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Shoyu Sugar

Behind the scenes of a guidebook deadline 📚✨

Published about 2 months ago • 5 min read

👋 Aloha friends,

If you joined me through the 2026 DIY Trip Summit, another warm welcome. I hope your trip planning is going well!

After nearly three months in Japan, I’ve swapped plum blossoms and takoyaki for trade winds and poke back home in Hawaii.

I’ll have my head down this week, putting the final touches on a guidebook update. It’s not glamorous work, lots of fact checking phone calls, photos and on-the-ground research, but I'm grateful to be able to show visitors some of my hometown favorites!

I've noticed lots of the local spots seem much quieter than even three months ago, so I'm trying to be extra intentional about where I shop and eat!

I’ll also be updating my Hawaii content, planning a broader website refresh, and adding new resources to the free Foodie Travel Resource Library.

Speaking of free resources... last time, you voted for a packing list. So now I want to know — what kind of trips are you packing for this year? Hit reply and let me know!

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✨ Stories from Shoyu Sugar

Ramazan begins

Each year as I revisit this post to update the year's dates for Ramazan and Seker Bayram, I think back on the decade that I spent living in Turkiye and the differences in experiencing the holy month in villages vs cities. It's a very special time to visit!

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Destination Inspiration ✈

🌴 Kama'aina News

  • The Kimi's Kitchen book tour kicks off with signings on 3/10 at Olukai in Chinatown and 3/12 at Turtle Bay Resort. You can also still enter to win a Traeger Grill by preordering your copy. Details here.
  • Honolulu Magazine's Best of Honolulu 2026 voting is underway and you can win a $100 gift card to Et Al. Don't forget to vote for my friends at Manoa Laundry for best laundromat! ;) Vote here by 2/28.
  • The "Kahoʻolawe: 50 Years of Aloha ʻĀina" at Hale Hō‘ike‘ike at the Bailey House celebrating 50 years of Aloha ʻĀina activation has been extended through the month of March.
  • Civil Beat gives us an overview of the opposition to the military's plan to establish seven new telescopes atop Haleakala on Maui. Read the Draft EIS and submit your testimony by 3/16 here.

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Feeling Lucky🍀

  • Clif Family Winery & Farm is giving away a 3-night Napa Valley getaway for two (including flights, hotel, wine tasting & local treats). Enter by 3/31. Details here.
  • Viking Cruises is giving away An 8-Day Mediterranean Ocean Cruise for two plus round-trip business-class airfare. Enter by 3/31. Details here.
  • JetBlue Vacations is giving away a free trip for four to Universal Orlando Resort, including flights, hotel & park tickets. Enter by 4/30. Details here.

✈ What's new in the community?

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✨ New language course alert!

The Meal-a-Day Method shows you how to use one meal a day as your language practice anchor, with a short video and printable guides you can use on your next trip. Just $5 for newsletter readers.

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👋 Hi, I'm Malia Yoshioka!

I'm a freelance food and travel writer and guidebook author from Hawaii, slowly eating my way around the world and sharing the flavors with you in these weekly updates and on ShoyuSugar.com​

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Shoyu Sugar

Malia Yoshioka

Malia Yoshioka is a freelance Food & Travel Writer and ESL Tutor from Hawaii. She's slowly eating her way around the world, 43 countries and counting so far! Get behind the scenes news, travel tips and the best food stories from around the web in her weekly Savor the Journey newsletter.

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