from LAX to SFO, and were able to get home safe and sound. It’s only been a month since we’ve gotten back, but I miss our time in Hawaii a lot. There’s still a lot I’d like to see if and when we ever go back, and I’d like to check out the other islands of Maui and Big Island someday, too.
Thank you to all of our friends who gave us recommendations on places to go, sights to see, and foods to eat! Our trip wouldn’t have been nearly as memorable if it weren’t for you!
We kicked off our second full day in Kauai’ with a trip to Eggbert’s in Kapaa, which was right in front of our hotel. They are known for their awesome macadamia nut pancakes!
Eggbert's in Kapaa
Macadamia nut pancakes!
After breakfast, we drove over to Lihue to Kaua’i Backcountry Adventures, where we had reserved tickets to go on a tubing tour! It’s a mountain tubing adventure where you can float down the historic irrigation system of the former Lihue Plantation — it’s a ditchy and tunnel system that was once used to irrigate sugar crops, but is no longer used since 2000. It’s now exclusively used for tubing tours.
All geared up and ready to go!
We rode in these vehicles that were formerly used by the Swiss army to transport personnel and arms. It made for a bumpy but fun ride!
They stopped as we made our way up the mountain so we could admire the view.
Below is a video that Dan took of “sleepy grass,” a type of plant that closes its leaves temporarily when touched. I’d never seen anything like it before!
Once we reached the tubing site, they filed everyone into a single line and put us on tubes, and we just floated on our donuts in the river.
Everyone on their inner tubes, ready to go!
Dan floating in the water.
We floated through a series of dark tunnels.
Entering another tunnel...
We were to turn our helmet lights on when we went into the tunnels.
Floating lazily along...
Look at how red those leaves are!
At the end of the tubing tour, we got out of the water and enjoyed a sandwich lunch in the mountains. They then took us back down the mountain in the army vehicle again. Our tour guides were very funny and friendly, and the tubing tour was pretty fun without requiring too much physical effort. My kind of activity! 😉
For the rest of the afternoon, we drove up to the Northern part of Kaua’i, to get some beach time. Our first stop was Tunnels Beach.
Arriving at gorgeous Tunnels Beach.
The current was pretty strong on the Western side of the beach. Apparently a guy broke his arm earlier that day trying to swim there. Snorkeling is not advised on this part of the beach.
We headed over to the Eastern side of Tunnels Beach, which was much calmer and more snorkeling-friendly. Here is Dan, so ready to go snorkeling!
Me snorkeling in the water.
We spotted a triggerfish.
A school of fish at Tunnels.
Dan snorkeling.
Me in the water.
Another triggerfish... look at its piglike snout!
Lone coral.
A deliciously large sea urchin.
Dan discovered sea turtles!
This was my favorite snorkeling picture!
The sea turtles were nibbling on the coral.
Such amazing creatures!
Dan was taking a video of the sea turtles at one point (below), when a current pushed him forward towards the turtle’s butt. The turtle got spooked and quickly swam away….
A sea cucumber.
Closeup of coral.
Coral at Tunnels Beach.
A closeup. Huge thanks to Estella for lending us her underwater case to use with our camera. It was thanks to her that we were able to get some of these great underwater photos!
After spending a couple hours snorkeling at Tunnels Beach, we drove further north to see what we could find. We came across this super creepy-looking wet cave. I looked it up later and found out it was called Waikanaloa Cave. Sea caves are formed by thousands of years of ocean waves pounding against the lava and eventually etching out a cavern. At one time, the ocean was up to this point.
Waikanaloa Cave
This wet cave is right by the road, you can't miss it!
Hubby in front of the Waikanaloa Cave. I was getting more and more freaked out every minute we were there.
Can't get over how creepy-looking it was!
What lurks in that darkness? Apparently nothing (no sea life) except for leptospirosis, a nasty and dangerous bacteria. Swimming is strictly prohibited. (Who would want to swim here?!)
Me at the Waikanaloa Cave. Don't let my peace sign fool you; I couldn't wait to get out of here. Continue!
Desperate to get away from the scary cave, we continued on our way up the island and arrived at Ke’e Beach, where a much more pleasant sight greeted us.
Arriving at Ke'e Beach.
Me at beautiful Ke'e Beach.
Dan told me to look more enthusiastic...
Dan on Ke'e Beach.
Sparkling waters.
Dan under the giant roots of a tree on Ke'e Beach.
Me perched on the roots.
After Ke’e Beach, we started making our way back down the Eastern part of the island. There was a slight drizzle, after which we found this rainbow over the Kaua’i landscape!
Rainbow over Kaua'i.
Too bad it wasn't a double rainbow... haha*
We stopped by this souvenir vendor area on our way back, but most of the shops had closed up by then. We vowed to return the next day!
Kaua'i Products Fair, about to close.
For dinner, we decided to check out Kalapaki Joe’s in Lihue, a sports bar that one of the tubing tour guides had recommended as having great nachos and happy hour specials. The food was good, but the service was mediocre….
Kalapaki Joe's in Lihue.
A monster nacho plate, with kalua pork. It had to be the largest nacho plate I'd ever seen, but I have to admit it was pretty delicious.
Seafood pasta from Kalapaki Joe's. The lighting was horrible, so the photo doesn't look too appetizing, but it was also pretty good!
We returned to our hotel, stuffed and ready to pass out. The next day was our last day in Kaua’i, and in 24 hours, we’d be boarding a plane back home to San Francisco. Check back for Day 9, our last day in Hawaii! (Finally, right?)
On Day 7, our first full day in Kaua’i, we woke up at dark o’clock to drive over to Eleele, where we boarded a catamaran for a seven-hour tour that would take us up the Na Pali Coast and to see Niihau Island. Neither of us is a morning person, but we fought our sleepiness and embarked on the boat, banking on the promise that we would see some of the most stunning views of the island of Kaua’i.
Here comes the sun!
Leaving the dock.
We came across a small raft, that happened to be dolphin watching!
Spinner dolphin flipping about.
Dolphins swimming right in front of our boat!
They were super cute! I don't think I've ever seen dolphins so up close!
We sped up and soon approached the Na Pali Coast...
We were greeted by an amazing view.
The beautiful Na Pali Coast
This is what paradise looks like....
Towering mountains over a lush valley.
Steep mountains... this area of the Na Pali Coast is only accessible by boat or helicopter.
The Honopu Arch, where they filmed the movie Six Days Seven Nights
More majestic views of the Na Pali Coast
Na Pali Coast against a clear blue sky.
Dan and I at the Na Pali Coast
An amazing rock formation called The Keyhole.
Closeup of the natural bridge...
The hubby and I by the Keyhole!
Niihau Island in the distance
Approaching Niihau Island, a privately owned island known as the "Forbidden Isle" because it is off-limits to the general public.
The catamaran parked itself near Niihau Island, where passengers got the opportunity to go snorkeling for an hour before lunch. Here are some nice underwater shots that Dan took while snorkeling!
Fish in blue waters.
Uni! A sea urchin.
So many fish!
Closeup of a fish.
Underwater coral.
Trenches by Niihau Island.
Underwater life.
Here’s some video footage that Dan took with my camera while snorkeling…
The crew was super nice. Thank you Holo Holo Charters!
After snorkeling and lunch, it was time to head back to Kaua’i. The crew purposely gave us a very bumpy and exhilarating ride back! You can see more photos from the Na Pali Coast and Niihau Island in this photo album. If you are ever in Kaua’i and are considering a catamaran trip to see the Na Pali Coast, we really recommend Holo Holo Charters! They had top notch service and were really knowledgeable and skilled, and very personable, too! 🙂
When we got back to land, it was still the early afternoon, so we had plenty more things to do and places to see…
Dan before leaving Port Allen.
Jo Jo’s Shave Ice was strongly recommended as the best shaved ice in Kaua’i, so we stopped by while we were in Waimea.
Jo Jo's Shave Ice in Waimea
strawberry + guava + melon
Jo Jo's storefront
Dan enjoying his macnut shave ice!
Jo Jo’s Shave Ice was really good and was very refreshing, especially on a hot day! I personally still liked Waiola from Oahu better, but Jo Jo’s was definitely the best shaved ice we had in Kaua’i. (And we got shaved ice pretty much every day while we were on Kaua’i… haha* It was so hot there!)
A river running through the Kaua'i landscape.
An epic photo of Dan.
After making our way through winding dirt roads for over half an hour, we finally reached our destination in Waimea: The Waimea Canyon!
Arriving at Waimea Canyon Lookout
Stunning Waimea Canyon.
On top of the world.
The canyon stretching before our eyes.
A gorgeous view.
People at the Waimea Canyon lookout
Dan and I at Waimea Canyon
The pictures just don't do it justice!
Clouds over the canyon.
Hubby with the canyon in the background.
Dan was fascinated by the red dirt that could be found all over the island.
We picked up some fresh fruits at this roadside vendor right before they closed up shop.
For dinner, we stopped at the Shrimp Station in Waimea. If you know how much I love shrimp, you can imagine how psyched I was to go here….
Kaua'i's Shrimp Station!
I got shrimp tacos!
Dan got the Thai shrimp. Super good!
We wanted to try more, so we even got some coconut shrimp to go...
We then drove back to our hotel in Kapaa to kick back and relax for the rest of the evening.
Dan cut open this mystery fruit that he picked up at the roadside vendor. To this day, we’re still uncertain of what it’s called, but we were curious so we decided to try it out. To be honest, it was not very good…
Looks unappetizing... and did not taste very good, either.
Me enjoying some of our leftovers on our hotel balcony.
The hubby eating... the coconut shrimp was delicious1
The view of the beach from our balcony.
After waking up super early in the morning, we were totally pooped by the end of the day! We got to see so many amazing sights though, both along the Na Pali Coast and at Waimea Canyon — these are definite must-sees if you are ever in Kaua’i. 🙂
