Japanese & White Couple Moving to Hawaii (Honolulu, Kaaawa: fit in, sales)

[John719]

Hi my wife is Japanese and I'm half white & mexican (look mostly white), we have a four year old daughter who looks mostly Japanese and speaks Japanese and English fluently. We will be moving to Oahu in a few months. Will we be outcasts because of the mixed race situation? My wife was born in Japan and has only lived in the US for two years, my daughter was also born in the US and has also only lived in the US for two years. Their English is a little broken. I'm afraid that they will be looked down upon for this. But I've also been told that it should be easy for my wife to fit in with the Japanese community and for my daughter to melt into the community as well. I guess what I'm asking is, for advice on how to better get along with the local culture and fit in. I grew up in the East Side of San Jose which is 50% Vietnamese, 20% Black & 20% Mexican and 10% white, so being a minority is nothing new to me. Are their some areas of the island that should be avoided to live in due to our racial mix? Some that are better than others? Any adivce/help would be much appreciated. Oh, one last thing, pronouncing the Hawaiian names of streets and areas/places in proper Hawaiian seems to be important to locals. I'm always corrected, it's done politley but always corrected. How importans is this really?

[hotzcatz]

Konichi wa John719,

No worries, you will fit right in, at least at first glance and in casual encounters. Being "hapa" (half/half) or "chop suey" (this, that and a few other things) is much more the norm than someone being all one ethnic group. If anything your difficulties will be that they expect you to act like a local person and when you act like a mainlander they will be confused. If you wore your slippers into someone's house it would be a much more grievous sin than if some tourist did it since they would expect that you would know better since they would think you were a local. If they knew you were from the mainland, then they would figure you just didn't know any better whereas if they thought you were from around here they would think you were insulting them.

Pronouncing things correctly shows respect. It isn't hard. Break everything down into consonant/vowel groups and pronounce them one group at a time. "A"s always are pronounced "ah" and "E"s are always pronounced like the name of the letter "A" so Kamehameha would be "Kah-may-hah-may-hah". Easy, see? Kamehameha was a Big Island chief who conquered and consolidated the islands under one rule and became the first Hawaiian King. A lot of things are named after him. When there is a whole string of vowels, generally, the first one is attached to a consonant and the rest are pronounced as their own syllable although sometimes the first several are pronounced together. Waikiki is "Why-key-key" which translates to "spouting fresh water" if you were wondering. The "I" is always pronounced "ee". Oh, another fun thing with Hawaiian is a "W" at the beginning of a word is pronounced as a "W" sound but if it is in the middle of a word is usually pronounced as a V. So Kaaawa is "Kah-ah-ah-vah".

After you learn local ways, you will be very comfortable on Oahu.

A hui hou!

[John719]

If I wore shoes in any house my wife would kill me. We even have special slippers for the bathroom. I know probably a dumb question but I assume that they have Japanese language schools. Is Japanese also taught in the public schools?

Were planning on renting for six months to a year and paying up front for the entire length of the rental contract due to credit history problems and wanting housing security while we get settled. Should this be avoided?

From what I've read on this forum our furniture probably wont be good in the tropical environment. Is their an Ikea on Oahu? What are the job oppurtunities like now? I've read that a lot of people have two and three jobs. Will I have difficulty finding a job being a non-native Hawaiian?

I do have one job prospect but I always like to have a plan B.

[hotzcatz]

Depending on which school you have your daughter go to, they may have Japanese available there. I don't have kids so don't really track the schools all that closely. I learned a bit of Nihongo from Japanese tourists, they are a great resource for learning good pronunciation.

If you have a reputable firm to rent from, then pre-paying wouldn't hurt. Century 21 or one of the big realty companies have rental branches which would be safe and secure.

No Ikea on Oahu that I know of, but I don't buy stuff retail anyway. Great yard sales on Oahu. Mostly any furniture made of pressboard will turn to oatmeal within months. Anything made of plain steel will rust within hours, too, so if it is metal, oil it, wax it, paint it, plate it, etc.

Jobs are not real plentiful on Oahu at the moment since a lot of our economy is tourist based and tourism is really down right now. Specialized skills are good, bringing work from the mainland is even better.

[Mar0]

Most schools on Kauai offer Japanese as a foreign language option- I am sure that if Kauai offers it, that Oahu schools would.

[John719]

My wife is 100% Japanese, her English so so, what are her job prospects? say in the hospitality industry that caters to Japanese.

Also I have extensive construction background and knowledge (epoxy flooring) for a very specialized trade. I've seen a lot of it in Hawaii. Would it be difficult for me to start a business being non-Hawaiian/local?

I've read here that you have to "know" someone to get a job. Would that also be true in the construction field for someone who has a skill trade and can bring something to the table?

The more I readon this Forum about Hawaii, the more I want to pack it in right now and get their. Ya, I've read some negative things about racism, crime drugs etc. but theirs parts of the city I live in now that I wouldn't even go into during the daytime and they are primarily white.

We lived in a rabbit box in japan and a one bedroom 762sq ft house in CA, so small apartment/condo living is no big deal. I'm trying to find a place to buy for under $200K, two bedroom one bath East Oahu, possible?

Or rent East Oahu, two bedroom one bath for $850. -- $1,100, possible? Prefer decent neighborhood (ggod elem school etc.), high rise condo type.

And I promise to learn how to properly pronunce Hawaiian names of things/places, no stink eye & wont complain about traffic.

[melaniej65]

You will most likely not be able to find anything within those price ranges in East Oahu (I come from Hawaii Kai (Portlock)).

There should be more homes (apts, etc) within your price range the further away from from the East side you go(but hey- you could get lucky if someone is renting out just to have someone occupy their home).

If you wish to start your own business there should be no impediments to you doing so. Usually the 'local hire first' tends to be in City/State job opportunities- but since every Haole I know is employed I assume they found employment easily enough (to include my husband).

Your wife speaking Japanese will certainly come in handy for many employment opportunities - besides the hospitality sector there are always Law firms and International businesses that prefer that Japanese be a skill.

Your racial mix will cause not so much as a second glance here in Hawaii. How you are treated is in the most part due to how you treat others. You will always run into those who will dislike you for any superficial reason. Oh yes, Haole is NOT a derogatory term. It is simply a descriptive term. Here we all describe each other by our racial heritage. You will know if someone has a problem with you if the word "F'n" precedes the term Haole. Otherwise it is simply the way things are.

Good luck with your move.

[SkyBob]

Originally Posted by hotzcatz

Konichi wa John719,

Pronouncing things correctly shows respect. It isn't hard. Break everything down into consonant/vowel groups and pronounce them one group at a time. "A"s always are pronounced "ah" and "E"s are always pronounced like the name of the letter "A" so Kamehameha would be "Kah-may-hah-may-hah". Easy, see? Kamehameha was a Big Island chief who conquered and consolidated the islands under one rule and became the first Hawaiian King. A lot of things are named after him. When there is a whole string of vowels, generally, the first one is attached to a consonant and the rest are pronounced as their own syllable although sometimes the first several are pronounced together. Waikiki is "Why-key-key" which translates to "spouting fresh water" if you were wondering. The "I" is always pronounced "ee". Oh, another fun thing with Hawaiian is a "W" at the beginning of a word is pronounced as a "W" sound but if it is in the middle of a word is usually pronounced as a V. So Kaaawa is "Kah-ah-ah-vah".

Hotzcatz,

You continually amaze me with your friendly and informative postings. I have been reading the messages in this City-Data forum for a couple years now and I don't think anybody has made Hawaiian language pronounciation explanations better than you. It is so enjoyable reading your responses to others here. Keep it up.

I would add to your reputation count but the system says I have to "spread some Reputation around before giving it to HotzCatz again".

Bob

[KoaHawaii]

Originally Posted by John719

If I wore shoes in any house my wife would kill me. We even have special slippers for the bathroom. I know probably a dumb question but I assume that they have Japanese language schools. Is Japanese also taught in the public schools?

Were planning on renting for six months to a year and paying up front for the entire length of the rental contract due to credit history problems and wanting housing security while we get settled. Should this be avoided?

From what I've read on this forum our furniture probably wont be good in the tropical environment. Is their an Ikea on Oahu? What are the job oppurtunities like now? I've read that a lot of people have two and three jobs. Will I have difficulty finding a job being a non-native Hawaiian?

I do have one job prospect but I always like to have a plan B.

Japanese culture has had a big influence in Hawaiian culture and visaversa here on the islands. many practices are shared between the two, like removing slippas etc. before entering the house, as well as never going to someones home empty handed etc. i honestly don't see you and your family having trouble adapting, on any island as most of the population is all or part Japanese. Japanese is the largest ethnic group as well as being one of the biggest group of tourists who frequent the islands. Many hotels have Japanese/English translaters so I'm sure your wife could find something in the hospitality industry though at the moment tourism is slow and our economy isn't doing too well so many places aren't hiring. Oahu and more specifically Honolulu will have more jobs offered/available as their are more people but again same thing applies where tourism is slow so not many places are hiring. yes Japanese is taught at schools, think of it like having Spanish taught as foreign language in schools in California. Many schools offer either Hawaiian or Japanese. Sometimes you can even have separate Japanese language schools though not sure how many are really around. I know my mom and aunties all went when they were growing up, that was here on the Big Island in a fairly small town so I'm sure you can find something on Oahu. As long as you go with an open mind, are respectful etc. I'm sure you'll adapt fine and be accepted in Japanese and local communities. Good luck

[hotzcatz]

Originally Posted by SkyBob

Hotzcatz,

You continually amaze me with your friendly and informative postings. I have been reading the messages in this City-Data forum for a couple years now and I don't think anybody has made Hawaiian language pronounciation explanations better than you. It is so enjoyable reading your responses to others here. Keep it up.

I would add to your reputation count but the system says I have to "spread some Reputation around before giving it to HotzCatz again".

Bob

*blush!* You are too kind! Thank you for your nice words, I appreciate them. Most folks in Hawaii like to talk story, having educated fingers I can "type story" so it is much the same thing.