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Daily Smile

[{"type":"text","text":"Your grandma looked after your dog this summer..."}]

Smile 26 2 16

<title>Daily Smile: Monday, February 16, 2026</title>

Your grandma looked after your dog this summer...

Daily Smile: Monday, February 16, 2026

 Your grandma looked after your dog this summer...

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

, known for its Japanese-style negitoro bowls, is opening its third O

ahu location this Sunday, Feb. 15. The business’s new location is on the second level of 

Aiea Shopping Center, next to Ice Garden and Koa Pancake House.

Aiea location is in the former space of a sandwich shop. Construction on the space started after the business’s sister restaurant, Marujuu Hawai

i will be open from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for lunch and from 5 to 8:30 p.m. for dinner Thursdays to Mondays (closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays). The business will be open for walk-ins only; no reservations will be accepted.

The menu at this location is the same as the ones at the business’s Kaimukī and 

Totoya’s original negitoro — which is made fresh daily with local fresh ‘ahi — is the base for the majority of its bowls. Its tokujo bowl ($38.90) — a premium option with original negitoro, salmon roe, sea urchin (Hokkaido uni) and snow crab — is the most popular order.

The eatery’s Fukuju bowl ($39.50) is the second most-popular dish. It features original negitoro with tuna and salmon, red shrimp, scallops, sea urchin, snow crab, tobiko and two pieces of nori.

The salmon bowl with salmon roe ($19.50) is a local favorite. All bowls come with your choice of miso soup — Aosa seaweed miso soup, or upgrade to shrimp head ($3.90) or crab ($4.90) miso soup — or half-size udon noodles ($4.90).

Other dishes on the menu include fresh shrimp combination bowl ($27.90); rainbow trio bowl ($25.90); matsu bowl ($26.90) with Hokkaido uni and salmon roe; and more.

Customers now have the option to add an “ikura shower” when they order Take, Matsu and Tokujo bowls. The “shower” includes a tripleamount of ikura for an additional $9.80.

Open from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for lunch and from 5 to 8:30 p.m. for dinner Thursdays to Mondays

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Totoya Aiea kaisen don 021326

<title>Viral seafood rice bowl spot is opening in ʻAiea</title>

Totoya Hawaiʻi, known for its negitoro bowls, is opening in ʻAiea Shopping Center on Sunday, Feb. 15. The menu here is the same as the business’s other two locations in the Ala Moana and Kaimukī neighborhoods. Customers can now add “ikura showers” when ordering specific seafood bowls.

Viral seafood rice bowl spot is opening in ʻAiea

[{"type":"text","text":"There’s a new all-you-can-eat sushi option on Oʻahu. "}]

 at Ka Makana Aliʻi is offering a new AYCE sushi menu during lunch and dinner. Lunch costs $28.95 and dinner is $38.95. Children ages 5 to 11 years can enjoy half-price admission; children ages 5 years and under have free admission. 

Lunch is from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and dinner is 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday. There’s a 90-minute time limit for the AYCE experience. 

The menu is extensive, and comprises appetizers, noodles and rice, nigiri, and sushi rolls. 

Appetizers include cold tofu, gyoza, shrimp tempura, crab rangoon, baked mussels, and chicken wings. In addition, appetizers available during the dinner all-you-can-eat experience include salmon poppers, tuna tataki, and yellowtail jalapeno.

Diners can also enjoy hibachi-style dishes — like chicken teriyaki and noodles — along with nabeyaki udon or ramen, hibachi fried rice and a variety of salads.

Nigiri options include tuna, hamachi, salmon, unagi, tako and more. Each order includes two pieces. Sashimi options include tuna, unagi, red snapper, squid, yellowtail and salmon.

Customers can also choose from a variety of six- or eight-piece sushi rolls. Recommended options include the Hawaiʻi roll — spicy crunchy tuna and cucumber topped with cooked shrimp, avocado, unagi sauce and spicy mayo — and Godzilla roll, comprising spicy crunchy salmon and avocado topped with eel, spicy kani (crab), unagi sauce and spicy mayo. 

The dinner AYCE menu also includes options like the sweetheart roll — spicy crunchy tuna and avocado topped with fresh tuna, and served in the shape of a heart — crispy yellowtail roll and crazy Friday roll. The latter features shrimp tempura and lobster salad topped with avocado, wasabi mayo and masago. 

For an additional $20 per person, customers can have access to premium dishes in addition to the regular AYCE menu. All individuals in each dining party will be charged accordingly with this selection.

Premium nigiri include ama ebi, ikura and scallop. Premium rolls include salmon belly Osaka roll, lobster delight roll, angry dragon roll and more.

The premium AYCE experience also includes sashimi like sweet shrimp, scallop and ikura.

AYCE sushi lunch from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays

Sakura Kapolei assorted nigiri 021126

<title>Sakura Sushi & Hibachi has a new all-you-can-eat sushi menu</title>

The eatery, located in Ka Makana Aliʻi, now offers AYCE sushi during lunch and dinner on Mondays to Thursdays. The AYCE experience costs $28.95 per adult during lunch and $38.95 per adult during dinner.

Sakura Sushi & Hibachi has a new all-you-can-eat sushi menu

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Business & Tourism

L&L Hawaiian Barbecue continues to serve up the plate lunch at more places across the U.S., opening 14 new franchise locations in eight states last year.

In addition to a new Makiki location, in 2025 new restaurants opened in East Harlem and 

, New York; Smyrna and Mulberry, Georgia; Escondido, Benicia, Clairemont Mesa and Davis, California; Fort Hood, Texas; Albuquerque and Rio Rancho, New Mexico; Tacoma, Washington; and Nampa, Idaho, the state’s first, a Feb. 10 announcement from L&L noted.

“L&L’s growth continues to be fueled by a franchise model shaped around accessibility and long-term partnership,” the announcement says. “Franchisees receive hands-on training in Hawai‘i, operational guidance and marketing support designed to set them up for success. This systemwide approach ensures consistent hearty portions, comforting flavors and welcoming aloha spirit across all locations.”

In the new year, the Hawai‘i-based L&L says it has a “strong development pipeline spanning the West Coast, Mountain West, Midwest, Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.”

"The brand is on pace for its strongest Q1 opening period to date, positioning 2026 to begin as the strongest quarter in L&L’s history and reflecting sustained franchise interest and confidence in the system," the announcement states.

A new franchise, found in the Bonney Lake Retail Market Center at 20621 Highway 410 E. in Bonney Lake, Washington, officially opened on Jan. 20, bringing the total number of locations in the Evergreen State to 11. The new restaurant will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The new franchise is owned and operated by cousins Robert Ramos and Ephraim 

. While this is their first L&L, a Feb. 11 announcement notes that the duo operated a mobile food business for several years.

 and Johnson Kam acquired L&L Drive-Inn in 1976. The restaurant founded as L&L Dairy back in 1952.

"I look at a financial statement and it shows that it's making money," Flores told Aloha State Daily last summer. "You never see that in any small business. I decided to make an offer and I purchased the restaurant and I gave it to my mom as a gift." 

His mother had been working as a dishwasher and counter girl at Lynn's Deli in Ala Moana Center, he said in June, but knowing that she didn’t know much about running a restaurant, he called on Kam for help.

Flores said his mother ran the restaurant for two years, after which everything was sold to Kam.

The pair later decided to later franchise and expand the operations, and 

today, there are more than 230 locations across the globe.

, it was announced earlier this month. Now in its 47th year, the ranking evaluates factors like costs and fees, size and growth, support, brand strength, and financial strength and stability.

“L&L Hawaiian Barbecue has always been rooted in relationships,” CEO Elisia Flores said in a Feb. 2 announcement. “As we continue to grow beyond 230 locations, that commitment remains central to how our franchisees operate and this recognition reflects their dedicated efforts.”

. According to a list of frequently asked questions on the site, the estimated initial investment for a turnkey L&L ranges from nearly $254,000 to a little more than $838,460, depending on location, size and existing facility.

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

CREDIT Matt Armendariz Shooter Stylist LLC LL Hawaiian Barbecue 2

<title>L&L Hawaiian Barbecue continues nationwide growth</title>

The chain opened 14 new locations 2025 and was recently ranked on Entrepreneur’s 2026 Franchise 500.

L&L Hawaiian Barbecue continues nationwide growth

Katie Helland Headshot

Katie Helland

Arts & Entertainment

Aloha Spirit

Lunar New Year, also called Chinese New Year, starts Tuesday, Feb. 17. To mark the event, there are parades, parties and more. Kung Hei Fat Choi!

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"MONDAY, FEB. 9"}]

 A new Sig Zane design called “Hoʻohei,” which means “to lasso,” or figuratively, “to fascinate,” according to the alohawear clothing brand, released in stores on Monday, Feb. 9. The design features two color schemes: one where the horse is orange and the other where it is black. The shirts will be available online starting Wednesday, Feb. 11.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"SATURDAY, FEB. 14"}]

Chinatown 808’s Chinatown Festival and Parade, presented by American Savings Bank, returns for its 50th year. The all-day event runs from 9 a.m. until 10 p.m. and takes place in ʻAʻala Park on N. Beretania Street, between Maunakea and ʻAʻala streets. The parade starts at 4:30 p.m. along Hotel Street and goes from the Hawaiʻi State Capitol through Chinatown. Look for lion and dragon dances, martial arts demonstrations, activities for keiki, live entertainment and vendors with crafts and food. There will also be a pony and donkey petting area. 

The District is hosting a Lunar New Year and Valentine’s Day party, which is located one block from Ala Moana Center. The event features DJs, two rooms of music and opportunities to get table service or private karaoke rooms. Enjoy a mix of hip-hop and top 40 hits, as well as dance music. The event runs from 9 p.m. until 4 a.m. Business casual or standard night club dress code applies. The cover charge is $20. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"SUNDAY, FEB. 15"}]

. This free yoga class is designed to help attendees start the Lunar New Year with a fresh start. Wear red, if possible. Bring a mat or towel. The class starts at 8 a.m. at the Lululemon store at Ala Moana Center. Water is provided. Afterward, shop the Lunar New Year collection. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"MONDAY, FEB. 16"}]

This event will have attendees building a 2026 mini bingo card, which can be turned into a magnet or key chain. The goal is to get the group back on track with New Year’s resolutions for 2026. Attendees must be at least 18 years old. No artistic experience is needed. Craft as golden hour settles over the North Shore at LPN Farms. Tickets start at $55. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"TUESDAY, FEB. 17"}]

. From Chinese food to coffee and pastries, Food and Dining Reporter 

This challenge asks participants to join a virtual challenge and commit to 2.026 miles, 20.26 miles or 202.6 miles in the year of 2026. Registration for the virtual race costs $25. It includes a commemorative medal and bib, plus 15% of the registration fee goes to the nonprofit Soles4Soles, which takes donated used shoes and creates business opportunities for low-income families across the world. 

 Head to the Royal Hawaiian Center to catch a lion dance from the Lung Kong Physical Culture Club, which will visit The Royal Grove and participating stores. The event starts at 5 p.m. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"SATURDAY, FEB. 21"}]

Waikīkī Beach Walk Welcomes Lunar New Year. 

There will be a pole-jumping performance at 5 p.m. at Waikīkī Beach Walk Plaza. Lion dancers will visit retail stores and restaurants after that. 

 Watch an acrobatic lion dance from the Wah Ngai Lion Dance Association at The Royal Grove within the Royal Hawaiian Center. The event starts at 6:30 p.m. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"SUNDAY, FEB. 22"}]

 will share traditional Chinese folk dance at The Royal Grove within the Royal Hawaiian Center. The performance starts at 3:30 p.m. 

Celebrate the Lunar New Year starting with an opening ceremony at 11 a.m. at Centerstage at Ala Moana Center. There will be calligraphy demonstrations by Ina Chang at ‘Ewa Wing Stage from 11 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. At noon, more than 100 lion dancers will collect lai see (red envelopes) at stores and restaurants across Ala Moana Center. This will be followed by pole jumping with the Wah Ngai Lion Dance Association at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. at Centerstage. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"SATURDAY, FEB. 28"}]

This all-day event includes live entertainment, food and craft vendors, and a keiki zone. The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Palama Settlement. Parking is available at Likelike Elementary School. Free. 

Chinese New Year with Mahjong Social Club. 

This monthly competitive mahjong community is meeting to celebrate Chinese New Year. The friendly competition is for experienced players only. The event includes a nightmarket with food and vendors. Dress your best. Arrive promptly at 4 p.m. to play. The winner takes home a grand prize. Mahjong costs $15 and includes a complimentary herbal mocktail. 

 Catch calligraphy with Ina Chang at The Royal Grove within the Royal Hawaiian Center. The event runs from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. 

Celebrate Lunar New Year at the museum by playing mahjong with the Bad Luck Club, exploring centuries of Chinese art and eating biang biang noodles made by Guest Chef Andrew Pressler. There will be a lion dance and live music. The event runs from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. General admission is $28. Members and keiki receive discounted admission. 

Chinatown Festival and Parade

<title>What to do for Lunar New Year on Oʻahu: parades, lion dances, and more</title>

Across Oʻahu, residents are preparing to usher in the year of the fire horse, which starts Tuesday, Feb. 17. Events in the next few weeks include parades, lion dances and opportunities to set intentions for the new year.

What to do for Lunar New Year on Oʻahu: parades, lion dances, and more

[{"type":"text","text":"Top 10 most dramatic husky screams..."}]

Smile 26 1 22

<title>Daily Smile: Thursday, January 22, 2026</title>

Top 10 most dramatic husky screams...

Daily Smile: Thursday, January 22, 2026

Lopaka and Tanya Kapanui

Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya Kapanui

Hawaii History

Columnists

The “Pink Palace of the Pacific” has stood on the shores of Waikīkī since 1927, welcoming presidents, royalty, and Hollywood stars since opening its doors. Today, it serves as a symbol of luxury. But long before Waikīkī became an international travel destination, it was once the royal seat of O‘ahu. As such, the grounds and the surf here were off-limits to anyone who was not of ali‘i status.

In the 1600s, during the time of Ali‘i Kakuhihewa, there was a champion fighting rooster that lived in Ka‘au, a large crater in the Pālolo district above Waikīkī. This was no ordinary rooster, however. People said this rooster was a half-man, half-chicken supernatural being often referred to as Ka‘auhelumoa.

According to oral tradition, Ka‘auhelumoa flew down from his home one day and landed in Waikīkī. Furiously scratching the earth, he caught the attention of Kakuhihewa, and then he suddenly vanished. Kakuhihewa took this as an omen and planted niu (coconuts) where the rooster was digging.

The planting proved transformative. Coconut trees were essential to Hawaiians due to their versatility and abundance. Used for food and drink, fiber for ropes, and material for building, the niu appears in numerous chants and legends. Even the water in a young coconut is used for special blessings and ceremonies.

From Kakuhihewa’s initial planting, more than 10,000 coconut trees filled the area, and this grove became known as “Helumoa.”

By the end of the 19th century, Waikīkī no longer served as a center of chiefly power. Its shoreline drew recreation-seekers instead. In March 1898, Colonel George Macfarlane leased a portion of Helumoa to establish a seaside annex to Downtown Honolulu’s Hawaiian Hotel.

He hired laborers to clear and level the land and remove the coconut trees. The workers spent the morning cutting the roots around the trees, then went to lunch. As they were returning from their break, a strong gust of wind shook the trees, which began to sway dangerously. Without roots to stabilize them, the trees were bound to topple over. The men started running when the unthinkable happened.

Flung high into the air by the catapultic motion of the roots of the falling trees was a mass of human bones. As ribs, femurs, and vertebrae flew through the air, something struck one worker in the back with a hard thud. When he turned to see what hit him, he nearly died of fright as an ancient skull stared back at him!

The newspaper reported that there was no way to get the men back to work that day. The only one who returned was the foreman who found an entire skeleton in a sitting position with its arms extended over its head, and another disassembled skeleton nearby.  

An elderly woman named Kaohi, a former retainer of Princess Pauahi, said she was born there and still lived nearby. She explained that there used to be a heiau on that spot, and the bodies of Hawaiians slain in battle were buried within its walls.

This information isn’t in their welcome packet. Beneath the bright sun and the gentle sway of palm trees, the 

 hides its spooky shadows well. Hotel staff are professional and discreet, but some admit there have been more than a few strange reports. Quite often, these odd events center around a particular room on the third floor.

Guests have called down to the front desk, confused and frustrated, saying they’re locked out of their room. But when hotel maintenance arrives to assist, the door opens without issue.

Inside, the room looks like every other, immaculate and welcoming, cooled by central air. However, some guests have noted a single cold spot in the room that isn’t near any vents. Even in the warmest months, the chill lingers in that one exact place, as though something cold and invisible is standing there. But the most disturbing reports have nothing to do with malfunctioning doors or strange temperatures. They happen in the dead of night.

Richard and Alice arrived on their first evening in Hawai‘i, eager for rest after a long flight, but by midnight, neither of them could settle enough to fall into a deep sleep. They shifted and turned all night, waking at odd intervals, assuming it was nothing more than travel fatigue.

Alice began to doze off again, only to feel Richard sit up beside her. When she opened her eyes to ask if he was okay, she saw him staring at the foot of the bed. Following his gaze, her breath caught in her throat.

A tall figure stood near the bed, motionless. Although it seemed like a person, its outline was too smooth. There were no facial features or clothing details; it was just a tall person-shaped shadow. Alice squeezed her eyes shut and opened them again. At that exact moment, Richard reached over and clicked on the lamp.

[{"type":"text","text":"There was no one else in the room."}]

Their disbelief came first, then the instinct to check the room. The doors, closets, bathroom, and behind the curtains; no one was hiding, and nothing was disturbed. When Richard called security, two guards arrived, scanning for signs of an intruder, but they didn’t find anything either. They suggested the couple just needed rest, that jet lag could play tricks on the mind. But as the guards left, the uneasy memory of a shadowy figure remained.

Richard and Alice aren’t the only people to report strange feelings in their third-floor room. Other guests have described restless nights, tossing, turning, and waking from vivid nightmares. At first, they, too, chalk it up to jet lag. But when they roll over and open their eyes, they find a dark silhouette standing next to the bed. Always the same description: a tall, unmoving shadow person. A figure without features, standing just a little too close.

The Royal Hawaiian is one of the oldest hotels in Hawai‘i still in operation. Its walls have seen celebrations, heartbreak, war, and wealth. Some wonder if this shadow belongs to someone from the hotel’s early days who never checked out. Others think it belongs to someone who was there long before the hotel was built.

In Hawai‘i, not all ghosts are vengeful or malevolent. Some are simply lost. Some are protectors. Others are bound to a place, unable — or unwilling — to leave. Whatever presence resides in that room at the Royal Hawaiian, it doesn’t appear to mean harm. But it does want to be noticed.

The next time you stroll past the Pink Palace, stop for a minute to admire its elegance and take in its history. And if you ever stay there… don’t forget to leave the light on.

Royal Hawaiian Hotel

<title>Spooky shadows at the Pink Palace</title>

The Royal Hawaiian Resort Waikīkī is nearly a century old, and at least three centuries of history and legends predate it at its seaside location. Is it any wonder guests have reported otherworldly experiences?

Daily Smile: Monday, February 16, 2026

ASD Staff

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Daily Smile: Monday, February 16, 2026

Authors

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