Summer 1997. I landed at the Honolulu airport, and the strong sweet scent of the welcome lei that was sprayed on me at the entrance as I exited the airport gate is so strong in my memory that I had to make a big gesture to shake it off with my hand or I would have coughed. It is still a very strong memory.

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     The reason for my trip to Hawaii, which was nothing but a dream destination, was the wedding of the guitarist of one of my band members. We were assigned to sign their marriage certificate as witnesses. It was a small, simple wedding with the beautiful bay of Hanalei in Kauai as a backdrop, attended only by us, the groom's mother, the bride's mother, and her sister. It was a beautiful event that remains in my mind as one of the most beautiful memories that I still cherish.

     The beautiful bay of Hanalei. The guitarist playing background music and singing to celebrate beside us. And a friendly priest. A small group of attendees and the sweet aroma that wafted through the air here as well. We stayed at the Ala Moana hotel in Waikiki as a base for such an event.

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     When we arrived at the hotel, there were welcome flowers on the bed and on the bedboard, and that scent again. The shampoo in the hotel at the time was Herbal Essence, which was not yet available in Japan at the time, but the scent of the shampoo was also very foreign and wonderful, and I remember I was immediately captivated by it. It was also a nostalgic memory that I was overjoyed when it was launched in Japan two years after this trip. (But it was discontinued in 2000. It was later renewed and revived in 2007, and here we are today).

     The shopping center adjacent to the hotel was a place enough for me to enjoy my first time in Hawaii. The simple banana hook made of Kona wood that I bought there is still an active item in my home. LOL!

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     I fell in love with Hawaii instantly on this trip, and the atmosphere of the laid-back and cheerful seaside towns of Waikiki and Hanalei seemed to fit my skin perfectly, and most of all, the friendliness of the people I met made me feel completely at home. On the other hand, at night, it had the back alley atmosphere of LA or Shibuya, and the edgy coolness of the place was also very familiar to me as a young man.

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     I also fell in love with a little plane called Aloha Airline, which I used to fly to Kauai to fulfill the biggest mission of the trip. The name was also “What? Isn't that lame? The name was so simple that it made me think, “Isn't it lame? It's simple, it's not cool, it's tacky, but it's super cute.” Needless to say, I flew Aloha Airlines both to and from Hawaiian Airlines, not even bothering to look at the other airline, Hawaiian Airlines, because of its cute size. I decided on this trip that when I go freelance in the near future, I will use the name Alohadesign! I decided to call myself Alohadesign when I become an independent freelancer in the near future.

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     The scent of Aloha Air is at the center of my memories of my trip to Hawaii. The smell of sun oil and surfboard wax. It is the smell of summer, and it is a scent of happiness that is always and everywhere present in my memories of Hawaii.

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