August 15th, Oahu, Hawaii, United States

In daylight Waikiki was about what I expected, a thin veneer of glitz. The beach, which the guide books would have you believe is a never ending parade of beautiful bodies, was crowded by families with screaming kids.
I counted 5 JAL (Japan Airlines) 747s parked at the gates at Honolulu International. I know of at least two other airlines, United and All-Nippon Airways, that have daily flights to Narita and Kansai and I would not be surprised if some of the other US majors also fly this route. That would explain why I saw businesses downtown with signs only in Kanji...