The Japanese Consulate in Honolulu issues a travel warning. Kakaako is a new tourism destination on its own. It’s part of Honolulu, Hawaii, minutes from Waikiki. How safe is it for Hawaii visitors to spend time in this new trendy neighborhood?
After a brutal attack on a Japanese visitor, the Japanese Consulate in Honolulu wants Japanese tourists to be careful when exploring Kakaako and not use the bathrooms at Kakaako Beach Park.
This comes on the same day Honolulu Major Caldwell told an audience of mayors from around the world meeting in China, how safe and quilt Hawaii is – because of the Aloha Mweya.
Kakaako is the new hip neighborhood in Honolulu. Located next to the largest shopping center in the Pacific, the Ala Moana Shopping Center, the Ward Shopping District, and Ala Moana Beach Park. Travel brochures highlight this trendy neighborhood of glittering high rise buildings, trendy eateries, and the multiple murals painted alongside various buildings.
The Memorial holiday last Monday turned into a nightmare for a Japanese Tourists enjoying this Oahu neighborhood. He was attacked around 11 am in a public bathroom at Kakaako Beach Park.
Honolulu police found the Japanese tourist lying on the ground inside the park man’s bathroom. The man had a bloody nose, a deep cut on his forehead. His teeth were nearly knocked out.
The man’s wife told police she heard a commotion; so she went to check on her husband. When she entered the bathroom, an unknown man put her in a chokehold, and she fainted.
The attacker did not take anything from the couple before running off.
eTN talked to an officer at the Japanese Consulate in Honolulu and it appears the assumption is the attacker was on drugs. The Consulate also told eTurboNews the tourist warning was issued by the consulate only. It is not an official travel warning issued by the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
Kakaako is also a new office place for eTurboNews.
