There’s just something delightfully different about growing up in a rural community.
This is especially true for a place as wonderful as the small town of Kapaa on the island of Kauai. Just ask Jaime Nakamura, who was born and raised there.
“It’s not as stressful here. It’s more relaxed and I like the slower pace,” Nakamura says with a smile.
Welcome to Kapaa – population 11,652
Jaime Nakamura next to the Downtown Kapaa sign.
Located on Kauai’s east side, Nakamura grew up in a town that’s framed by mauka waterfalls and the ocean. Among its many features, Kapaa is home to the largest multiuse pathway in the state. The scenic 8-mile Ke Ala Hele Makalae paved pedestrian and bike path hugs the eastern shore for everyone to enjoy.
But Nakamura’s small-kid time in Kapaa is filled with fun memories a little more inland, riding her bike around the neighborhood, stopping at the mom and pop stores in the area, like the beloved Pono Market, a family-owned, one-stop shop that’s been serving the island for close to six decades.
“It’s a great shop that has been with the Kubota family for generations,” shares Nakamura. “We would stop to grab some poke, fried chicken, and Spam musubis. Growing up we would stop to grab lunch for field trips or an after-school snack and now I go there to grab lunch for my kids.”
Nakamura is the assistant manager at the HMSA Center in Lihue. She describes her childhood self as the quiet, indoor type who loved to read. That passion for reading meant spending a great deal of time at the friendly neighborhood state library.
“The library is still there. I loved when I got my parents to take me to the library. I would come home with stacks of books, especially The Boxcar Children and The Baby-Sitters Club books.”
Kapaa Public Library
Long time Kapaa residents may remember elements of the past now gone: Kapaa Bakery, Coconut Marketplace Cinemas, and Kapaa’s sugar industry – tracks from the old train system used to transport sugar cane remain intact.
And then, there’s the old Kauai Kitchen, which is now home to the produce department at the Kapaa Big Save Store. Nakamura recalls eating at the popular restaurant where her grandmother used to work.
“Kauai Kitchen had really great food. I used to love the fried chicken, shepherd’s pie, sandwiches, and musubi. They also had plate lunches. Of course, they’d sell Kauai Kookies and I used to go eat cookies and hang out with my grandma.”
Other than attending the University of Hawaii at Manoa to earn her degree in accounting, Nakamura has spent her entire life in Kapaa. She says it’ll stay that way.
“This is where I grew up. This is everything I know and I’m familiar with even though a lot has changed,” explains Nakamura. “Here, it’s more about spending time with family and being there for each other.”
This is part of a series of articles on our favorite hometowns in Hawaii. To nominate your hometown, leave a message at 808-948-6839 or email feedback@islandscene.com.
Photos by Earl Yoshii
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