Ka Ulu Hoi

Welina e kuʻu mea heluhelu. He ʻāina nani nō ʻo Iāpana, akā, he ʻano pōhihi no neia malihini, ʻo ia hoʻi ka mea kākau. I kekahi kauwela, ua huakaʻi aku nō māua me koʻu hoa hana i Iāpana no ka hālāwai pū ʻana mai me ko māua hoa pāʻoihana. ʻO ia kaʻu manawa mua i kipa ai i Iāpana a nui nā mea hūʻeu i kupu wale.

ʻO ke kahua hoʻolulu mokulele ʻo Narita (ma Tokyo) kahi a ka mokulele i kuʻu iho ai. I loa nō a pae ihola ka mokulele, ua huikau nō māua i nā hōʻailona a pau, no ka mea, paʻi wale ʻia nō i ka ʻōlelo Kepanī! Auē, ʻaʻole maopopo iki iā māua. Aia ka pono ʻo ko māua hele ʻana aku i Yokohama no kekahi hālāwai, akā, pehea māua e kaʻahele aku ai i laila? Pili ke kahua hoʻolulu kaʻaahi me ke kahua hoʻolulu mokulele, a ʻauana i ʻō i ʻaneʻi a loaʻa ke kahua hoʻolulu kaʻaahi iā māua. Ua kū a nānā pono aʻela i ka papa manawa kaʻaahi, a ua paʻi wale ʻia nō hoʻi i ka ʻōlelo Kepanī. Auē, i ke kaʻaahi hea e hele aku ai i Yokohama? ʻAʻole i liʻuliʻu, a kelepona māua i ko māua hoa pāʻoihana no kāna kōkua. He kamaʻāina ʻo ia no māua. Haʻi maila ʻo ia i ke kaʻaahi pololei e hele aku ana i Yokohama, a ʻo ke eʻe aʻela nō ia o māua i ia kaʻaahi. I hākālia nō a hōʻea ke kaʻaahi i Yokohama, a lele ihola.

Ua hālāwai pū māua me ko māua kamaʻāina, a ua makemake ʻo ia e hōʻike i kona wahi ʻoihana ʻē aʻe iā māua. Aia ia wahi ʻoihana ma nā mauna ma waenakonu o Iāpana. No laila, i ia kakahiaka nui aʻe, ua eʻe ʻia aʻela nō ke kaʻaahi pōkā i mea e hele aku ai i ke kaona liʻiliʻi ʻo Gunma i ia mau mauna kahi e kipa ʻia ai ia wahi ʻoihana. He kūlanakauhale Kepanī kahiko ʻo Gunma, a i loa nō iā mākou a hiki ma laila, ua hoʻopaʻa ihola mākou i lumi ma kekahi hōkele Kepanī kuʻuna. Ma loko o ia hōkele kaila, aia nō nā mea Kepanī maoli like ʻole, ʻo ka moena tatami ʻoe, ka moena futon ʻoe, ka ʻauʻau kuʻuna ʻoe (kapa ʻia he onsen) , ka hale ʻaina kuʻuna ʻoe, a pēlā aku.

He mau kamaʻāina ʻoluʻolu nō ko Gunma a nani maoli nō hoʻi nā mauna a puni ʻo Gunma. ʻOiai mākou e noho ana i ka hōkele, makemake ko māua kamaʻāina e kuhikuhi iā māua i kekahi mau loina Kepanī kuʻuna, e laʻa ka ʻauʻau kuʻuna. I ke ahiahi koke iho nō, hele mai ia kamaʻāina i ko māua lumi no ka wehewehe ʻana mai i nā mea e hoʻokoi ʻia no ka ʻauʻau kuʻuna. ʻAʻole ʻo ia ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, akā, ʻōlelo pelekane, eia naʻe, i kekahi mau manawa, ʻaʻole maopopo leʻa kona manaʻo ʻiʻo. Wahi āna, na māua e kau mai i kekahi kāwele liʻiliʻi ma luna o ko māua poʻo i ka manawa o ka noho ʻana iho i ka ʻauʻau kuʻuna, eia kekahi, e hele kohana nō kā māua! Auē nō hoʻi ē! Ua ʻōlelo maila ʻo ia, e hele aku nō i ka lumi kuapo lole no ka hoʻohemo i ko māua lole. I loko nō o ko māua kūnānā ʻia ʻana, hele akula i ua lumi lā no ka hemo lole ʻana a me ke kau ʻana i ke kāwele liʻiliʻi ma luna o ke poʻo. E kali ana ko māua kamaʻāina i ka ʻauʻau kuʻuna a haʻalele akula māua i ua lumi lā no ka ʻauʻau, a ua ʻike maila nō ko māua kamaʻāina iā māua me nā kāwele liʻiliʻi ma luna o ke poʻo, ʻo ka hū wale aʻela nō ia o kona ʻakaʻaka! Ma hope o ko māua komo ʻana i ka ʻauʻau i wehewehe aʻe ai ko māua kamaʻāina, ma hope o ke komo ʻana i ka ʻauʻau e kau ai i ke kāwele liʻiliʻi ma luna o ke poʻo! Ma mua o ke komo ʻana, na ia kāwele liʻiliʻi e uhi i ka maʻi!!! Auē nō hoʻi ē! He mea hūʻeu a hilahila kēlā!

Ma hope o ia ʻauʻau kuʻuna, komo mākou i kekahi kimono, a hele akula mākou i ka lumi ʻaina, a ua ʻai ihola i kekahi meaʻai Kepanī kuʻuna, eia naʻe, ʻaʻole au he mea ʻai ʻiʻo, ʻo ia hoʻi, he hamu lau wale nō. No laila, ua ʻai wale nō au i ka lauʻai tempura. A māʻona, hele akula i ka hale karaoke no ka hīmeni ʻana. Leʻaleʻa nō kā mākou hana ma Gunma! Ua noho mākou i Gunma no ʻekolu pō, a laila, eʻe hou aʻela ma luna o ke kaʻaahi pōkā a hoʻi mai i Yokohama.

He kūlanakauhale nui ʻo Yokohama a nui ʻino nā ʻano mea ʻai. Ma muli o ka ʻai ʻana i ka mea ʻai ʻokoʻa ma Gunma, ʻo ia hoʻi ka mea ʻai Kepanī, ʻono koʻu hoa hana i kekahi mea ʻai i maʻa iā ia. ʻIʻini nō ʻo ia e ʻai i ka mea ʻai o McDonalds. Ma muli o koʻu ʻai ʻiʻo ʻole ʻana, kakaʻikahi nā mea ʻai aʻu e ʻai iho ai ma McDonalds, eia naʻe, makemake nui koʻu hoa hana i ia mea ʻai, no laila, hele pū. I hōʻea ka hana o māua ma ia hale ʻaina, ʻo ke noi akula nō ia o koʻu hoa hana i kāna mea ʻai. ʻO au, kū a nānā kaulona i ka papa kuhikuhi mea ʻai. Manaʻo ihola, “hmm...aia kekahi meaʻai aʻu e ʻai iho ai ma ʻaneʻi? ʻO ka ʻuala palai, hiki nō, akā, pōloli nō au a aia ka pono ʻo ka ʻai nui. Hmm...malia paha, he ʻiʻo pipi waiūpaʻa i wili ʻia nona ka ʻiʻo ʻole (ʻo ia hoʻi, he hamepuka waiūpaʻa nona ka ʻiʻo ʻole)? ʻAe, he kanauika waiūpaʻa kēlā...hemolele!” ʻO koʻu neʻe pololei akula nō ia i ke pākaukau noi, a noi akula i hoʻokahi ʻiʻo pipi waiūpaʻa i wili ʻia nona ka ʻiʻo ʻole! ʻO ka wahine ma hope o ia pākaukau noi, ua hōkai ʻia i kēia noi ʻē, a pane maila, “hoʻokahi ʻiʻo pipi waiūpaʻa i wili ʻia.” ʻAʻole maopopo iā ia kaʻu noi, no laila, ʻōlelo hou akula au iā ia, “hoʻokahi ʻiʻo pipi waiūpaʻa i wili ʻia nona ka ʻiʻo ʻole, ke ʻoluʻolu.” Nānā pono nō ʻo ia i koʻu maka, a pane hou me ka nāukiuki, “hoʻokahi ʻiʻo pipi waiūpaʻa i wili ʻia!” Manaʻo ihola, “hmm…ʻōlelo Kepanī wale nō ʻo ia, a ʻaʻole au ʻōlelo Kepanī. ʻO kona huli akula nō ia i kāna luna a hāwanawana i kona pepeiao, a nīnau maila ia luna iaʻu, “he ʻiʻo pipi waiūpaʻa i wili ʻia nona ka ʻiʻo ʻole?” Pane akula au, “ʻae, nona ka ʻiʻo ʻole.” ʻO ka huli akula nō ia o ka luna i nā limahana, a haʻi i ka ʻōlelo Kepanī, “he ʻiʻo pipi waiūpaʻa i wili ʻia nona ka ʻiʻo ʻole!” Palena ʻole nō ka ʻakaʻaka ʻana o ia mau limahana! ʻAkahi nō lākou a lohe i kēlā noi ʻē! ʻAʻole i liʻuliʻu a loaʻa kekahi ʻiʻo pipi waiūpaʻa i wili ʻia nona ka ʻiʻo ʻole, ʻo ia hoʻi, he kanauika waiūpaʻa.

E kuʻu mea heluhelu, ʻo kēia ka palena o kaʻu wahi moʻolelo huakaʻi. Mahalo nui nō iā ʻoe no kāu hoihoi ʻeleu i nā hanana hūʻeu i kupu wale. Ma o ka haʻi ʻana i ia moʻolelo, lana aʻe ka manaʻo, ua ulu kou hoʻomaopopo ʻana i ia ʻāina malihini. Paʻakikī koʻu huakaʻi ʻana i Iāpana. I nā manawa he nui, ua huikau nō au i nā mea maʻa ʻole, ʻo ia hoʻi, “Wili i ke au wili o Kāwili.” ʻO ia kaʻu manawa mua i kipa ai i laila, a i loko nō o koʻu huikau a hilahila, he haliʻa hūʻeu nō ia moʻolelo noʻu. Paipai nō au iā ʻoe e kipa i ia ʻāina nani ʻo Iāpana.

© Hoaloha Westcott 2021