Big Mahalo

- Visit to Hawaiians, last cruise in the Mazda3 - 

The Rising Family™ dispels the winter blahs by annually visiting the Hawaiians Spa Resort, a sprawling water park, hot spring and entertainment complex with a – you got it! — Hawaiian theme. 

It is located about a four-hour drive north of Yokohama. This year was the third time we’ve gone there, and this year is the spa’s 50th anniversary: Big Mahalo! What better way to shake off February’s cold embrace than with blue pools, waterslides and tropical drinks? 

Yessir, it works. Going to Hawaiians also has a do-the-right-thing element because we are contributing to the local economy, which is close to the area most ravaged by the earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. So we are doing a little good and having a ton o’ fun.

Besides, we just like it there and always have a good time. See for yourself:

How? We get up super early, motorvate up through Tokyo to the spa, and then spend the whole day and evening being transported to this little bit of Hawaii in northern Japan.

Every year I marvel at how easy it is to get everybody to sleep when the fun ends. The next day, on the way back we stop at the Hitachi Seaside Park, where we rent bicycles and ride around the place. When the wind isn’t gusting it’s quite nice; there are many amusement park rides as well. 

This year there were hordes of Chinese tourists due to loosened visa rules and because it was Chinese New Year. Now this is something relatively new, especially in places far off the beaten tourist track. I chuckled when watching these two very different Asian peoples interact. 

I chose a prophetic parking spot at the park. This was the last time we were to take our trusty Mazda3 on a long cruise, and we parked next to an exact copy of the Nissan model we ordered as our next car. 

 A nice touch to end another terrific weekend.