Aika Kanda [Serial #16] The time limit is 29 hours!　Bullet Train Trip to Hawaii

I am now on a flight from Haneda to Honolulu. I went home after the live broadcast of “Pokapoka” (Fuji TV) on Friday, packed my bags, and jumped on the plane. 3 days later, on Monday, I have a “Pokapoka” show, so this is a 3-day and 1-night bullet trip to Hawaii by myself.

He enjoys traveling abroad and has been to Hawaii more than 40 times since he was in the fourth grade. Currently, the only two times I can go abroad are during summer vacation and the year-end and New Year holidays. But that is the same as having no source of my smile. I decided to go to Hawaii, the place I am most accustomed to visiting, even if it is just for a bullet trip. I stayed in Hawaii for 29 hours.

Friday, 11:00 a.m. Hawaii time.

Now we are in Honolulu!　I shouted out in my heart, “Nice to meet you! I shouted out in my heart, “I’ll be staying in a room with a kitchen. I bought tuna poke, vegetables, ham, sausage, and beer at the supermarket, and checked in.

It was 13:00 Hawaii time.

Twenty-seven hours to go. It was time to make a choice that would decide the fate of this trip.

(1) Take a nap once, rest your body tired from the flight and the time difference, and start moving in the evening.

(2) Go shopping, not resting even for a minute.

This is a battle between my pride as a “workaholic” who is in charge of a TV program and my pride as a “shopaholic” who lives for checking out new products. Which is it?　Which is it?

At …… (2)

When I was in Japan, I had no answer to this question, but when I arrived at the Ala Moana Center, I felt the tremendous aura of the Ala Moana Center, which I could not see from my room. So, as if called to do so, I easily chose 2).

It was 13:30 Hawaii time.

26 hours and 30 minutes to go. I narrowed down my shopping stops to half the usual number. A silver catsuit, three pink cooking utensils, Kate Spade shorts, two pieces of underwear produced by Kim Kardashian that are not yet available in Japan, and a pair of Hermes sandals, which are sold out in Japan. I returned to the hotel after picking up the above 8 items in about 4 hours.

17:30, Hawaii time.

22 hours and 30 minutes to go. I am starving. We had our first and last dinner on the balcony. The sunset over the ocean was reflected on the hotel window in front of us.

It’s a comfortable …… feeling. It was a happy time, and I could feel that I had come to Hawaii. After dinner, I was worrying about the vegetable leaves stuck in my teeth, and before I knew it, I fell asleep.

Hawaii time, 20:30.

When I woke up, there were 19 hours and 30 minutes left. Normally, I would enjoy shopping in town again, but this time I gave up and decided to pack my bags. But this time, I gave up and decided to pack. I kept falling asleep and waking up, but I couldn’t sleep anymore.

It’s 01:30 Hawaii time on Saturday.

14 hours and 30 minutes left. I set my alarm and went to bed, thinking I would watch the sunrise, something I had never paid attention to before.

05:30, Hawaii time.

Ten hours and 30 minutes left. After all, I had only slept for four hours. Outside the window was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen. The sky was tinted with an exquisite gradation of colors: dark orange like flames, bright orange like salmon, bright yellow like grapefruit, and pale pink like strawberry juice on white clothes. ‘After all, I need the stimulation of travel!　This is what keeps me going at work!” I was convinced.

It was 10:00 a.m. Hawaii time.

Six hours to go. I went back to bed and got rid of the lack of sleep. I enjoyed a late breakfast on the balcony with a beer and a view of the ocean.

13:00 Hawaii time.

Three hours to go. This is the climax of the trip. We still have one hour before we have to go to the airport. What should we do? …… “Yes, let’s go to Ala Moana,” I thought. I stopped at one store I didn’t stop at yesterday and got five outfits at a breakneck speed. I headed to the airport without any worries.

It was 14:30 Hawaii time.

With one and a half hours to go, the departure formalities were completed. This trip was a challenge for me. If I had looked tired on Monday, the manager might have told me that I would not be able to make the bullet train to Hawaii. But in fact, I felt fine to a pinch. I can’t be happy without either my work or my hobbies, and this 3-day/1-night solo trip to Hawaii is going to be addictive.

Born in 1980 in Kanagawa Prefecture. After graduating from Gakushuin University with a degree in mathematics, she joined NHK as an announcer in 2003, and left in 2012 to become a freelance announcer. Since then, she has been active mainly in variety shows, and currently makes regular appearances as the main MC of the daytime TV program “Poka Poka” (Fuji Television Network).

From the July 7, 2023 issue of FRIDAY