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ASD Staff

Daily Smile

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<title>Daily Smile: Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026</title>

Meet the doggo calculator....

Daily Smile: Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026

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Michael Brestovansky

Government & Politics

If you have an idea about what to do with Hawai‘i's Green Fee tax revenues, the state would like to hear it.

The state’s Green Fee Advisory Council has opened an 

for members of the public to submit ideas and recommendations for projects that the new Green Fee could fund. Those ideas will be used to make recommendations to the state Legislature next year about how funds should be allocated.

 the Green Fee into law in 2025, with the tax first going into effect at the start of this year. The fee is an increase of the state’s transient accommodations tax rate, with the additional revenue to go toward environmental stewardship, climate resilience and sustainable tourism projects.

On Wednesday, Jeff Mikulina, chair of the Green Fee Advisory Council, said the council has already approved some 62 proposed projects so far. But the council is asking the public to suggest some more over the next week.

“The goal is to create a constant conversation about our funding priorities and the community’s priorities,” said council member Carmela Resuma.

Through the online portal, anyone can submit an idea for a project within one of three categories (environmental stewardship, climate reliance and hazard mitigation and sustainable tourism), or upvote other submissions from other people.

Submissions can be as detailed or as broad as the submitter likes. On Wednesday afternoon, the most recent project proposal read in its entirety “Historic tour of Wahiawā Town,” while the one before that was a proposal for Hawai‘i Island cesspool conversion with a proposed budget and project timeline.

Mikulina said submitting a proposal is no guarantee that a project will receive funding. He said the council received hundreds of proposals from the public and state departments last year with a cumulative projected budget of over $2 billion, which the council had to whittle down to fit the actual Green Fee revenues, which are expected to be about $100 million.

However, the council is more likely to recommend “shovel-ready” projects that can be implemented quickly after the Legislature approves funding.

Residents with ideas should share them quickly, though: the deadline for public comments to be incorporated into the council’s 2027 recommendations is Nov. 1, although the portal will remain open for submissions after the deadline passes. Submissions received after the deadline may be considered for future funding cycles.

After Nov. 1, the council will evaluate all submissions and make a prioritized list of recommendations for the governor, who will transmit those recommendations to the Legislature.

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<title>What should we do with Green Fee funds?</title>

State opens website to solicit public recommendations for projects to be funded by the Green Fee.

What should we do with Green Fee funds?

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Business & Tourism

Aloha Spirit

Forty local business leaders, new to the Islands and serving across Hawai‘i’s different business sectors, recently completed the latest round of the Hawai‘i Talent On Boarding Program. This was the program’s ninth cohort — and the largest since its launch in 2022.

Movers and Shakas is a nonprofit that runs place-based, community orientation programs. HITOP is its six-week acculturation program that 

 to help new transplants and returning kama‘āina live and work successfully here, and to help local employers retain relocated talent.

“We're incredibly encouraged by the continued growth of the Hawaiʻi Talent Onboarding Program, but not necessarily surprised,” Movers and Shakas Executive Director Nicole Lim told Aloha State Daily in an emailed response to questions. “Employers across Hawaiʻi recognize that recruiting talent is only half the challenge. Retaining them is where the real work begins.

“As more organizations see the impact HITOP has on helping new leaders build meaningful connections to Hawaiʻi, understand local culture, history and business practices, and develop a genuine sense of belonging, demand for the program continues to grow,” she continued. “Cohort 9 brought together 40 participants representing a wide range of industries, demonstrating that talent retention is both a challenge and an opportunity shared across Hawaiʻi's business community.”

Movers and Shakas launched in 2020, started by a group of local business and community leaders as a way to help the local economy when travel and tourism came to a standstill during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic.

 that at that time, the idea was to bring remote workers from the Mainland to help with local nonprofits. It was a controversial idea, but popular — there were some 90,000 applicants for 50 cohort spots.

The nonprofit offered two cohorts of the remote worker program before pivoting to offer a new community orientation program to help employers retain new leaders — an initiative that eventually became HITOP.

But, Lim says, HITOP goes beyond onboarding, something that continues to resonate with employers and participants.

“It helps new leaders understand that being part of Hawaiʻi comes with a sense of kuleana, not only to succeed professionally, but to contribute to the community and leave this place better than they found it,” she told ASD.

Cohort 9 included participants from Bank of Hawai‘i, Blood Bank of Hawai‘i, Chamber of Commerce Hawai‘i, Chaminade University, City and County of Honolulu, Dole Food Co. Hawai‘i, First Hawaiian Bank, Foss Maritime, Hawai‘i Children’s Action Network, Hawai‘i Dental Service, Hawai‘i Pacific Health, Hawaiian Telcom, HMSA, ‘Iolani School, Kahala Nui, Mid-Pacific Institute, Rehab Hospital of the Pacific, the state of Hawai‘i, Strategic Dining Services, Teach for America, Tradewind Group, the University of Hawai‘i system and U.S. Army Pacific.

“As someone who recently stepped into a role with deep responsibility to a historic educational institution, HITOP provided important context for understanding the unique cultural and community landscape of Hawai‘i,” Melinda Bihn, head of school at ʻIolani School said in a recent announcement from Movers and Shakas. “The experience reinforced the importance of listening with humility and learning from the many voices that shape our communities. I leave with a greater appreciation for the histories, traditions and values that influence how we support and inspire our students, faculty and staff each day.”

In the same announcement, Damien Matthews, senior executive vice president and senior executive director of The Private Bank at Bank of Hawai‘i, said that for he and his wife Laurie, HITOP was a chance to "reconnect with Hawai‘i through a deeper lens."

“After many years building our careers in New York, returning home to raise our children has been both exciting and humbling," he said. "HITOP helped us rediscover the communities, history, and cultural values that make Hawai‘i so special, which is something we are proud to share with our children. The relationships we developed through the program will continue to shape how we engage, lead and contribute as returning kama‘āina.”

According to the announcement, the program included three community service and stewardship projects with local nonprofit partners Kākoʻo ʻŌiwi, The Pantry by Feeding Hawai‘i Together, Institute for Human Services and Kahauiki Village; leadership development and cultural learning sessions facilitated by organizations that include Leadership Works, Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association and ʻIolani Palace; talk story discussions with various community leaders.

“When talented professionals relocate to Hawaiʻi, they're not just changing jobs. They're building a new life,” Lim told ASD. “Our goal is to help them feel connected to this place, its people and its values as quickly as possible. When that happens, they're far more likely to stay, contribute, and become part of Hawaiʻi's future.

“People can find successful careers almost anywhere, but they stay where they feel a sense of purpose, belonging and relationship,” she continued. “HITOP helps accelerate that process by introducing participants to the people, places, history and values that make Hawaiʻi unique. Through service projects, cultural experiences, networking opportunities and candid conversations with local leaders, participants develop deeper roots that extend far beyond the workplace. They develop a sense of kuleana for their new home.

Lim says that an important part of that journey is understanding that being welcomed into Hawai‘i comes with a responsibility to care for Hawai‘i; through opportunities for hands-on stewardship and community engagement, participants can learn how they can help leave Hawai‘i "better than they found it, whether through service, leadership, or advocacy within their own organizations."

"For employers, that translates into stronger retention, greater engagement and leaders who are better equipped to contribute meaningfully both within their organizations and throughout the broader community," she explains. "They become more culturally aware, more connected and ultimately more effective leaders. In a state where talent attraction and retention are critical economic priorities, helping people build authentic connections to Hawaiʻi is one of the most impactful investments a business can make."

Since its inception, more than 235 leaders have participated in HITOP across nine cohorts, Movers and Shakas noted.

What’s next for Movers and Shakas — and HITOP?

“Movers and Shakas was founded on a simple idea: people are more likely to stay when they feel connected,” Lim says when asked about the future evolution the organization and the program. “As Hawaiʻi continues to compete for talent in an increasingly global workforce, that mission becomes even more relevant.”

Looking ahead, Lim says the organization plans to “deepen opportunities for participants to engage with local leaders, cultural practitioners and community organizations while continuing to strengthen our alumni network.

“One of the most exciting developments has been seeing graduates remain actively involved long after their cohort ends, mentoring newer participants, organizing gatherings and creating lasting relationships,” she says. “The future of HITOP is about building a long-term community of professionals who choose to invest their talents in Hawaiʻi while positioning Hawaiʻi as a place where both talent and future leaders can thrive."

Movers and Shakas also has expanded its impact through partnerships with higher education institutions, including recent collaborations with Hawaiʻi Pacific University and New York University, where Lim says Movers and Shakas has led seminars and business courses that introduce students and emerging professionals to Hawaiʻi's "unique cultural, economic and business landscape.” 

“These partnerships help cultivate early connections to Hawaiʻi while inspiring the next generation of leaders to explore opportunities to live, work and contribute to our communities.

Lim says Movers and Shakas is considering new ways to deliver its programming through different formats and audiences, including opportunities on Neighbor Islands and across the Mainland.

“We're also developing customized learning experiences tailored to the needs of specific industries and organizations, allowing us to help more professionals build meaningful connections to place, community and purpose.

Enrollment is now open for upcoming HITOP cohorts. Interested organizations can learn more at 

HITOP Cohort9 Kakoo Oiwi 4

<title>Largest cohort graduates from Movers and Shakas' Hawai‘i Talent On Boarding Program</title>

Forty leaders recently completed HITOP, a six-week acculturation program that introduces business leaders and executives who have recently relocated or returned to the Islands to Hawai‘i's culture, history and community.

Largest cohort graduates from Movers and Shakas' Hawai‘i Talent On Boarding Program

Higa headshot white shirt square

Sterling Higa

Columnists

 over the weekend, as clips of her teaching were reposted on 

. Jasmynn Nakasone used a lesson on Columbus to argue that “newcomers” hurt the land and push out Indigenous people to get rich.

Nakasone’s sister, Jade, is also an elementary school teacher and posts classroom content on social media. She said in a 

 that online critics have demonized her sister and are causing her life to fall apart.

Jade admitted this is a risk of being an influencer. It comes with following “an iconic roadmap we can take to generate a crazy amount of revenue here on this platform.”

These sisters are not the only teachers recording in a classroom. There’s a whole genre of videos shot in classrooms by teachers. Much of it is harmless vanity. Women record their teaching outfits or trendy room decor to share with their followers.

But some of this content is toxic. Teachers indulge in self-pity and envy, and their online followers cheer them on. In one video, an elementary school teacher sits in her car after school. She complains that her classroom doesn’t have AC while admin offices do.

Other clips expose what is being taught. In the case of Jasmynn Nakasone, the clips were not secret recordings of lessons. Nakasone shot them herself and shared them on social media. They were then compiled and shared by another account.

Nakasone’s story raises two issues about teachers moonlighting as influencers.

The first issue is that public school teachers are public servants. They are on campus to do a job. They should not be filming content in their classrooms or on school campuses.

Public goods should not be used for private gain. We already have rules to stop public officials from using state cars for personal errands. A cafeteria worker who baked pies in the school’s oven and sold them on the side would be disciplined. So too, public school teachers should not be filming content during work time or on school property.

The second issue is that the type of content produced by these teachers tends toward glorifying sin. The algorithms of social media are not trained to reward virtue. They tend to amplify vice. In pursuit of followers and likes, the teacher treads a path of sin.

If you have a tough day at work and find yourself in tears, don’t pull out your phone and record a message for social media. Rather, you should pray, or reach out to family or a close friend for support. There’s nothing wrong with a cry for help, but that cry should be shared in private, not on the internet.

But most of the “cries for help” shared on the internet are those of the boy crying wolf. The person crying doesn’t want help; they want attention. This desire for attention need not be conscious. Many of us are unaware of the sin which impels our behavior.

In part, we are unaware because we’ve been taught to follow our heart — to obey our emotions. But Scripture teaches otherwise. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick.” Our feelings run quickly to sin, so we should be careful about trusting and sharing them. Rather, we are to interrogate our feelings to discern truth from falsehood.

The solution is not to listen to your heart. Rather, you must talk to your heart. You must take time to see whether your feelings are righteous or sinful. And then you must repent. The algorithm of social media weighs against solemn contemplation, prayer, and repentance.

The algorithm wants to grab and hold attention, and it rewards those influencers who do. Thus, social media rewards raw, unfiltered emotion. Hot takes are preferred over cool reason.

The instinct of the influencer is to deny indwelling sin. I’m not the problem; the world is the problem. Haters are going to hate; their hate fuels me.

Repentance is further discouraged by the subtle and not-so-subtle rewards of social media. Pray quietly, and nobody will cheer you on. No follows and likes come to the one humbled before God. But post something lurid on TikTok, and you may well go viral. The account that compiled clips of Nakasone and the mob that followed were chasing the same rush.

Elementary school teachers are the last professionals on earth who should strive for success as social media influencers. Their task is to model righteous behavior for young children, to instruct them in the way they should go.

The kindergartener needs to learn to rule over her emotions, rather than being pushed and pulled in every direction. But how can she learn this vital skill if her teacher is unmoored, blown about by the same forces?

Those who seek to teach the next generation should show first that they live lives worthy of emulation. If not, they should find another line of work.

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<title>Lāʻie teacher’s viral Columbus lesson shows why teachers shouldn’t be social media…</title>

A Lāʻie elementary teacher filmed her lesson, posted it, and watched it go viral for the wrong reasons. ASD opinion columnist Sterling Higa on why public classrooms are no place for content creation, and how the algorithm rewards the habits teachers are supposed to train out of children.

Lāʻie teacher’s viral Columbus lesson shows why teachers shouldn’t be social media influencers

Katie Helland Headshot

Katie Helland

Arts & Entertainment

The Hawaiʻi International Film Festival kicks off this week with events on Oʻahu, starting with the world premiere of “The Navigator” on Wednesday, Oct. 21.

The festival, presented by Halekulani, features 84 films, including 34 world premieres, and new cinema from the Islands, Asia, the Pacific and around the world.

"We sit at a crossroads in the middle of the Pacific, and we want to turn HIFF into a film festival that truly lives up to Oʻahu’s name as ʻthe gathering place,ʻ" J

ean Lee, HIFF’s new executive director, 

The opening film, “The Navigator,” which is 

, explores how Nainoa Thompson became the first Native Hawaiian in six centuries to navigate from Hawaiʻi to Tahiti in a voyaging canoe, without the use of a compass or modern instruments. It also shares how he repeated the approximately 2,400-mile voyage again, nearly 50 years later, using the stars and teachings of the late Master Navigator Mau Piailug. The screening starts at 7 p.m. at Hawaiʻi Theatre Center.

Among those scheduled to attend the event are Master Navigator Nainoa Thompson, who is also CEO of the Polynesian Voyaging Society; Bruce Blankenfeld of the Polynesian Voyaging Society, who studied 

 under Thompson and Piailug; Director Jordan Manley; Producer Kathy Muneno Thompson; members of the film team and crew; and Lee, HIFF’s executive director.

 at the Capitol Modern on Friday, Oct. 23. The party features live music from Da Araz and Human Era, musicians with songs featured in HIFF films this year, as well as DJ Romeo Valentine and Irie Love. There will also be HIFF merchandise designed by Hawaiʻi Artists. 

Festival screenings will take place on Oʻahu from Wednesday, Oct. 21, through Thursday, Nov. 5. After that, screenings will move to Neighbor Islands, including Maui, Molokai, Lanaʻi and Hawaiʻi Island, from Friday, Nov. 6, through Sunday, Nov. 15. Buy 

This weekend also marks the dates of the HIFilm Industry Conference, a workforce initiative run by HIFF, which brings together filmmakers and industry professionals from across Hawaiʻi and the Pacific on Saturday, Oct. 24, and Sunday, Oct. 25. Tickets with access to both days of events are $125. 

Thursday, Oct. 29, is the day of the HIFF46 Honoree Gala: Voyagers & Visionaries, which honors Nainoa Thompson, Ke Huy Quan, Sung Kang, Luciane Buchanan and Bryson Chun, and will take place in the Halekulani Ballroom. 

This is Lee’s first festival as executive director, after she joined on Sept. 1. Lee is a former Associated Press bureau chief for the Korean Peninsula and was the 

East-West Center’s inaugural presidential chair

“HIFF has a beautiful mission of introducing Hawaiʻi to the world's cinema and the world to Hawaiʻi's storytellers," said Lee, in a written statement. "I've spent my career as a journalist trying to build understanding between East and West. There is no better place to continue that work than here, at the crossroads of the Pacific, with a film festival focused on bringing people together.”

Honolulu-born Screenwriter and Producer Jordan Kandell was also voted president of the festival’s board of directors on

This is an exciting new era for HIFF," Lee told ASD via email. "We are coming into these roles with so much enthusiasm and awareness that we play an important role in nurturing and highlighting storytelling here at home in Hawaiʻi, as well as across the region."

To learn more about the festival, go to: 

Jean Lee

<title>What to know about HIFF 2026</title>

The Hawaiʻi International Film Festival, which starts this week, features 84 films, including 34 world premieres, and new cinema from the Islands, Asia, the Pacific and around the world. HIFF’s new executive director Jean Lee shares what she's most excited about.

What to know about HIFF 2026

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Haley Lehman

Crime & Courts

Dakota Briley was getting ready to teach a surf lesson at Chun’s Reef in June 2025 when he was run over by a car and suffered life-changing injuries. His family is now suing the City and County of Honolulu, the state of Hawaiʻi and the driver for negligence.

Briley was working as a surf instructor for North Shore Beach Boyz while he was home last summer from Point Loma Nazarene University. His father, Shawn Briley, is a 1990s Pipeline surfer, and Dakota Briley grew up at Sunset Beach.

 that an 18-year-old, identified in the lawsuit as Ikaika Viela, was driving west on the Kamehameha Highway at 1:31 p.m. on June 14, 2025, when the car crossed the road, drove onto the mauka shoulder of the highway and hit a 20-year-old male pedestrian, identified in the lawsuit as Dakota Briley. Viela and his 18-year-old passenger were not injured in the crash. Speed, drugs or alcohol did not appear to contribute to the collision, according to HPD.

Viela did not face criminal charges in connection with the collision.

Maj. Herbert Soria of HPD’s traffic division told ASD in an email Monday that the prosecutor’s office reviewed the case and declined to pursue charges. HPD declined to provide additional information.

A spokesperson for the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney declined to confirm that the office reviewed the case or proposed charges.

“The Department does not publicly discuss its charging decisions in matters where criminal charges have not been filed, including the reasons charges may have been declined. This practice protects the integrity of the investigative and prosecutorial review process, as well as the rights and privacy of the individuals involved,” the spokesperson wrote by email Monday. 

According to the family’s attorney, Michael Cruise of Leavitt, Yamane & Soldner, Dakota Briley suffered a traumatic brain injury, multiple broken bones and a spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed from the waist down.

“It’s been a really hard time for him to go from an apex athlete to in a wheelchair, depending on others for basically everything,” Cruise told Aloha State Daily.

Dakota Briley was placed in a medically induced coma and spent weeks at The Queen’s Medical Center. He was transferred to Craig Hospital, a neurorehabilitation center outside Denver in August 2025.

Dakota Briley remains in outpatient therapy in Colorado and shared an update to the family’s

“I’m continuing to focus on my recovery, rehabilitation, getting stronger, working out, and healing,” he wrote. “I know I still have a long road ahead of me, but I’m taking it one day at a time and continuing to have faith.”

Dakota Briley and his parents, Natasha and Shawn Briley, filed the lawsuit on Oct. 14. The case was assigned to Circuit Court Judge Taryn Tomasa.

Since the collision, the Briley ʻohana has spent more than $3.5 million in medical expenses, according to the lawsuit. Cruise said that the amount that the family receives will be determined at trial, adding that “the best outcome on this case is that Dakota gets taken care of. He’s going to need care every day for the rest of his life.”

“There’s no amount of money that could make him trade the life that he had for the life that he has now. It’ll never be enough, no matter what it is,” Cruise said. “Hopefully he gets enough to be safe, to be fully compensated, and hopefully this inspired the city and state to get serious about what they knew they were supposed to do.”

Cruise claims that the city and state have known for years that the parking area was unsafe and placed visitors of Kawailoa Beach Park and Chun’s Reef in harm’s way.

“This was obviously something they knew was coming and it came to the surface in a really destructive way,” he said.

Visitors of Kawailoa Beach Park, which is maintained by the city, park on the dirt shoulder of the state-maintained Kamehameha Highway.

Cruise said that the city has an obligation to provide safe parking to access public parks, and the state has an obligation to maintain the road shoulder.

“The city has an obligation to provide a reasonably safe place to park to access their very popular park and they just didn’t,” Cruise said. “For the state, it is their shoulder, and them allowing their shoulder to be used as a parking lot when they know that’s totally unsafe. They post no parking signs all along that area, but no one enforces them.”

The section of Kamehameha Highway is owned by the state and maintained by the city, according to 

data. But to Cruise, the scope of the maintenance by the city and state is not clear.

Cruise compared the parking at Kawailoa Beach Park with the parking at Laniākea Beach, which is not maintained by the city as a beach park, about a quarter mile down the highway. Visitors parked on the shoulder of the ride prior to 2012, when the city and state opened a dirt or graven parking area on the mauka side of the highway.

The City and County planned to improve parking, add bathrooms and an outdoor shower area, and install a lifeguard tower at Kawailoa Beach Park, according to an 

environmental assessment published in 2005

. The $2 million project would have added 80 to 100 parking stalls in a dedicated parking area on the mauka side of Kamehameha Highway, as well as crosswalks or blinking lights for pedestrians.

The report states that “existing problems” would continue at the site if no action on the proposed project was taken.

“Parking of vehicles along the roadside would continue in a haphazard manner, with rutted dirt parking on both sides. Pedestrian crossing of the highway would continue to be random and hazardous due to the obstruction of vehicles parked along the roadside and the lack of a crosswalk,” the report states. “This situation if left unchecked could pose a risk to health and safety.”

 from 2011, improvements were planned to provide “adequate parking and related support facilities” at several popular beach parks on the North Shore, including Kawailoa Beach Park.

Cruise told ASD, “The city’s responsibility and the state’s responsibility came from their own statements, documents, studies that have gone back many, many years. They foresaw the danger, they easily could’ve prevented it and for reasons we will find out, they just never did. It would’ve been very easy to make this completely safe if that had just followed their own rules and their own studies and their own recommendations.”

Spokespersons for the City and County of Honolulu and state of Hawaiʻi declined to comment due to pending litigation.

Briley Ohana 16x9

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros

Sports

A GoFundMe page identifies 20-year-old Dakota Briley as the pedestrian “pinned between two vehicles” on June 14 at Oʻahu’s North Shore. As of Tuesday, more than 1,000 donations amounting to nearly $120,000 have come in to help cover his medical expenses.

Dakota Briley, son of Big Wave surfer Shawn Briley, in critical condition after recent pedestrian-vehicle collision in Hale‘iwa

Now through Sept. 15, bid on items like signed Kelly Slater and John John Florence surfboards, signed guitars and ʻukuleles to golf and stays at The Ritz-Carlton O'ahu, Turtle Bay, gift cards to local restaurants and tour excursions, art and more — all benefiting Briley’s journey toward healing.

Auction supports surfer Dakota Briley’s recovery from pedestrian-vehicle collision

<title>Sunset Beach surf family sues over pedestrian-vehicle collision</title>

A lawsuit filed by the Briley family alleges that the City and County of Honolulu and the state of Hawaiʻi knew about an unsafe parking area on the North Shore and failed to do anything about it. In 2025, 20-year-old Dakota Briley was hit by a car and sustained serious injuries.

Sunset Beach surf family sues over pedestrian-vehicle collision

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

, which specializes in authentic Japanese yakiniku, is opening on O

, Japan, will be located in Renaissance Honolulu Hotel & Spa.

Aloha State Daily got a preview of what’s to come to the Hawai

i location during a hosted media experience at Yakiniku Haretoke’s Kawagoe eatery.

Yakiniku Haretoke is unique because it will be the only restaurant in Hawaiʻi to serve Joshu wagyu, which is raised exclusively in Japan’s Gunma prefecture. Joshu wagyu is a rare breed, according to chef Masanori Tsuda, who will be the executive chef at Yakiniku Haretoke Hawai

Tsuda is currently one of the chefs at Dell’s Kitchen & Bakery, and he explains that Joshu wagyu is known for its lean meat and fine marbling. He notes that Joshu wagyu will be available in Hawaiʻi through an exclusive direct purchase-and-ship relationship with Gunma.

“We will buy the whole cow and break down everything (from nose to tail) to serve every cut; that’s the restaurant concept,” he explains. “Joshu wagyu has a lighter taste, but still has that umami flavor. Some Japanese wagyu is super fatty and has a strong flavor; after eating one bite, that’s enough. But Joshu wagyu is easy to eat.”

“Joshu wagyu is a good balance of fat and meat,” adds Rika Tsuda, current manager at Dell’s Kitchen & Bakery. Tsuda will be a restaurant manager at Yakiniku Haretoke Hawai

Yakiniku Haretoke’s Kawagoe location opened in 2023. The restaurant name stems from bringing the extraordinary (“hare”) and the everyday rhythms of life (“ke”) together; the eatery is designed to be a place to celebrate special occasions, but also provide a welcoming atmosphere for everyday dining. The Kawagoe eatery seats around 48 guests — including seating in its private room — and the Hawai

i restaurant can seat around 65 individuals, according to Masanori.

The Hawaiʻi restaurant’s menu will be similar to the one in Kawagoe, he notes, but the Honolulu location will feature locally sourced vegetables. Like the Kawagoe location, the Honolulu restaurant will have pre-set course menus, as well as a la carte options. (At the time of our interview, the menu for the Honolulu restaurant had not been finalized.)

The Kawagoe location offers two pre-set course menus — the Haretoke course, and the Harenohi course, according to Rika.

“Both courses include special cuts (of meat), but Harenohi is more expensive,” she says. “It also includes seafood and meats like marbled sirloin with grated radish.”

Yakiniku Haretoke Kawagoe’s a la carte menu includes tri tip, flap meat, seared marbled short rib yaki-shabu with grated daikon ponzu, premium beef loin (served yaki-shabu style, with Tsukimi egg yolk sauce), short ribs, filet mignon, wagyu beef tongue with salt, and more. Everything is hand-cut and served for diners to grill, according to Masanori.

“There are so many yakiniku places now; we have to make ours special,” he says.

He explains that cutting the whole cow is a process; he likens it to a high-grade Michelin star sushi chef breaking down a fish. He trims the fat off the meat before breaking each piece down further.

“The yakiniku style is different here; he (Masanori) has to learn the special cuts of the cow,” Rika explains.

Rika says her favorite cut is the premium beef loin, which is served yaki-shabu style. It’s lightly grilled and served with Tsukimi egg yolk sauce.

“It’s a thinly sliced cut, so you just put it on the iron plate for a few seconds and you dip it in the egg yolk to enhance the umami flavor,” she says. “It’s sukiyaki-style; it will be popular in Hawaiʻi.

“For the egg sauce, we are going to use Japan eggs in Hawai

i — it will be very fresh eggs,” she adds. “We actually sell eggs imported from Japan at Dell’s Kitchen & Bakery.”

“Everybody likes kalbi, and the yaki-shabu is the most popular (option) at the Kawagoe location,” Masanori adds. He says his favorite from Yakiniku Haretoke Kawagoe’s menu is shinshin, a rare, tender cut near the tri-tip.

At the Kawagoe eatery, the meats are served with two sauces; one features a soy garlic base, while the other is made with fresh lemon. The staff will give recommendations for pairing the sauces with various cuts of meat; for example, Masanori recommends dipping shihshin in the shoyu sauce, while the wagyu beef tongue pairs well with the lemon sauce.

Other a la carte options include seafood (prawns, squid and scallops), vegetables (grilled shiitake mushrooms), appetizers like assorted kimchi, and soups, including a comforting beef bone broth.

Yakiniku Haretoke will also feature a hand-selected sake list designed to complement each cut of beef.

i currently has a food truck — which is parked at Dell’s Kitchen & Bakery — that is participating in events across O

ahu to promote the new restaurant. The truck was recently at the Lotte Championship presented by Hoakalei, where it showcased its Joshu wagyu beef yakiniku bowl.

The Hawaiʻi location’s hours and prices are still to be determined, but the restaurant is expected to open for lunch and dinner. For updates, follow the biz on 

Yakiniku Haretoke chef 101826

<title>Yakiniku Haretoke is opening in Honolulu</title>

The Japanese yakiniku restaurant’s original location is in Kawagoe, Japan. Yakiniku Haretoke — expected to open this winter in the Renaissance Honolulu Hotel & Spa — will be the only restaurant in Hawaiʻi to serve Joshu wagyu, which is raised exclusively in Japan’s Gunma prefecture. Aloha State Daily got a preview of what’s to come for the Honolulu restaurant by visiting the Kawagoe location.

Daily Smile: Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026

ASD Staff

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Daily Smile: Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026

Authors

ASD Staff

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Daily Smile: Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026

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