Hawaii
The aloha spirit in Japan: Hawaii pop-up store at Haneda Airport breaks sales records
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A new Hawaii-themed pop-up store is bringing the aloha spirit to Japan’s busiest airport.
More than 40 local brands are being showcased at the “Aloha Market powered by Mana Up” in Haneda Airport’s Terminal 1.
An estimated 60,000 people pass through that area of the terminal every day — both travelers and people who go to the airport to shop or eat.
“We love Hawaii,” said Roppongi resident Yoko Matsumoto. “We go to Hawaii twice a year, so I came to check it out. It’s overwhelming! Very popular with the Japanese people.”
The pop-up market is a lucrative opportunity for Hawaii companies who want to share their products with Japan and the world.
Also in this series:
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“Having people know and recognize our products is a great feeling,” said Ruth Hashisaka, president of Kauai Kookie.
Since its debut on Nov. 15, the Aloha Market has broken the records for opening day sales and sales in the first week of any pop-up store ever opened at Haneda.
“This is a wonderful demonstration of Hawaii’s authentic and quality products, many of which are award winning. It’s exciting that we have three companies here that have never been in Japan before,” said Mana Up co-founder Meli James.
Noho Home is one of those companies making its debut in Japan.
Founder Jalene Kanani says she’s grateful for the chance to share her story and Hawaii-inspired home decor with the international community.
Our Casey Lund and Ashley Nagaoka report live from Tokyo as they tag along with Gov. Josh Green in his effort to bring Japanese visitors back to Hawaii.
“It’s been wonderful. The traffic is amazing. I mean, we’re in the middle of an airport,” Kanani said.
The market is an initiative that came from the state’s Japan Export Accelerator program — run by the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism. It helps both established and emerging brands with product development, marketing, and export logistics.
“It’s always a challenge to bring products here. The paperwork to get product to Japan it is quite a lot,” Hashisaka said.
With Hawaii’s Japanese visitor arrival numbers still struggling at around 38-percent of pre-pandemic levels, Gov. Josh Green hopes the market will inspire new and returning travelers to visit to the islands.
“We know people here in Japan love Hawaii, but its gotten so expensive with the yen. This market helps people get a little taste of Hawaii and then their next trip we expect will be back to our home,” the governor said.
The Aloha Market will be open until November 30th. But because its already a huge success, state leaders say airport executives want to keep Hawaii at Haneda.
“They said we’re going to give you the permanent store so let’s start working on that now,” said Jimmy Tokioka, DBEDT director.
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