It took serious coordination for students from H.P. Baldwin High School and King Kekaulike High School to lift and carry a “mikoshi,” or portable shrine, on their shoulders through the streets of Waikiki as part of the recent Honolulu Festival’s Grand Parade.
On a graph, the track of Japanese visitors to Hawaii would trace a clear “V” outline. For years soaring along at high levels, it would start cratering in 2020 at a point aligning precisely with the COVID-19 global lockdowns.