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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🚂 I just updated my scenic train route guide
Published 16 days ago • 5 min read
👋 Aloha friends,
Whew, I made my deadline!
Now I’m taking a little time to visit friends and family and make my way to as many local spots as possible before it’s time to go back to the rails.
Two "firsts" that have been on my Maui list for a while: First Friday in Wailuku and something people might be surprised to hear… my first time trying the "World Famous Pancakes" at Tasty Crust!
Tasty Crust is the kind of local diner where generations have gathered. My dad told us about going there after his high school football games. It's like we can travel back in time.
I love places like this and want to see them hang around for the next generation. When I travel, these are the kinds of spots I look for, and the ones I love sharing with friends when they visit Hawaii. Nothing fancy, but sometimes that’s exactly the point.
Do you have a local diner where you're from that brings back memories?
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✨ Stories from Shoyu Sugar
Amtrak's USA network reaches every state but Hawaii, Alaska, Wyoming and South Dakota
How to see North America by train
After logging more than 11,000 miles and reaching 29 states by rail last year, I’ve updated my guide to the most scenic train routes across North America. Next month I’ll be putting the Amtrak USA Rail Pass to work again to get closer to the 46 states the network serves.
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Destination Inspiration ✈
She Shapes History tours just launched a new walking tour highlighting women’s impact on politics, architecture, activism, art, and culture in New York City. Hear the founders discussing it on The Thought Card podcast
Did you know there's an easy way to keep up with emergency info when you travel abroad? Yahoo Creators has a step-by-step guide on getting embassy alerts for your next international trip.
Route 66 turns 100 this November and Afar brings us a guide for things to do along the way. (I'm planning on tracing the route by train next month.)
[Oahu] 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.
[Oahu] Fishcake has postponed its Digger’s Dinner potluck to 3/14. Per the event details, each contribution must be “primarily made from ingredients that they have either grown, hunted, fished, foraged, bartered, found, gifted, begged for, or stolen.” RSVP here. Sounds fun!
[Maui] Kalei's is celebrating their 10 year anniversary by offering $10 Big Kahuna Plates from 2-5pm on March 9th at all locations.
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When you travel, what kind of spot are you happiest to discover?
Preorder a copy of Kimi’s Kitchen and enter to win a free Traeger Grill! Enter by 3/14. Details here.
Win a trip for 2 to Machu Picchu plus $500 for airfare and a host of other prizes from Ori Magazine. Enter by 3/20. Details here.
World Nomads and Intrepid Travel are giving away a trip for 2 to Japan. To enter, submit a 50-word entry about what you’d love to experience in Japan. Enter by 3/31. Details here.
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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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.
👋 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...
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