From Work to Waves Freelance Announcer Aika Kanda Chooses Hawaii

A Foundational Place

The first time I went to Hawaii was about 35 years ago, during the spring break of my fourth-grade year. My mother was a huge Hawaii fan and had traveled there frequently while single. After getting married and giving birth to three children—my older brother was 13, I was 10, and my younger brother was 3—we went to Waikiki as a family for the first time. This trip became my first overseas journey and ultimately shaped who I am today, someone who has traveled abroad nearly 100 times and considers international travel a hobby.

For the next 13 years, until I entered the workforce, I went to Hawaii roughly four times a year. According to my mother, “I want to experience Hawaii in all four seasons.” Most people would think, “Hawaii is always summer!” But after visiting for so many years, I learned to sense subtle changes in humidity and temperature and realized that even Hawaii has seasonal shifts.

At the time, however, I was merely along for the ride. Travel plans were made without my input; I boarded planes without thinking and floated in Waikiki’s waters as if it were second nature. Activities were limited to snorkeling in Hanauma Bay or climbing Diamond Head. Looking back, it may sound arrogant, but by the time I graduated high school, Hawaii had become a destination that no longer stimulated me.

After entering university, I began saving my part-time earnings to travel independently across Asia and Europe. On my first summer vacation as a working adult, I finally visited the U.S. mainland: New York. The first time I stood in the middle of Times Square, it felt like an electric current ran through my body. For some reason, the surrounding sounds vanished, people’s movements appeared in slow motion, and then—snap!—everything clicked perfectly, as if my sensibilities aligned with the city itself.

Until that moment, I had thought Hawaii was my foundational place outside Japan—familiar and enjoyable, even without much stimulation. But I was wrong. New York became that place.

Businesspeople strode purposefully, dodging tourists; New Yorkers stared at traffic lights with distant eyes; the ground glowed constantly from neon lights; sirens echoed off skyscrapers endlessly. Every element of New York felt liquid, flowing into my bloodstream, absorbed as energy.

After experiencing this intensity, I began comparing Hawaii to New York. Why are cashiers chatting while multiple people are in line? Why is the selection of new clothes so poor? Why do people walk so slowly? Hawaii seemed lacking in every aspect, despite being part of the same United States.

Looking back, this coincided with my early days at NHK, when I was anxious to catch up with senior colleagues as quickly as possible. Every free moment was work; I couldn’t miss a single gesture from my seniors. Hawaii felt too different from the environment I was in, so I rejected it. As a result, I stopped going there.

The Unchanging Hawaii and the Changed Me

However, after leaving NHK at age 32 and around age 37, when I began receiving more work as a freelance announcer, I started to like Hawaii again.

I am now 45. Hawaii has become just as important to me as New York. No matter what happens, I can smile and laugh, thinking, “Well, that’s Hawaii for you.”

My mother is now 75. At her age, one naturally worries about her when she travels, yet she still goes to Hawaii alone.

Recently, she went to Hawaii a few days earlier, and I joined her for a one-night, three-day stay over the weekend. Though brief, I listened to 50 years’ worth of her memories in Hawaii, surrounded by the unchanging scenery and gentle breeze. We do this twice a year.

The way my mother and I spend time in Hawaii has changed. At the same time, Hawaii itself remains unchanged because people and time flow so slowly there.

Hawaii enthusiasts often say, “In the end, it’s Hawaii!” I completely agree—I have truly returned to Hawaii. The next time Hawaii might feel different to me will likely be when my mother passes away. On that visit, what will Hawaii make me feel, and what kind of journey will it become? I pondered these things on the plane back to Japan alone.

Aika Kanda – Born in 1980 in Kanagawa Prefecture. After graduating from the Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, Gakushuin University, she joined NHK as an announcer in 2003. She left NHK in 2012 to become a freelance announcer. Since then, she has been active mainly on variety programs and currently appears as the main MC on the daytime show Pokapoka (Fuji TV).

★ Her first book, compiling this series, “Where Does the Royal Road Lead?”, is now on sale to great acclaim!

From “FRIDAY”, December 19 & 26, 2025 combined issue.