Osame could not refuse. “I was very sad, but I also thought of the time I left my mother to come to Hawaii. I owed her for that and I had to pay her back.” [See last week’s post.]

More heartbreak followed.

The American economy fell drastically after 1929, and the hotel, which once brought in $20.00 per day, could no longer support the family. Kinzo took additional work, including washing and ironing laundry late into the night. The children picked coffee. The hotel stayed open.

The year 1941 brought new challenges.  On December 7, Japanese planes attacked Pearl Harbor. Osame and Kinzo’s son Harold immediately enlisted with the Home Guard. Three weeks later, the Army released Harold and other American citizens of Japanese ancestry, questioning their loyalty to the United States. The same day, Kinzo transferred ownership of the hotel to his son. Kinzo belonged to the first generation of Japanese settlers, an Issei who did not hold citizenship. His property was subject to confiscation. Harold was second generation, Nisei, born on American soil.

In 1943 the United States government had a change of heart, and authorized formation of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team as part of the 100th Battalion. Their motto: “Go for Broke,” a term borrowed from gambling. It meant risk everything in the effort to win big. Harold was one of four thousand Nisei from throughout Hawai`i who enlisted. The unit suffered a notably high casualty rate. At war’s end 14,000 men had served. The 442nd was the single most decorated unit for its size and length of service with 9,486 Purple Hearts, 21 Medals of Honor, and 8 Presidential Unit Citations. http://www.goforbroke.org/history/history_historical_veterans_442nd.asp

During his absence, Harold’s wife Nancy kept the hotel open.  Harold later told West Hawaii Today  “The truth is, for each generation, it’s the women who kept things going.”

Harold secured and expanded his parents’ hotel.  Kinzo leased hotel land.  Harold bought it.  Guessing that business would grow, Harold built a three-story addition, completed 1969.  The hotel was ready for tourists.

Travel writer Robert W. Bone stayed at the Manago Hotel in the late 1980s.  The writer’s six-year-old son pronounced the original structure fronting the roadway with its communal bathrooms “very creepy, ” but Bone thought the Managos had done “a pretty good job.”  The new rooms felt contemporary with their ocean views and en suite bathrooms. Nevertheless, Bone cautioned readers that the Manago Hotel was best suited for those seeking an “authentic atmosphere.”

Harold’s son Dwight carries on the Manago tradition of authenticity and local-style food. So, if your travels take you to the Kona Coast on the Big Island of Hawai`i, stop by the Manago Hotel for a meal or accommodation.  You will find a warm welcome, clean rooms, friendly staff, and a glimpse into Old Hawai`i with its picture brides, coffee farms, and intrepid immigrants.  They and the hotel are an American story.  http://www.managohotel.com/index.htm

[Quotations from Eileen Tamura. Americanization, Acculturation, and Ethnic Identity: The Nisei Generation in Hawaii. University of Hawaii Press. 1994.  Robert W. Bone. Maverick Guide to Hawaii, 13^th edition. Pelican Publishing Co., 1989, p. 406.  Additional Sources: Anon. “Staying True to Tradition,” West Hawaii Today, November 29, 2006.  Bertil Long, Big Island Trading Post-West Hawaii Edition, April 17, 1985.  Naomi Sodetani, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, February 19, 1985.]

The post NEW GENERATIONS AT THE MANAGO HOTEL first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

The Manago Hotel on Hawai`i’s Kona Coast offers visitors a glimpse of rapidly disappearing “Old Hawai`i.”  If you require hotel amenities equaling those at the Four Seasons, this is not the place for you.  But, if you have a sense of adventure and a desire to experience a different slice of life, the Manago can be a wonderful accommodation.  [http://www.managohotel.com/index.htm]

As a symbol of the Manago Hotel’s bygone flavor, consider this slightly bent room key.  No computerized key card; no “drop in any mailbox” return address.  It’s a key that says, “If you lose me, you have to explain it to the owner.”  Because, third generation owner Dwight Manago and his wife Cheryl personally keep things running smoothly.

Opening the door, I found the bathroom on the left – with “old-style” louvered windows – and the bedroom before me.  Note the clock radio.  That, the thin towels, and European-style bath gel/shampoo are the only amenities.  But the water is hot, the towels sufficiently absorbent, and the view off the lana`i is below.

Banana trees, the ocean, blue skies with white fluffy clouds.  The sparse room fades into insignificance.  The Manago is not a cookie-cutter resort.  It is part of a community.

Worried that the rooms don’t have televisions?  You can watch downstairs.

And WiFi isn’t just available in the lobby.  I accessed an Internet WANACon conference from my room – a good thing since it began at 3:00 a.m. Hawaii Standard Time.

You are wondering if food is available?  Yes – and it too is a step back in time.  None of this Pacific Rim cuisine – the food at the Manago is served at specific times:  Breakfast 7:00-9:00; Lunch 11:00-2:00; Dinner 5:00-7:30.  Hungry in-between?  There are candy bars in the lobby. The Manago is particularly famous for its Pork Chops.  I did not have these, but did enjoy Beef Teriyaki with rice, and a Shrimp Sauté, swimming in butter.  Yum.  For breakfast, I ordered pancakes.  The server suggested a half order, and I took her word for it.  So glad I did – the one pancake covered the entire plate.  Want to check out the entire menu?  Here’s the link http://www.managohotel.com/rest.html

And the décor?

Remember those tables from a bygone era?  The chairs are only slightly more recent.  I’m told at least one table is original.  Considering the Manago Hotel opened in 1917, that’s saying something.

There isn’t a great deal to do in Captain Cook after dark.  Lots of local folks have dinner at the Manago, or one of the other restaurants nearby – though I noticed they all served early meals and were mostly closed by 9:00.  If you are looking for nightlife, you’ll be better off in Kailua or Keauhou, more geared as resort areas and less than half an hour away.

I thought the evening patina in front of the Manago to be invitingly magical – especially since I arrived after dark.

Next blog time, I’ll share more of the Manago Hotel’s history.  In the meantime, how many hotels do you know where guests leave their fins at the door?

 Photographs taken by the author.  All rights reserved.

The post STEP INTO OLD HAWAI`I AT THE MANAGO HOTEL first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.