Lopaka and Tanya Kapanui

Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya Kapanui

Columnists

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Food & Dining

Business & Tourism

Tiki's Grill & Bar is taking its aloha spirit to Japan, opening a sister restaurant in Honolulu's sister city of Shibuya, Tokyo, later this month.

Known for its Pacific Rim cuisine and retro South Pacific-inspired decor, Tiki's is located on the second floor of The Twin Fin hotel in Waikīkī, where it overlooks the Pacific Ocean. The Waikīkī restaurant has 300 seats and occupies about 10,000 square feet.

Tiki's Tokyo — a partnership between Tiki's Grill & Bar and Tiki's SHIBUYA Limited Liability Partnership — will be located at the new Yoyogi Park BE STAGE. It opens April 25 and will be the first Tiki's outside of the Islands.

According to a recent announcement, the new restaurant will include several concepts.

The 160-seat "Always Aloha" restaurant will offer a glimpse of the Hawai‘i lifestyle, and will serve Pacific Rim cuisine "fusing Hawai‘i and Japan food cultures," the announcement noted. Tiki's Tokyo also will have a 78-seat dog-friendly area with a menu for your pup.

“For over 20 years, we have brought the spirit of Aloha to our guests through great food, handcrafted cocktails, and warm hospitality,” Bill Tobin, co-founder and managing partner of Tiki’s Grill & Bar said in the announcement. “When a couple of my [University of Hawai‘i] buddies and I decided to open Tiki’s back in 2002, we knew we wanted to create a special place where we would want to hang out with friends and family, a place locals and visitors could gather, celebrate, and feel like part of our family — and we’re so grateful because we succeeded and have been busy from day one. We’re looking forward to Tiki’s Tokyo bringing that same kind of feeling to their guests in Japan."

Tobin told Aloha State Daily this week that Tiki's has been approached about expanding in the past, but said it was never the right time or the right people.

"This time, we felt like it was the right time and these [partners] synced with our values," Tobin said. "As we pursued it, we really felt like it was not only the right time, but a very good partnership and a really good feel about everything, so we pursued it. And though it took a long time to come to fruition, we feel fantastic about it."

When asked what he's most excited about with this venture, Tobin says he thinks the new partners "help bring credibility to us outside of Hawai‘i, but we also think that it allows us to test the brand's legs outside of Waikīkī."

"We really think that we have something exciting, and it's obviously been very successful for us for 22 years, but we don't know if that's just because [of the] location," he continued. "We feel like we do a great job, but this is going to be a good test for us."

The real goal, Tobin says, is to make sure Tiki's is "represented well," that the brand is positive and "we make sure we have a smile on our face, that we are sharing aloha to our guests, and that when people come in, they maybe get a little piece of Hawai‘i."

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Tobin said he and his partners built Tiki's in Hawai‘i as a "retro, South Pacific tiki restaurant," but the partners in Japan have designed the new restaurant with a more modern vibe.

"We're excited that it's kind of a newer tiki feel and a more modern tiki feel, so we're a little bit excited about that," he says.

Although the new restaurant has yet to open, "we've already heard so many things," Tobin says. "We're expecting a fantastic response."

[{"text":"Tobin says, too, that he's often asked about the menus.","type":"text"}]

The menus, he said, will be a bit different, but there will be cross-over items on both. There are some items on the Japanese menu that are more focused for people who live in Japan, but Tobin says, some of those items will likely be added to the menu in Hawai‘i, "so that the people [who] are visiting from Japan, they will recognize some of those things."

Bill tobin tikis 040925

<title>Tiki's Grill & Bar expands to Japan | Aloha State Daily</title>

Tiki's Tokyo — a partnership between Tiki's Grill & Bar and Tiki's SHIBUYA Limited Liability Partnership — will open April 25. It's the restaurant's first location outside of the Islands.

Tiki's Grill & Bar expands to Japan

Katie Helland Headshot

Katie Helland

Entertainment

Arts & Culture

When Robert Feng takes the stage to sing in a production of “Carmen” this week, he will be performing with 

, the same group that inspired his own love of singing. 

Two showings on Friday, April 11, and Sunday, April 13, will be sung in French with English supertitles and include the 

For tickets ranging in price from $70-$135, 

Feng, a Punahou School graduate, sings the role of 

, who orders Carmen’s arrest and later sends Don José to prison after the soldier lets Carmen escape.

[{"text":"What makes “Carmen” stand out?","type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}]}]

“Every single measure is extremely good and memorable,” he said. “There's a reason why this show has so many hits that people know outside of the opera, in popular media. It’s just that good. And aside from that, I do really recommend ʻCarmen’ as someone's first opera, because it contains all of the stereotypically good things that someone thinks of when they think of opera: big voices, high drama, love, murder, jealousy — all that high stakes stuff that you'll find in something like ʻGame of Thrones.’’’

When Feng is not singing, he is also a librettist, or someone who writes the text to operas. So far, he has written librettos — which include stage direction — for more than seven operas, he said. 

The “opera bug” started in high school, he said. His sister, Ellie Feng, was taking voice lessons, so he decided to do the same. His voice teacher Cathy Goto encouraged him to see Hawaiʻi Opera Theatre’s production of “Aida,” which featured 

“Once I saw that, I got the opera bug right away,” Feng said. “I was just so inspired by the drama and the music and just the sheer power of the unamplified human voice. It was pretty immediate. That’s when I knew: ʻYeah, opera might be for me.’ ”

Feng graduated from Punahou in 2014, then went on to get a bachelor’s degree in music with a focus on voice and opera from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University and a master’s degree in voice and opera from Manhattan School of Music.

He went on to become a Young Artist in Residence at Hawaiʻi Opera Theatre from 2022 through 2024. As part of that program, he performed in operas such as “La Bohème

,” “The Secret Garden,” and “An American Dream.” 

He has also participated in a statewide outreach program that visits elementary, middle and high schools to introduce students to opera music. 

“These are pretty shortened versions of classic operas, and they're all done in English, so that we don't need any supertitles [or translated lyrics projected above the stage],” he said. “The kids just love it. And, that's the thing though with the outreach [program] and when they get to come to the second orchestra dress rehearsal — like they did last night for ʻCarmen’ — we always say they are one of the best crowds because they will let you know if they like it or not. And they go wild.”

This year, Feng is a Handorf Company Artist with Opera Memphis. 

“Opera is alive and well,” he said. “Opera is not dead. It's awesome and powerful, and you should go see it because you will love it.”

Find Feng on Friday, April 11, and Sunday, April 13, at the 

Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall, which was recently renovated

Robert Feng

<title>Inside Hawaiʻi Opera Theatre’s production of “Carmen” | Aloha State Daily</title>

Opera singer Robert Feng shares the Hawaiʻi Opera Theatre performance that made him want to be a singer. The Punahou School graduate is now performing in the same group’s upcoming production of “Carmen.”

Inside Hawaiʻi Opera Theatre’s production of “Carmen”

Yamachika Tom IMG 1913 Large

Tom Yamachika

Government & Politics

Two bills would raise the Transient Accommodations Tax, but won't openly state the new rate, in a process leaving little time for public input.

I Stock 1072528796

Community Voices: You Want to Raise the TAT by HOW Much?

Hawaii History

On the Wai‘anae Coast near Mākua is Kāneana Cave. In distant ages, the cave was underwater and the home of the shark god, Kāmohoali‘i. His romance with a mortal woman produced a son with a terrifying nature.

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The cave of an ancient shark god

The land beneath the Iwilei Salvation Army building has a dark history.

Salvation Army Bldg Iwilei

Eerie Impressions in Iwilei

This storied house in Nu‘uanu Valley was well known more than a century ago for its many frightening experiences, from the sound of footsteps to visions of a disembodied head.

QESP 1 16x9

Haunted Hānaiakamalama

This week, ASD launches a weekly column by Robert and Tanya Kapanui, historians and co-owners of the popular ghost tour, Mysteries of Hawai‘i. Together, they'll take readers on a journey into the historic, spiritual and supernatural dimensions of Hawai‘i places.

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The eerie history of Chinatown's Hocking Hale

Letters to the Editor

Viewpoints

Opinion

<title>Hawaii Voices: Talking story about values | Aloha State Daily</title>

Looking into the eerie energies surrounding the Mānoa Chinese Cemetery.

Manoa Chinese Cemetery

Hawaiian History Meets Feng Shui

Kam Napier Headshot

A. Kam Napier

On Instagram, we asked readers to share their own stories in response to Lopaka and Tanya Kapanuiʻs history of why itʻs considered unlucky to bring pork over the Pali. Here are some of the replies so far, from funny to eerie.

Old Pali Rd blue fog

Readers respond to "Bringing Pork Over the Pali"

Here's an important skill to develop when decoding the news put in front of you — look at the scale. Now let's walk through today's headlines about the stock market, including taking a look at some of Hawai‘i's publicly traded companies.

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Pipikaula Corner: Did stocks just "plunge" and "tumble" after tariff announcement?

Kama‘āina know itʻs bad luck. Even visitors have heard itʻs bad luck. But do you know why?

News

Government & Politics

Sports

Business & Tourism

Real Estate

Food & Dining

Entertainment

Arts & Culture

Aloha Spirit

Hawaii History

Opinion

Daily Features

News

Government & Politics

Sports

Business & Tourism

Real Estate

Food & Dining

Entertainment

Arts & Culture

Aloha Spirit

Hawaii History

Opinion

Daily Features

Hawaiian History Meets Feng Shui

Readers respond to "Bringing Pork Over the Pali"

Pipikaula Corner: Did stocks just "plunge" and "tumble" after tariff announcement?

Bringing Pork Over the Pali

Columnists

Community Voices: You Want to Raise the TAT by HOW Much?

The cave of an ancient shark god

Eerie Impressions in Iwilei

Haunted Hānaiakamalama

The eerie history of Chinatown's Hocking Hale