Waikiki Beach Morning Adventure View
Waikiki Beach Morning Adventure View
Overview
In this special episode of Only in Japan Go, host John Daub takes viewers on a morning walk along the iconic Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii. Although the channel focuses on Japan, John highlights the deep cultural, historical, and culinary connections between Hawaii and Japan. He explains that this is a work trip, not a vacation, as he prepares to film an episode about Japanese-American food and history for the main channel.
John shares insights into the local atmosphere, from the surfers catching waves near Diamond Head to the ubiquitous ABC Stores that cater to tourists. He interacts with fans and community members, announcing an upcoming viewer meetup at Magic Island. The walk serves as a scouting mission, where John identifies key locations like Mitsuwa Supermarket, Marukame Udon, and Don Quijote, noting the unique fusion of cultures found in Hawaii.
Beyond the scenery, John reflects on the importance of understanding both sides of World War II history, given Hawaii's pivotal role in the Pacific War. He discusses the Japanese immigrant experience in Hawaii and how culture evolves when transplanted to new soil. This video offers a rare glimpse of John outside of Japan, providing context for why Hawaii remains deeply relevant to the Only in Japan audience.
Highlights
- 00:05 John introduces the beautiful morning at Waikiki Beach with surfers and Diamond Head in view.
- 02:05 Announcement of the viewer meetup at Magic Island and the plan to live stream for those who can't attend.
- 07:05 Tease of a secret filming project involving food and Japanese culture that even AI got wrong.
- 09:32 Encounter with a passerby who follows the show and lives in Ichikawa, Japan.
- 14:43 Visit to the Duke Kahanamoku Statue and a brief history lesson.
- 17:00 Tour of the ABC Store, described as the definitive tourist convenience store.
- 25:52 Exploration of the International Marketplace and Mitsuwa Supermarket.
- 28:51 Discussion on the importance of understanding the Pacific side of World War II history.
- 36:16 Mention of local food spots like Musubi Cafe and plans for dinner at Highway Inn.
Timeline / Chapters
- 00:00 Introduction at Waikiki Beach
- 02:00 Meetup Announcement & Community
- 05:00 Fan Interactions & Hawaii Connections
- 10:00 Walking the Shoreline & Diamond Head
- 15:00 Duke Kahanamoku Statue & Zoo
- 17:00 ABC Store & Hotel Tour
- 22:00 Content Creation Reality Check
- 25:00 Japanese Markets & Food Scouting
- 29:00 WWII History & Cultural Connections
- 35:00 Jet Lag, Food, & Closing Thoughts
Japan Travel Tips
- Best Time to Visit: John notes that October offers good weather without the intense heat and humidity of summer in Japan.
- Getting Around: Public bikes are available near the beach, but be cautious of traffic patterns (driving on the right side in Hawaii vs. left in Japan).
- Convenience Stores: ABC Stores are everywhere in Waikiki and stock everything from Hawaiian shirts to snacks and sunscreen.
- Food Costs: Be prepared for higher prices; John notes a cheeseburger costing around $25 USD.
- Sun Protection: The sun is deceptively strong; wear high SPF sunscreen to avoid burns.
- Meetups: John often organizes casual meetups for viewers; check his community posts for locations like Magic Island.
Japanese Language & Culture Notes
- Aloha: Used as both greeting and farewell, embodying the spirit of love and connection in Hawaii.
- A hui hou: Hawaiian phrase meaning "until we meet again," used by John at the Duke statue.
- Lei: Garlands of flowers given as welcome gifts; John received several upon arrival.
- Japanese Immigration: John highlights the history of Japanese immigrants working in fields in the 1890s and their lasting impact on Hawaii's culture and politics.
- Cultural Fusion: Hawaii sits between Japan and the US, creating unique blends like musubi and Japanese-American dishes not found in mainland Japan.
- WWII History: John emphasizes the importance of understanding both the Japanese and American perspectives of the Pacific War, noting plans to visit Pearl Harbor.
Food & Drink Guide
- Musubi: Rice ball with spam, a staple Hawaiian-Japanese fusion snack. Mentioned at 36:16.
- Udon: Thick wheat noodles. John spots Marukame Udon with long lines, noting it's a breakfast food in Shikoku 25:52.
- Takoyaki: Octopus balls. John sees them being made at Don Quijote but notes they looked less than appetizing 27:43.
- Macadamia Nuts: Sold in boxes at ABC Stores 17:00.
- Pineapple Welcome Drink: Offered to guests at John's hotel, even to non-guests helping with bags 19:54.
- Highway Inn: A local family restaurant planned for dinner, known for local Hawaiian food 36:46.
People
- John Daub: Host and creator of Only in Japan Go. He is in Hawaii for a work trip, filming content and connecting with the local viewer community.
- Brandy & Michael Susano: Friends and viewers who are assisting John with scouting and logistics during his stay.
- Kristen: A viewer who coincidentally knew Michael from elementary school, highlighting the small-world nature of Hawaii.
- Gil: A writer and expert in Japanese-American food who contacts John during the stream to offer insights.
- Passerby: A fan who recognizes John on the beach and shares that they live in Ichikawa, Japan.
Key Takeaways
- Work vs. Vacation: John emphasizes that despite the beautiful setting, this is a work trip requiring focus and discipline (e.g., keeping shoes on, not swimming).
- Cultural Connection: Hawaii serves as a unique bridge between American and Japanese cultures, evident in food, history, and demographics.
- Content Creation Reality: John shares the financial risks and effort behind creating videos, noting that passion drives the work more than guaranteed profit.
- Historical Perspective: Understanding the Pacific War requires visiting both Japan and Hawaii to appreciate the experiences of both sides.
- Community: The Only in Japan community is global, with strong pockets of viewers in places like Hawaii who connect over shared interests.
Notable Quotes
- 01:26 "This is not a vacation. It feels like it when you're walking down the beach. It's so much work that I'm not even with you."
- 07:05 "How dare you steal this topic? Japan from Hawaii."
- 12:12 "Living in paradise sometimes, you might take it for granted and it changes."
- 23:07 "You do it because you love it. You don't know what's gonna happen."
- 29:37 "I want to understand the pains that happened here as well. And that's I think what any good journalist would do."
- 35:35 "You can be a negative attitude. Or you can be a net positive. And always take the positive."
Related Topics
- Japanese Immigration to Hawaii
- World War II Pacific Theater History
- Hawaiian-Japanese Fusion Food
- Content Creation Behind the Scenes
- Waikiki Travel Guide
- Only in Japan Viewer Meetups
Search Tags
#only-in-japan-go #waikiki #hawaii #honolulu #japanese-culture #travel-vlog #foodie #meetup #diamond-head #duk-kahanamoku #mitsuwa #marukame-udon #world-war-ii #content-creator #john-daub
Full Transcript
00:05 John Daub: Good morning! Welcome to Waikiki Beach here in Hawaii. Aloha! In this episode I'm going to walk down the way to my hotel. It's such a beautiful sight with the nature and the sea and the sky all meeting to make these waves. If you're lucky you'll see some surfers catching some cowabunga out there. It's a beautiful afternoon. The weather could not be more perfect. You can see the surfers out there. Aloha!
00:49 John Daub: Sorry, got the mic right here. Good morning! How you doing everybody? It's a beautiful, beautiful morning here in Hawaii. I woke up about 5 o'clock because of jet lag and got an early start. Which is important because I have an important film today. I'll be shooting an episode for the main channel on Only in Japan. But while I'm out here, why don't I take you on a beach walk? So in this episode today I'm going to take you up and down a little bit of Waikiki Beach. Here you get an idea of what this experience is like. It's so beautiful. You have Diamond Head in the distance.
01:26 John Daub: It's where nature all meets the Pacific Ocean, the blue skies, mountains in the distance, and then all these hotels. There's a lot about the hotels. Like I was banned because my wife and son are not here. I'm on a work trip. This is not a vacation. It feels like it when you're walking down the beach. It's so much work that I'm not even with you. I'm wearing my sandals, okay? I cannot enjoy my bare feet in there. This is a job. Very much so.
02:05 John Daub: So enjoy the sounds and sights of Waikiki Beach. This is pretty awesome. From my hotel, it's about a four minute walk from the entrance to the beach. Pretty much worth it. Sean808 is here. Thank you. I'm looking forward to seeing all of you too. We'll be on Magic Island in Hawaii, 5:30pm to 6pm. It's just a casual meetup. It's nothing spectacular, but if you're in the area, I'd love to see you. Share that aloha spirit. Really, it feels like I'm bringing a little bit of Japan with me. I do have some You Found Me cards. Not a lot, but just enough to make it interesting.
02:49 John Daub: I have no idea how many people are going to be coming tomorrow. We're going to find out, but I will live stream it and bring all of you that can't make it with us. There are other people in other islands here in Hawaii that want to come and couldn't make it. I have to bring them with us in the live stream as well. We'll have a nice group photo as well to see our Hawaiian community, which is pretty awesome. I've got to wait for this catamaran to come out of the water here. And then we're going to walk a little bit more down Waikiki.
03:18 John Daub: Apparently, I don't know what a lot of these hotels are. I'm sure some of you do. Next time I come here, I will probably stay at one of them. Is that the Outrigger right there? Maybe I will probably stay at one of these resort hotels with Kanae and Leo, but I can't do it. I'm going to do it on my own. Number one, this is work. I have to have that mindset that this is work. And number two, I'm here to film. I'm here to make an episode. And it has nothing to do with the beach or the resorts. Although, how can you separate that with Hawaii?
04:03 John Daub: I think for people, when you see this episode, you will be able to. Because it has nothing to do with resorts. It has everything to do with food and Japanese culture. And perhaps some surfing. Whoa! I just took a dive right there. Good morning, Brandy. I'll see you soon. I'm coming to Tokyo in October. How awesome is that? That's pretty good. It's typhoon season, but I think you'll have some pretty good weather. It won't be hot and muggy like it is in the summer in Japan, which is a huge, huge deal.
04:47 John Daub: Like being inside of a sauna or an oven when you come in the summer in Japan. No complaints. The days are longer, though. You will have sweat stains all up and down the back and front of your shirt, though. That's something that's unavoidable. But I'm really looking forward to seeing all of you come to visit Japan as well as in tomorrow's meetup here in Hawaii. We have a very big community here in Hawaii of viewers for Only in Japan. How do I know that?
05:20 John Daub: Yesterday, I was just walking around the shopping mall with Brandy and Michael Susano, and we were hanging out. And even last night, I kind of walked outside the hotel just for a couple of minutes to try to get just a little snack before bed. And there were some people at the supermarket that stopped, looked at me funny, did this. Ah! Only in Japan. I said, yeah. So I got a picture, and that was fun. I'd say overall yesterday, there were about a dozen people who stopped to say hi. So I can tell that we've got a really amazing community here in Hawaii.
06:02 John Daub: So I'm looking forward to seeing everybody all at once. And I was talking with Brandy and Michael and said, next time I come to Hawaii, I want to try to get some sort of barbecue. Maybe we can get everybody to bring their own goodies, go out to Magic Island or one of the other spots, and just have a barbecue out there. Do it Hawaiian style. Real casual and fun. Get a couple of drinks. And a little bit longer than what we're going to be having tomorrow. But it's really special to be here in Hawaii and be able to just even for a short time see everybody. Finally, after three years of having to stay at home, we could travel out into places like this. This is incredible.
07:05 John Daub: Yeah, Brandy cannot talk about Fight Club. You cannot tell people what we're filming, Brandy. Whatever you do, top secret. It's such a big story that I found. I even asked ChatGPT about this story and ChatGPT had the wrong information. And I said to ChatGPT, are you sure? Could you be mistaken? And they gave me this whole spiel about how AI is not perfect and all this other stuff. Basically giving excuses. I think you're going to like this episode as well. Especially if you like food. I'm going to be eating. Why? He's known for a lot of things. And it's known for this. And wrongfully, it's known in Japan for it should be a Hawaiian thing. As an American, I'm somewhat defensive now. How dare you steal this topic? Japan from Hawaii.
08:08 John Daub: It's going to be a good episode. All right. There goes the catamaran out to destination out there as well as all the other people. Oh my gosh. There's a lot of people in there. Why aren't I out there? Oh, right. I'm working. No fun time. John may not have fun. I think this is fun. Live streaming. I can't take my shirt off either because then I'd be having fun. If I come back with the farmer's tan, that's working. If you come back with an even tan, no tan lines at all. That's not working. Or that's not fun maybe. Fun for somebody else. I will have tan lines. That's proof that I did not have fun.
09:02 John Daub: We're having fun. I was hanging out with Brandy and Michael yesterday. It was a lot of fun. So again, for those joining us, I'm having so much fun. I'm not allowed to have fun. I keep my shoes on for your not fun time fun.
09:32 Passerby: Oh, hello. We follow you in Japan. Like we watch your show in Japan.
09:37 John Daub: Oh, really? Well, I'm in Hawaii. I used to live on that side in Shinozaki. Oh, that's crazy. How long are you here for? Oh, Saturday. Oh, yeah. I leave a day after tomorrow. What a rip off. Nice to see you. That's cool. She lives in Ichikawa, which is just used to be a couple of stops away from where I used to live. That's craziness.
10:12 John Daub: This is the great thing about Hawaii. This is what I'm learning. It is an island. And like all islands, people are a lot closer than you think. And there's this really amazing closeness that everybody has with each other. Even if you don't know them, it's like you know them. Just yesterday. Can I tell the story? Maybe Michael should tell it. I don't know. So yesterday, Michael, Brandy and I were scouting out what I'm filming today. And Kristen, who is also a viewer of Only in Japan, came in to say hi because she knew I was going to be at this location. And Kristen, you can't tell people what it is either.
10:52 John Daub: And then Kristen walks up to Michael and goes, I know you. Like she knew because Michael uses his real name. And they had gone to elementary school together. And it was funny. And Michael's looking at her like, I know you too. And that just was one of these amazing things. It brought a huge smile to me. Brandy was smiling as well. Like what a coincidence. And how small is Hawaii, you know? And our community is small. And tomorrow we're going to learn a little bit. We're going to learn about Hawaii through the people that we meet. And I think that's maybe the best way to do it.
11:35 John Daub: Again, that's maybe another reason why I'm not going to the resorts. Over there, see, there's Diamond Head in the distance. We're going to say goodbye to Diamond Head and walk off of the beach a little bit. I guess the tide is in because it looks like the beach is a little bit smaller than usual. I don't know. But I kind of want to go swimming, unfortunately. That's not going to happen. Farmers can't. All right, I will tell you this. On Wednesday morning, I'm going to be out on the beach. Wednesday morning, maybe.
12:12 John Daub: All right, let's get off of the beach here. The beaches were crowded when I got here an hour ago, walking around. I had trouble with the Wi-Fi router. I got it working. It took a little while. Jimmy writes in here, could you see yourself living here? Answer. Hell yeah. Who couldn't? But the thing is, living in paradise sometimes, you might take it for granted and it changes. Because I live in Japan. I live in Tokyo. I've lived in Japan for 25 years this year.
13:12 John Daub: And I remember my first year like it was yesterday. And Japan was so vibrant, exciting. It was like, wow. All right. I didn't really like Japan, to be honest with you, when I first got there. But it grew on me. Back then, nobody was coming to visit me. I had friends that were saying, Japan, why would I go there? And now everybody wants to come to visit. Finally, it just took 20 some years. After the first couple of years, that honeymoon period wears off. And it's just life. I'm so used to the way that life is in Japan. It's sort of melted into not as special as it is for you when you come to visit.
14:01 John Daub: But I think through what you see and interacting with people that are visiting, you really can get that connection. And it brings me back to the first times when I moved to Japan. So I think if I could see myself living here. Heck, yeah. I think it'd be fun for a year or two. But it's also really expensive. I think it was like 25 bucks for a cheeseburger or something yesterday. I was looking at the prices. I wasn't very hungry anymore. My stomach is shrunk a little bit. But when I do eat. 25 bucks for a burger. I don't know if I could do it. It has to be one heck of a burger.
14:43 John Daub: Here's the Duke Kahanamoku statue. A hui hou. Sorry. That's a big O. I love history. Learning about it. Because when you learn the history, it changes the way you see a place. He's got some lei in his hands. That's awesome. Duke. It's Waikiki Beach, everyone. This is where Greg Brady wiped out because he had the tiki idol. Don't pick up any idols that you find at burial sites. You got it. Piece of advice that I've learned from watching TV.
15:30 John Daub: I'm lucky that I had Michael and Brandy visiting and Kristen yesterday because I got when I got off of the plane and out into the city. I had three or four lei around my neck. It was pretty awesome. Just for everybody's looking. This is exactly where I am here. So you get an idea. There's Hawaii. You can see Waikiki Beach. I'm spinning. I'm going to jump down into it right now. Right there. That's where I started the live stream. They have fireworks there every Friday night. Apparently a beach is absolutely beautiful. It's one of the best beaches in the world. It's just there's a reason for it. The view of Diamond Head in the distance. It really is a magical place.
16:23 John Daub: I did sleep well. I slept about seven hours. I woke up at five. I went to bed at 10 because I was so tired. I couldn't sleep. Here's the zoo. And this is the end of the beach. And then if you come back in, you can give you a little bit of a look. Yeah, there you go. There's Waikiki. Beautiful, beautiful. And notice the ABC stores is like the definitive convenience store, which has everything that a tourist needs from Hawaiian shirts to gifts, to sandwiches, to water, to skin cream and postcards.
17:00 John Daub: You take a quick look. See here. There you go. All the goodies. Sunglasses, drinks and all the prices, too. That's not too bad. I thought it was going to be worse. But box of macadamia nuts. This is the Hilton. So the Hyatt Regency, Waikiki Beach. You can see a lot of fancy cars. I'm going to walk out to you and show you where I'm staying. Is that wise? My door locks pretty tight.
17:52 John Daub: From Waikiki Beach to Main Street. There's another ABC store. These stores are everywhere. You see a lot of surf shops and surf cafes. It's pretty chill. It's in between a lot of the tall high rise hotels and buildings. There are a lot of local places and it's kind of neat. I think it's very easy to stay at a... I hear these share public bikes that you can grab and ride around the beach area. Just be really careful because the traffic is different. Especially for me coming from Japan. Driving on the other side of the road. Even though I'm American and I drive quite a bit here. It's still kind of different. So you have to change your brain and sometimes it takes a day or two.
18:51 John Daub: It is beautiful walking the streets here. It's chill. This is like downtown Honolulu. It's pretty chill. Alright, so I'm almost back at the hotel. Believe it or not. We're going to take a left here to this next street. I'll do a quick circle around.
19:23 John Daub: Day 2. See the pigeons are different as well. I think a lot of you have noticed that as well. Different pigeons. I notice things that maybe others don't notice. Hey, see you're different. Look at you. You have like this punk hairstyle too. So stick it up. We call that spiked hair. You get spiked feathers. It's different. Alright, so that's where I'm staying. The Vive Hotel Waikiki. And it's pretty good.
19:54 John Daub: You know Michael helped me with my bags to get into the hotel. And they gave him a welcome drink too. Michael wasn't even staying in there and he got a pineapple welcome drink. That's pretty cool. I think that was real nice. Free continental breakfast. But I didn't eat anything because I'm going to be shooting food very shortly. I think that's a condominium, right? Because that's too nice to be a hotel. It's glass wall to wall. Look at that. Wall to ceiling. Sorry, floor to ceiling glass. I'd love to live there. Estimated price $1 million probably.
20:42 John Daub: But this is what it's like to walk down the main street here in Waikiki. There's a lot of traffic going up and down. But it's chill. I think there's... I love the nature. The trees on the left and right of them. You got palm trees. Really warm sun. I think it's deceptively warm and strong. You certainly need to wear skin cream. SPF whatever high number you can find. I can usually tolerate the sun but you can overestimate your skin's power here. That's an uncomfortable joke because you will be uncomfortable if you burn. Another reason why my t-shirt's still on. I don't want to be burned as I'm working. And this is a job.
21:31 John Daub: Jason writes in here they grow chocolate, coffee, vanilla, and... And I'm like... Maybe an episode on that. Only in Japan. Vanilla. Chocolate. Maybe. I think I have to find a connection. I also want to check out the... There's a Japan Society Museum. The Japanese came over as immigrants to work in the fields here. I guess it was the 1890s. And we've had Japanese American governors in the state of Hawaii. So there is a lot of work going on here. There's a really strong connection with Japan with the immigrant workers here. The same as there is with Brazil, for example. The largest Japanese population outside of Japan is in Brazil, believe it or not.
22:29 John Daub: Laurie wants to hear my... I want your job. It's kind of hard. Alright? I don't think you guys realize how hard this job can be. It can be really hard. There's a lot of risk. You don't make as much money as you think. Especially in the beginning. But you gotta go all in. You really want it? You think it's not that easy? It's like gambling. You don't know what you create is gonna do anything. Case in point.
23:07 John Daub: An episode that a lot of you did not see. Or did you? Look at this one here. This episode here. I made this episode... It cost me a couple hundred dollars for the car and the tolls to go up there. Spent an entire day and a half. And then I spent a week editing it. What's a week of your time worth? The video I made? I think $45. So you do it because you love it. You don't know what's gonna happen. Now of course if you get like a bazillion subscribers... You'll get a following and whatnot. Perhaps you'll get money from constant uploads and that. But I'm a slow cooker. I take my time. I gotta get the sand out of my shoes.
24:09 John Daub: Hey Gil's here. Oh Gil, I gotta talk to you about the food. In fact, I should have talked to you about this topic. I should probably contact you before I do the interview today. Oh my gosh. Gil is not only being an incredible writer. He's an expert in Japanese American food. Whoa. Gil writes in here. I have cousins in Hawaii and we'll be there in November for a reunion. Have fun. I just missed you when you were in Japan. Which is a big shame. Oh my gosh. Luckily these sandals are supposed to get wet. In fact, if they didn't go in the water, that would be a huge disservice.
25:09 John Daub: All right Gil. I'll send you an email in like 15 minutes. Because I want to get your perspective on what I'm doing here. Gil, I think you said you're a third generation? I can't remember. Fourth generation? I'm first generation. I don't know what to say. I just moved there. All right. This place is really, really cool. I walked here and looked, Brandy, before I went to bed for about 10 minutes. I went to the supermarket just to check it out. There's nothing in there. Everything was sold out. It's really popular. Mitsuwa Supermarket's here. And this is the international marketplace. And there are a ton of things.
25:52 John Daub: This is where I found like the $25 burger. And there's a $26 barbecue plate and things like this. And I didn't end up getting much of anything. But hey. I just wanted to give you a vibe here. It just feels like you're somewhere else. You compare it to Japan. There's Kokusai Dori, the international street in Okinawa. Again, there's sort of a feeling. But there's way, way, way more money here than there is in Okinawa. And you can tell. Over that truck is a udon place. Is that Marugame? I can't forget which udon place. Maybe it's one of the chains. But there's always a line. There was a line last night. And there's a line again in the morning. Although udon is a breakfast food in Shikoku.
26:49 John Daub: What is crazy to me is just a strong connection between Japan... Hawaii is in an interesting situation. Marukame, I think it is. Marugame. We say Marugame because that's the name of the town in Shikoku. But I think they wrote it as Marukame. Which is not wrong. It's probably me wrong. Yeah, Marukame. But they wrote it as Marukame there. So, Hawaii is in an interesting position. And this is why I think it's so much more connected to what I do than I realized for many years. Hawaii sits right between Japan and America. The US. I think it might be a little bit closer to the US. But its position gives it a really unique... And the immigrant population here gives it a really unique... I think it's a little bit more of a twist on everything.
27:43 John Daub: I went to Don Quijote yesterday with Brandy and Michael. And it was a wicked cool experience because they had this fusion of American stuff and Japanese stuff. It wasn't Don Quijote and yet it was so Don Quijote. And as somebody who's in Japan or lives there, it was bizarre because it's Don Quijote but it's not Don Quijote. It's different. They have American stuff and they have Japanese stuff. It looks like Don Quijote in some places. But it's not. And then it looks like an American supermarket like ShopRite or Publix or something. It's confusingly cool, literally weird. They had takoyaki that looked really not good being made by someone. It looked like they didn't like their job. But it's still takoyaki. Michael would have eaten it, maybe. But it's like these little teeny things, the details that make Hawaii and Japan so coolly connected.
28:51 John Daub: And it's a big thing. And it's still trying to define it. The other reason that I really wanted to come to Hawaii, I have done a lot of episodes and stories about World War II. And I look to do more of that for Only in Japan, the main channel. And I think it would be doing a disservice not to see the Pacific side, the American side in the Pacific. And I'm pretty sure I will have a chance to get to go to Pearl Harbor and take a look at the museum there. And see the Arizona and get a feeling of what had happened here. Because I lived in Hiroshima. I've been to Nagasaki a few times. I live in Tokyo where you can still see the scars of World War II even there.
29:37 John Daub: So I think it's important to come here and see what happened on this side too. I'm really, you know, I know it's going to be a sad thing. But I know it's also going to be an important thing for me to see that. Because as somebody who does this for a living, I think it's very important to understand both feelings. And as an American, Hawaii seems like the farthest place away from Ohio and New Jersey and New York and the East Coast, right? So I want you to know when I do make an episode about World War II in Japan. That I have been here and I understand as much as I can both sides of this. And I'm not one or another. I just know that the city of Tokyo experienced a lot and they've had their pains. But I want to understand the pains that happened here as well. And that's I think what any good journalist would do.
30:42 John Daub: So it's important to be here for that reason. So Hawaii's history is connected with the Pacific War. Wow, it's a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful area. I'm glad. Next time I won't be staying in Waikiki, I don't think. But it's nice the first time to stay here and just get the feel for the vibe. Kind of understand what it's all about. And I'll only be on this island. But next time I'll have more time to explore different places. There's a plantation village. Yeah, I'm gonna try to get there as well. To take a look at the Japanese immigrant history here as well. I think that that's also important.
31:37 John Daub: Because my channel is Only in Japan. And I'm not Japanese. But I'd like to see how the culture... I think a lot of people are the same that do what I do. You have to love culture. You have to love people for what I do. And to understand about the Japanese community in other countries is fascinating as well. Because the culture also becomes not just Japanese culture. But takes on parts of the culture in which people live in. Which makes the United States different from England and Germany. And the Quakers. And the English. And the Protestants. It's all different. But it's the same in a way. So it's about finding and discovering those differences. And that's what makes traveling so much fun. Right?
32:23 John Daub: Japan is very unique in the fact that it's mostly Japanese. And you walk around and you're like... There's a lot of Japanese people here. Because it's Japan. But you walk around America and the diversity is so plain. And I love it. I love to come back to the US. You get to see all these different faces. And for me even the body sizes are different. Because in Japan people have somewhat similar body sizes. Here it's amazingly cool to see differences. It's refreshing. It's creative. It helps with the mind. And the feelings. I love that about coming back home.
33:01 John Daub: Aloha John. How's it going so far? I hope you're well. I missed that there. The 442nd Japanese American Army. Yes! I'm hanging in. Doing good Jared. Hope I can catch up with you as well while I'm here. I knew it was hit or miss. I got to go back and pack and get ready. I got to be on the location sooner than later.
33:41 John Daub: But if you are going to Waikiki Beach. All you got to do is hang a right and go straight until you see it. And feel it. Because you will feel it. That sun is hot. Any questions? I'm going to be doing a Patreon Q&A tonight. So if you are on Patreon. I'll put a link in there. You guys can ask me some questions. And I'll do it live. So it will be US time evening. It will be nice to chat with you. Especially if you are living here in Hawaii. And get your perspective on a lot of things.
34:28 John Daub: The food is good. But it's a lot. I think Brandy and Michael were trying to kill me with food yesterday. It's a lot of food. In a good way. I'm going to go back to my room. And at the end of it. They are like, okay let's go to eat at a family restaurant. Where it's a lot of food that we can share. I'm like, I have minus space. I want to pay it forward. I want to give back my food that I have stored in my stomach. I'm like, no. I'm going to go right to bed. And I passed out. I didn't sleep the night before. Because I had a coffee and I couldn't sleep.
35:03 John Daub: And when I got on the plane I thought I would sleep. Because I was so tired. I kept my eyes open for a couple of hours. But I wasn't asleep. So when I got here with the jet lag. It was a really hard day yesterday. It's 19 hours different. But it's only 5 hours really. The difference between Japan and Hawaii. So it's interesting to go to Japan. And then come to Hawaii. Because the jet lag is not so bad. Comparatively if you are coming from New York. Which is 13 hours.
35:35 John Daub: Nobody keeps the past in the past. Otherwise you wouldn't have people upset about Americans living in different countries. And vice versa. There's a lot of... Somebody wrote in here. Hawaii is paradise except for all the Americans. Look. We are what we are. You're not going to change it. You can be a negative attitude. Or you can be a net positive. And always take the positive. Because then people want to talk to you. Because if you are a net negative. I don't want to meet you. It's not very fun. I'm American. Maybe we should be friends.
36:16 John Daub: There's also a Musubi Cafe. A lot of interesting places I have to eat. I'm here on work. There's a lot of things I want to do. Kanae and Leo are not here with me. Last night I was also working on a script. And this morning I was working on today's shoot. And then tonight I'll be editing. It's not really a party. I might have a glass of wine or something.
36:46 John Daub: Eating is kind of like traveling. The closest thing is attending a Hawaiian luau I heard that was really touristy though we'll see what we'll see because tonight tonight I will have some dinner I think we're gonna go out to I forget what the place was called but it's kind of a family restaurant more out there a little bit and I want to see the north shore because I got to get shots of the Hawaiian countryside because I think that would be weird to just show Honolulu I think I want to show more of the Hawaiian countryside a little bit more for b-roll and stuff get a feeling of what Hawaii is um there's a Go For Broke 442nd Infantry Battalion museum close distance away from Waikiki I'm going to check out as many of the Japanese American places as I can again that's not the purpose of why I'm here but for scouting out other ideas to come back to Hawaii I think it's really important and I will get as many places to see and I'm going to check out as many places as I can and well as a scout because I will be back here I just I could feel the connections too strong to pass it up for the stories that you could tell California as well has some really good stories California I always hear the governor California any way he says it we're planning to take it to the Highway Inn for dinner oh thank you Michael yeah the Highway Inn there you go so you can try to get should we not have said that Michael now I think people might come I don't know I don't know. It's all good.
38:31 John Daub: So from this hotel, you can't really see the beach, but if you strain your neck, you can. It's just over there. That's where the Duke statue is. If you want to, you can go back and rewind to the beginning of this livestream, and you can go, as I walk through the beach like Richard Nixon did in a suit. That was one of his defining moments when the presidential nominee walked the beach in a suit. It's like he absolutely did not understand the concept of being one of the people. Not that that's a fault of Nixon's or made him a bad president. I'm just saying, you have to be able to relate with people. And I did not relate with people because I had a t-shirt on, but I was working and they were not. So that's the difference.
39:20 John Daub: Yeah, I'm going to eat a lot. I've already broke my diet, but I've got to get back on it as soon as I get back into Japan. Oh, hey, I just got somebody waving and giving me the Aloha sign. I guess they were watching. Hey, I saw that. Cool. All right, everybody. Thanks for listening. All the love from Hawaii, all the messages I got. I'm sorry I can't see all of you for lunch and dinner. I'm trying my best. We will do a meetup on Tuesday. I'm looking forward to seeing you then. Until then, stay cool, and I'll see you in another livestream. Maybe today. As I discover stuff, the idea is to bring you with me. And I'm doing that right now. All right, everybody. See you later.