To the 1980s — and beyond

Talk about a round trip. Not just in terms of miles, of which there are 8,800 total to and fro, between Honolulu and Fukuoka, Japan.

But for former Gov. George Ariyoshi, Monday’s inaugural flight offered by Hawaiian Air between the two cities was a full circle 30 years in the making. It was in 1981, after all, that Ariyoshi helped craft a sister-city relationship that has grown substantially over the decades. Student athlete trips and home stays over the years have been a reciprocal benefit — and now, the nine-hour, 20-minute trip to Fuku­oka will be a daily offering year-round.

Ariyoshi, now 86, and his wife, Jean, were aboard the inaugural flight. Said the former gov: "I did not want to create the (sister-city) relationship unless I was given some insurance that both sides — from the Fuku­oka side and the Hawaiian side — that the relationship would become a very meaningful one." Looks like it has.

A spoof on rail, on time and in harmony

Nothing is too big to be a target of fun, not even if it’s $5.3 billion big.

That’s what the Sounds of Aloha Chorus has decided, making the city’s controversial rail project a subject for one of the theme shows the barbershop singing group does once a year. There are also five other quartets on the bill. "De-Railed: A Fixed-Rail Time Machine" is the title of the event planned for May 12 at Hawaii Theatre, with shows set at 2:02 and 7:32 p.m. (some kind of spoof of arrival times on train timetables?) Seats are $30, $22 and $15. Their website is soundsofaloha.org.