Honolulu Star-Advertiser from Honolulu, Hawaii • A8

ULTIMATE SCHOOL BREAK Tokyo Disneyland, DisneySea, Mt. Fuji, Hakone, Kyoto, Universal Studios Osaka Aquarium 6 Nights 8 Days 9 Meals (6B, 2L 1D) Tour June 03 10 Marie Kanealii-Ortiz Tour June 06 13 Bryan Wauke Guaranteed! Tour June 10 17 Lana Ige Guaranteed! Tour June 13 20 Estrella Roznerski Tour July 01 08 Anona Gabriel Tour July 04 11 Dean Annette Mizumura Visit: Tokyo, Mt. Fuji, Hakone, Kyoto Osaka CO PAC AG $3588 BEST OF KYOTO, NAR A OSAK A 6 Nights 8 Days 10 Meals (6B, 3L 1D) June 05 12 Harrison Kim Han Visit: Kyoto, Arashiyama, Kameoka, Nara Osaka CO PAC AG $2888 Best Seller! GR AND MIYA JIMA, HIROSHIMA, KYOTO, NAR A OSAK A 9 Nights 11 Days 18 Meals (9B, 5L 4D) June 10 20 Russell Fujioka Visit: Himeji, Kurashiki, Okayama, Hiroshima, Miyajima, Kyoto, Arashiyama, Kameoka, Nara Osaka CO PAC AG $4188 KYOTO GION FESTIVAL Plus Hiroshima Miyajima 9 Nights 11 Days 18 Meals (9B, 5L 4D) July 08 18 Carol Nakasone Visit: Himeji, Kurashiki, Okayama, Hiroshima, Miyajima, Kyoto, Arashiyama, Kameoka Nara CO PAC AG $4288 GRAND CIRCLE SHIKOKU PLUS SHOPPING 9 Nights 11 Days 19 Meals (9B, 6L 4D) June 08 18 Joy Miyashiro Visit: Awaji, Naruto, Kotohira, Takamatsu, Oboke, Kochi, Katsurahama, Ashizuri, Dogo, Matsuyama, Ehime, Okayama, Kurashiki Osaka CO PAC AG $4188 GRAND CIRCLE KYUSHU PLUS SHOPPING 9 Nights 11 Days 16 Meals (9B, 4L 3D) June 07 17 Dennis Kawahara Visit: Fukuoka, Sasebo, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Kagoshima, Ibusuki, Miyazaki Beppu CO PAC AG $3788 Visit www.nonstop.travel for more information! Fares are per person, USD based on double occupancy and INCLUDE ALL AIRLINE CRUISELINE TAXES AND FEES. Cruiseline and airline fuel supplements, taxes and fees are subject to change and tour member is responsible for any increases. Some airline-imposed personal charges, including but not limited to baggage, priority boarding and special seating, may apply.

For details visit www.tripadvisor.com/AirlineFees. After initial deposit, a $75 per person Non-Stop Travel (NST) Cancellation Fee will apply. Group departures may be cancelled, if there are less than 24 tour members. Final Payment to NST for Air Land Package must be made by Money Order or Personal Check. NST does not guarantee that all tour members will together with Tour Manager.

Tour Manager assignments, number of meals ered on tour, tour price, discount, and the tour itinerary are subject to change notice NST reserves the right to correct errors or omissions including but not limited to, fares, fees and surcharges at any time. Ships of Bermudan Registry. Early Booking Discount is per person. Purchase of Non-Stop complete Air Land Package is required. NORTHERN JAPAN ALPS Featuring the Spectacular Snow Walls of Mt.

Norikura 9 Nights 11 Days 23 Meals (9B, 5L 9D) June 08 18 Carol Nakasone New Visit: Nagano, Takayama, Sado Island Niigata CO PAC AG $4888 2019 JAPAN SUMMER LAND TOURS Book By SAVE $50 Per PUBLIC SCHOOL SUMMER BREAK: June 01 (Sat) Aug 04 (Sun) Visit the Naruto Whirlpool in Shikoku Northern Japan Alps, Mt. NorikuraSee Stunning Floats at the Ky Gion tivalEnj the Hokkaido Lavender FieldsHave a Fun-Fille Day at Tokyo land OFF THE BEATEN PATH: A Different Side of Japan Best Seller! New HOKK AIDO LAVENDER HIGHLIGHTS 9 Nights 11 Days 24 Meals (9B, 7L 8D) Tour July 09 19 Trinh Toyofuku Guaranteed! Tour July 11 21 Gordean Akiona Guaranteed! Tour July 16 26 Delbert Gale Nakaoka Tour July 18 28 Pat Miyake Visit: Lake Shikotsu, Noboribetsu, Otaru, Sapporo, Biei, Furano, Asahikawa, Sounkyo, Kitami, Abashiri, Lake Akan Tokachigawa CO PAC AG NST Exclusive! CRABS from the tank! HOKK AIDO HIGHLIGHTS PLUS SHOPPING 5 Nights 7 Days 11 Meals (5B, 2L 4D) Tour June 08 14 Pat Miyake Guaranteed! Tour June 29 July 05 Cheryl Nomiyama Visit: Lake Shikotsu, Noboribetsu, Otaru Sapporo CO PAC AG $2988 NST Exclusive! CRABS from the tank! BEST OF TOKYO, NIKKO, AMAKUR MT. FUJI HAKONE 6 Nights 8 Days 13 Meals (6B, 5L 2D) June 05 12 Jennifer Lum-Ota Visit: Nikko, Tokyo, Kamakura, Yokohama, Mt. Fuji Hakone CO PAC AG $3488 ULTIMATE TOK AIDO ROAD With Miyajima Hiroshima 9 Nights 11 Days 19 Meals (9B, 6L 4D) June 04 14 Dave Umeda Visit: Tokyo, Mt. Fuji, Hakone, Miyajima, Hiroshima, Okayama, Kurashiki, Himeji, Kyoto, Nara Osaka CO PAC AG $4288 Best Seller! Best Seller! Non-Stop Travel has moved to a bigger better location! Come visit us at 615 Piikoi Street 102 opposite Inspiration Interiors and a block from Ala Moana Center.

Best Seller! Locally Owned Operated Since 1985 Mahalo 615 Piikoi Street, Suite 102 Honolulu, 96814 593-0700 or Toll-Free 1-800-551-1226 www.nonstop.travel 34th 2019 AHALO HAWAI A weekly look at life from the Japanese perspective WORD OF THE WEEK omisoka (noun) New Eve Courtesy of the University of Hawaii at Manoa Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures Tokyo Kyoto $73.50 The cost of a rickshaw ride that includes a kinomo rental and fitting, a rickshaw ride and Japanese lunch. DAY 1 1 9 TA A I A9A8 TA A I DAY 1 1 9 WORLD TOKYO Following a recent naming trend that mixes Japanese and English words, Tokyo Metro Co. has announced a new metro station will be called Toranomon Hills. Toranomon Hills is the name of a skyscraper housing a business complex in the namesake district of Minato Ward. The station is un- der construction in an area be- tween Kasumigaseki and Kamiyacho stations on the Hibiya Line, seven minutes on foot from the supermodern, 52-story struc- ture, which opened in June 2014.

The announcement Dec. 5 came a day after East Japan Railway Co. announced a new station on the Yamanote Line between Shi- nagawa and Tamachi stations would be called Takanawa Gate- way. JR station is scheduled to partially open in the spring of 2020, with full operations begin- ning in 2024. According to Tokyo Metro, its new station will open before the Olympic and Paralympic Games, scheduled to start July 24, 2020.

From 2022, passengers will be able to transfer to the Ginza Line at the new station. Tokyo Metro said in a statement the name was meant to display unity with the local urban development project that involves a number of high-rise buildings, now under construction, using the same name. Toranomon Hills and Takanawa Gateway are the latest stations with names using Japanese and English words, such as Tokyo Tele- port, Shinagawa Seaside and Ten- nozu Isle on the Rinkai Line, operated by Tokyo Waterfront Area Rapid Transit Inc. Naming of station continues trend of mixing Japanese and English words By Magdalena Osumi Japan Times TOKYO Tourists dressed in ki- mono and riding in rickshaws are a common sight in the Asakusa district of Tokyo. The slightly higher vantage point from a seat on a rickshaw can be a way to dis- cover charms.

English, Chinese, Spanish a symphony of languages can be heard around the Kaminarimon gate of Sensoji temple. a stroll in a rented ki- mono, rickshaws and Japanese food bundling these three main- stays is an efficient way of enjoying Asakusa tourism to the said Shinichiro Yamaguchi of hotel and restaurant firm Fujita Kanko Inc. Yamaguchi devised the nese culture plan that includes kimono rental and fitting, a ride in a rickshaw and a Japa- nese lunch for $73.50. Working with local businesses, they began soliciting customers in September through the Asakusa Tourism Federation website. I followed two women in their 20s from Hong Kong as they took part in the tour.

At the kimono rental shop Hanaka, they were outfitted in Jap- anese attire. After the women se- lected kimono and obi sashes from a wide selection, the staff spent about 30 minutes help- ing them into the robes. When they saw each other in ki- mono, they smiled in delight and proclaimed, as they posed for photos in a corner of the store. An English-speaking rickshaw driver waited for them outside the store. The two-person rickshaw had a retro design intended to evoke the time when Japan was just opening to the West during the Meiji era (1868-1912).

Following the Sumidagawa river, the rickshaw passed the Azum- abashi bridge with its striking red balustrades and the Kaminarimon gate before turning through the al- leys around the Sensoji temple. Tokyo Skytree could be seen across the river. After about 15 minutes, the driver dropped the pair off at the starting point. rickshaw was faster and more comfortable than I thought one of the women said. got a taste of regular Japanese life in the After the ride, the women had lunch at the Japanese restaurant Origami Asakusa, which is run by Fujita Kanko.

The main course was fried beef cutlets, followed by tokoroten, a jellied agar garnished with dark molasses, for dessert. After the meal, they walked around Asakusa in their kimono, which did not have to be returned until the evening. current trend in travel is experience-based. Putting on a ki- mono, riding on a rickshaw and talking with the driver, these are out-of-the-ordinary experiences. I think Japanese customers would enjoy it as Yamaguchi said.

TOKYO Looking to improve se- curity on public transportation, the Japanese government plans to con- duct tests at a rail station by the end of March using an electronic system designed to detect danger- ous objects on train passengers, a transport ministry official said. Equipment makers have been submitting proposals to the Minis- try of Land, Infrastructure, Trans- port and Tourism for devices that can detect hazardous objects, such as knives and explosives, in train belongings. The official said the government wants to test whether such secu- rity measures will inconvenience train riders, while testing feasibil- ity of using the device on a daily basis versus during prominent in- ternational events. The government may conduct the experiment at the Kasumigaseki subway station in February, but the official said details of the test may change as the minis- try has just finished accepting proposals from device makers and train operators. Part of the reason for the test is the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games next year, but are also aware of calls for im- proved security on the of- ficial said.

In June, one passenger was killed and two injured when a man in his 20s with a knife went on a rampage near Yokohama during a bullet train ride from Tokyo to Osaka. After the incident, the transport ministry immediately considered introducing luggage inspections, but that plan was opposed by rail- way companies. Instead, the min- istry decided to prohibit the carrying of unwrapped knives on trains beginning in April. Railway operators argue inspec- tions are inconvenient and it is dif- ficult to find space at stations to conduct inspections. KYOTO The counting of money offered in the first three days of the New Year has started at Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto, known as a shrine for good business.

About 10 bankers clad in white garments count bills and coins collected from about 50 offering boxes for about five days. Thanks to good weather, the shrine drew many visitors on the first three days of 2019. In the boxes were checks stipulating amounts using numerals to create word puns such as 11104, which could be read as (good year) and 29451, which could be pronounced as (I wish for good luck). The shrine said it has collected many foreign bills, such as renminbi, in recent years, reflect- ing the increase of foreign visitors. Discover charms aboard New train security system to be tested Kyoto shrine gauges the amount of worshipping with the new year By Shingo Masuda Japan News Yomiuri By Kazuaki Nagata Japan Times Japan News Yomiuri JAPAN NEWS YOMIURI Bankers dressed in white garments counted bills and coins collected from offering boxes at Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine in Kyoto.

JAPAN NEWS YOMIURI PHOTOS A view of Tokyo Skytree, seen from a rickshaw as it made its way through the Asakusa district of Tokyo. At top right, two visitors from Hong Kong posed for pictures in kimono, against a traditional Japanese backdrop at Hanaka, a kimono rental shop in the Asakusa..