Lifetime commitment

COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE

GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM Painter Harry Tsuchidana posed with a recent series of paintings outside his Salt Lake studio.

76-year-old Harry Tsuchidana has devoted much of his life to color and form

By Nadine Kam
nkam@starbulletin.com

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If there is such a creature that can be described as a "pure" artist, Harry Tsuchidana fits the bill. He's spent more than 50 years working as an artist at his own pace, never chasing riches, trends or accolades. So when I ask him what he hopes his legacy will be, his answer is brief and to the point.

"No Plan B."

Art is his soul, and what he was meant to do.

"I once met a teacher who asked me what I did for a living. I said, 'I'm an artist,' and she said, 'That's not a job; you're in therapy.' So what I tell people now is, 'I'm in therapy.' "

GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM Tsuchidana's early work, "Woman Washing," circa 1950 and his newest "Stage" series depicts his artistic journey.

While many artists struggle with issues of form, content and context, Harry Tsuchidana, 76, has no use for such an analytical approach to his work. He would like nothing better than to return to the point of childlike naivete, when putting marks on a piece of paper was an act of pure expression, not one calculated to sell.

'COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE' Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce 30th anniversary art exhibition:» On view: 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays, and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays, through Aug. 28 » Place: Academy Art Center at Linekona School » Admission: Free » Call: 949-5531

"For artists, the closer you get to yourself, the more you're going to distance yourself from the audience," he said, understanding that his noncommercial approach to art has left him the least known of his generation of Hawaii's postwar Japanese-American artists. But the oversight will be corrected when the Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce's 30th-anniversary "Commitment to Excellence" exhibition opens Tuesday. Tsuchidana will be the featured artist at the show taking place at the Academy Art Center at Linekona School. The show will also feature work by 22 invited artists, and about 80 pieces selected from more than 500 works submitted by other artists.

Tsuchidana will be showing a series of linear color compositions that have consumed most of his energy over 30 years. He started his "Stage" series in 1979, recalling that a florist who worked downstairs from his studio, then on King Street, had suggested the name "Back Stage," referring to forms he felt were leading to something big.

"I kept doing other things, thinking I would get away from this, but somehow I kept coming back. I was concerned about the angles," he said of the modular compositions, which have become more refined over time so viewers will not see angles, but vertical planes of color in search of balance.

Lisa Yoshihara, director of the University of Hawaii Art Gallery, who was one of the exhibition jurors, said, "Harry was so excited that after we offered the honor to him, he painted seven new canvases. And those paintings were all in gray scale. So he's taken what he's studied -- color -- and stripped it down. He took it even further."

It's a long way from where he started, creating representational art and figures calculated to please the eye. "I wanted to do figures because the female figure is the most beautiful form."

And he was good at it, having developed a beautiful line early as a result of tracing the strong line drawings in comic books. He later graduated to drawing freehand portraits of actors like Charlton Heston and Bob Hope from movie magazines, and as a teenager began hanging out in his Waipahu neighborhood pool halls, populated by Filipino men whom he also enjoyed sketching.

But what really sold him on art was the idea that "being an artist, you can move mountains," he said. It's a lesson he learned as a student who often got in trouble in art classes for taking liberties with reality.

He remembers walking down Waipahu Depot Road toward Pearl Harbor one day for a landscape assignment, noticing its picturesque qualities were diminished by long stretches of blandness. His dog, Dime, was trailing him, and at one point he turned to look to make sure the dog hadn't wandered off.

"When I turned, I saw this beautiful mango tree, and that was eye-opening to me. I realized I didn't have to leave the tree where it was. I could move it anywhere."

To this day he is a critic of an educational system that promotes right-brain thinking at the expense of left-brain creativity.

"Our educational system teaches you how to write, teaches you how to draw. To me that's not art," he said. "You must talk to a lot of artists, and what do they tell you? They're very literal. They like to tell a story. Art is not like that. Art is more aesthetic," he said.

He's grateful for having been raised by a single mother who, in spite of her own life's hardships, never asked anything of her son. "You know what she said? 'Do what you want to do.' I'm obligated to her to do well."

GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM Harry Tsuchidana holds a self-portrait, painted in 1965.

REMAINING TRUE to his art has meant working many odd jobs after exiting the Marine Corps in the mid-1950s, including working as a night watchman in New York and Washington, D.C., being a short-order cook, working in a kamaboko factory and being an exterminator.

That's not to say those jobs were not part of his art education.

"You learn from everybody. When I was working as an exterminator at a hotel, I noticed that at night (the kitchen staff) would mix all the ingredients in one jar for seasoning. That gave me the idea that I could mix my paint the same way. That's how I learned the value of colors. I didn't learn that in school because I didn't listen. But later I learned, 'Hey, this means something.'"

His night watchmen jobs were at the Corcoran Museum and the Museum of Modern Art, which taught him about art fads and the futility of aiming to please others. An artist's imprint is typically measured over time.

"While working at the museum, I studied all the paintings. I'm so lucky to have seen paintings that are no longer hanging today," Tsuchidana said. "There were a lot of artists who were very popular, but in time they were weeded out."

He leaves his legacy up to historians who might describe Tsuchidana as an artist whose spiritual "mother" is Arthur Dove, an artist who captures the soul of his subjects, and whose "father" is Mondrian, who sought balance in equations of color plus line.

His current work has come closer to Mondrian than he expected, having started out trying to work on a different spatial equation, but Tsuchidana sees no purpose in trying to escape one's influences.

"Rather than avoiding it, you have to keep working. If you do things long enough, you'll evolve from point A to point B. Someday you'll do better than the one who was your influence."

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Tokidoki designs reveal artist's personality

SMASHBOX tokidoki's SANDy, left, Bastardino and Sabochan wear prickly cactus suits to keep the cold, cruel world at bay. CLICK FOR LARGE

Japan inspires tokidoki artist

By Nadine Kam
nkam@starbulletin.com

SHOPPERS passing by LeSportsac Saturday afternoon were curious about the line of 300 people leading from the front of the store to the parking lot.

Inside, tokidoki designer Simone (see-MO-nay) Legno was busily autographing items for fans, anything from his designs for LeSportsac, to tokidoki toys, T-shirts and even blank notebook pages.

TOKIDOKI FOR SMASHBOX Debut of Smashbox's tokidoki collection of pastel cosmetics for spring and summer: Time: Noon to 6 p.m. tomorrow; meet designer Simone Legno from 1 to 4 p.m. Place: Sephora, Ala Moana Admission: Free Call: 944-9797

The event marked the debut of his spring/summer "Pirata" or "Pirate" collaboration with LeSportsac, a collection that will hit store shelves in mid-February, and it wasn't just a signature fans were getting. Legno, with more than 100 markers set out in front of him, drew pictures of popular tokidoki characters for each fan, while taking time to stand for photographs as well. So what started as a three-hour signing session stretched from 1 to 7:15 p.m.

At about 5 p.m., one girl fainted and had to be taken away by ambulance, but Legno signed something for her as well, with a get-well note that ended, "Don't make us worrry!"
Valerie Kono and Juliann Saito were first in line at 9:30 a.m.

SMASHBOX tokidoki designs grace Smashbox's limited-edition spring cosmetic collection.

"His designs are so cute," said Kono, who has bought seven LeSportsac pouches, purses and satchels since Legno began his collaboration with the company early last year. "I was going to bring 'em all, but I think that would have taken too long, so I only brought a couple."

Leslie Yano brought several tokidoki toys that she bought online, quantifying her collection by saying she has "too many" at home, "but even more bags."

Two days later, sitting poolside at a hotel in Waikiki, Legno said of his signings, "I want to put some kind of embellishment to highlight the fact that they waited two or three hours. I want to make something special, and even the last one in line gets the same treatment."

In other cities, individuals have approached him with trembling hands, and he smiles at the notion that anyone would be afraid to approach him. "People think I'm such a serious artist, but they don't know how silly I am."
To get an idea of Legno's personality, one need only look at his charming and colorful characters. His is a sunshiny world of smiling flowers and rainbows, that doesn't ignore the bad in human nature that lurks in the form of bullet and devilish chili pepper imagery, though even death -- a character named Adios -- looks cute.
Each element relates to a facet of the artist's personality, though when pressed, he says he's most like the cactus-costumed dog Bastardino, or "Little Bastard."

NADINE KAM / NKAM@STARBULLETIN.COM Valerie Kono, front, and Juliann Saito were first in line at LeSportsac Saturday for a signing with Simone Legno. CLICK FOR LARGE

The Cactus Friends are the most popular, and started with a character named SANDy who views the world as cold and scary, and outfits herself in a prickly cactus costume for protection.

"She makes her dog wear a costume too, and he's small and cute but he wants to look feisty," Legno said. "That's like me; I bark a lot but I don't bite."

It's been a rapid rise for tokidoki as a marketing phenomenon since the company materialized in 2004: tokidoki graphic tees, jewelry, watches, skate decks and collaborations with New Era for caps, iSkin for iPod covers, Strangeco for toys and Smashbox for cosmetics, with more deals in the works.

Legno is recognized for characters capturing the duality of human nature, good or bad, sexy or innocent. Qees -- dangling toys that come with each tokidoki for LeSportsac item -- have two faces, one happy and one sad.

His designs also reflect his fascination with Japanese culture and artforms. He recalls drawing Asian characters when he was only 4. "In Italy in the '80s, there were a lot of TV shows imported from Japan. I had an instinctual attraction to Asia and Japan, and every time I saw something from Japan, like cherry blossoms, I would get goosebumps. It was a very emotional involvement.

"The first time I had money, I went to Japan. It was my first dream, to go to Japan. I went 12 times because I like very much the iconography," Legno said.

He notes the duality in Japanese art and culture, from the traditional elegance of wood prints to "super crazy, colorful noisy things," like videogame parlors.

"I like to mix classic ideas with cute. People tell me I draw anime or manga, but I don't think I do. I identify with the kawai culture of Japan. My girls are different from the manga girls with their big eyes and big breasts."

NADINE KAM / NKAM@STARBULLETIN.COM All who waited received personalized illustrations. CLICK FOR LARGE

His fashion girls often wear inked sleeves of kabuki, ukiyo-e, crane or koi imagery.Having explored this world in depth, he remains fascinated by the cartoon robots of his childhood and has a habit of seeking them out on eBay. "Most of the time when he loses an auction, it's to someone else in Italy," Arnold said.

Tokidoki in Japanese means "sometimes" or "from time to time," as in sometimes something happens to change one's destiny, which is what happened when Ivan Arnold discovered Legno's portfolio online.
Legno was already successful as a graphic artist and illustrator who had worked for designer John Galliano, Toyota, Daihatsu and MTV. His online portfolio was drawing about 20,000 hits a day, and he had a limited number of T-shirts and bags for sale, but his work wasn't close to being recognized as a brand.
Arnold showed Legno's work to Pooneh Mohajer, who, with her sister Dina, founded the Hard Candy cosmetics line.

On seeing Legno's work, "I started jumping up and down and screaming," she said. "I hadn't been as excited about anything since Hard Candy."

"Every page was just eye candy on the screen and we said we just gotta meet this person," Arnold said.
On the other side of the world, Legno was familiar with Hard Candy's success, and when he met Mohajer and Arnold in L.A., the trio clicked. The business partners now carry the title of "co-pilots" on the vehicle that is tokidoki.

"It was something I felt, that at that moment I needed help to jump from the art and collectible art community to stable global products," Legno said. "They had a vision of tokidoki fashion, cosmetics and a tokidoki store, and the idea of being able to draw with all the freedom you want is what any artist would dream about."
The excitement hasn't waned for any of them.

"After years as an entrepreneur, I can say this has been the most fun I've ever had in a venture," Arnold said. "We tell each other 'Don't you dare open that package!' when the UPS man shows up with something from a manufacturer. We all want to be there when it emerges from its brown paper wrapping. It's like Christmas every day!"

And that's very tokidoki.

Vancouver

NADINE KAM / NKAM@STARBULLETIN.COM Grouse Mt. Skyride whisks visitors high above the tree tops to the peak of Vancouver.

See lazy grizzlies, shop fab markets and feel the bounce of a suspension bridge

» II: EAT | III: SHOP | IV: PLAY

By Nadine Kam
nkam@starbulletin.com

Those who have been to Vancouver breathlessly describe outdoor activities, ranging from hiking and biking in Stanley Park to bear tours and skiing in Whistler, before moving onto the subjects of great shopping and superb cuisine.

Well, for a city person like me, two out of three ain't bad.

I was beginning to dread the thought of all the great outdoors I go out of my way to avoid -- even without the possibility of meeting a black bear or grizzly bear -- on a daily basis. Why would I change while on vacation?
My idea of travel is to simply blend in with the locals rather than plunging into tourist mode of "doing it all," running here and there to get to every site deemed a must-see by local visitor bureaus and tour operators.
Nevertheless, on my first visit to the city, I ended up doing just that.

After enjoying visits to Seattle and Portland, Ore., for more than a decade, and hearing about Vancouver as a similar, though bigger, alternative to those cities, I finally decided to take a look.

It's natural for Americans, acquisitive as we are, to claim Vancouver as one of our own. It's similar enough to our Pacific Northwest to be considered an extension of our country, sharing the same language, similar Northwest/Pacific Rim cuisine and road rules, although Vancouver's drivers are unbelievably yielding. If a pedestrian so much as looks as if he's going to step off a sidewalk, four lanes of traffic will come to a complete stop to allow him safe passage. Unheard of, even in the so-called Aloha State. It's no wonder their "WALK" signal features the figure of a man, similar to ours, though with a jauntier, relaxed gait.

NADINE KAM / NKAM@STARBULLETIN.COM Bikers in Stanley Park.

In spite of the generally laid-back ambience, Vancouver is a city with a deadline to meet in advance of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. While Vancouver hosts figure skating, ice hockey and short-track speed skating events, a bulk of the competitions will take place in Whistler (see sidebar), a two-hour drive north of Vancouver.Vancouver's downtown Convention Center will triple its size by the time construction is completed in 2009, the deadline for most public-improvement projects.

Drivers might find themselves inconvenienced by a few closed roads, but the sight of cranes and construction as the condo-ization of Vancouver continues is a testament to its status as one of North America's most beautiful, livable and, therefore, rapidly growing cities.

It has also developed a reputation as Hollywood North, with a booming TV, film and animation industry. I ran across film crews in Stanley Park and in front of a downtown post office, and if you want to increase your likelihood of brushes with stardom, the Sutton Place Hotel at 845 Burrard St. is a renowned celebrity habitat.
When urbanite types talk about travel to Vancouver, they are no doubt referring to the West End, Vancouver's lively, walkable downtown core which is packed with restaurants, boutiques, coffee bars and nightclubs. If your stay is brief, you might try enjoying the city life by night and take in the following by light of day:

Stanley Park

It's said you can't say you've been to Vancouver unless you've been to Stanley Park. Vancouverites are proud of the park, and it is the first recommendation they offer to out-of-towners.With this in mind, we booked a stay at Sylvia Hotel, set across from the beach on English Bay and within walking distance to the beach park where you'll see runners, bicyclists, families playing volleyball, dog walkers and others content to sit and stare out at the ocean, sharing the grounds with Canada geese and seagulls.

You can access Stanley Park by starting at English Bay. It's a longer walk on Denman Street to the park, but that puts you in closer proximity to one of the tram stops in the park, offering an overview of its 1,000 acres. The tram ride is free during peak months, and you can get out and walk at sites that interest you most. On Denman you'll pass a number of shops that will rent bikes for touring the park on your own.

One of the primary stops is at the Vancouver Aquarium, home to Canadian reef and aquatic displays. The stars of the museum are the sea otters and ghostly white Beluga whales, with sea lions also vying for attention with vociferous barks and begging behaviors as they scan the crowds for someone who might offer a bite of food. Resist, because they have special diets and set chow times.

Before you even get to the ocean mammals, you'll pass through the crowded Amazon Gallery where people linger to see exotic birds in a minijungle setting, and children manage to capture butterflies lingering over bright orange nectar-filled feeders.

COURTESY COLIN JEWALL / TOURISM VANCOUVER The aerial photograph of Vancouver shows the lush Stanley Park at center, and downtown Vancouver with the Burrard, Granville and Cambie bridges from left to right. The white building at lower right is the B.C. Place Stadium, home of the B.C. Lions football team, plus concerts and trade shows.

Grouse Mountain

Flying into Vancouver at night, you'll see a stretch of lights reaching toward the heavens. This is your first encounter with Grouse Mountain, an easy 20-minute drive from the heart of the city, where the SkyRide gondolas wait to take you 3,800 feet above the treetops in a zippy eight minutes. At 300 feet shy of the summit, you'll have a vantage of the city on clear days.

Vancouver Address Book Prices quoted are in Canadian dollars:TOUR Bloedel Floral Conservatory:This tropical hothouse under a glass dome in located in Queen Elizabeth Park at 33rd and Cambie. For Hawaii travelers the sight of orchids, koi, finches and parrots won't be anything new, but I imagine it must be an odd and delightful miracle to Vancouverites. Admission is $4. Capilano Suspension Bridge:Visit before or after a trip to Grouse Mountain. It's en route at 3735 Capilano Road, North Vancouver. Rates (without tax) through May 19 are $23.95 for adults, $21.95 for over 65; $18.45 for students 17 and older with ID; $13.90 for ages 13 to 16; $7.40 for ages 6 to 12; and free for younger than 6. Open daily except Christmas. Summer hours are 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Winter hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 604-985-7474. Granville Public Market: Open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, where you can pick up a quick, portable meal. Grouse Mountain, The Peak of Vancouver: It's an easy 20-minute drive from the heart of the city to Grouse Mountain, where a SkyRide gondola whisks you 3,800 feet above the treetops in eight minutes, 300 feet shy of the summit, with a vantage of the city on clear days. Park admission is $29.95 for adults, $27.95 for 65 and older, $16.95 for ages 13 to 18, and $10.95 for children 5 to 12. Visit www.grousemountain.com. Vancouver Trolley: If you don't care to rent a car to get to Grouse Mountain, the Vancouver Trolley will get you there at sunset for $60 adults, $58 seniors, $47 for ages 13 to 18, and $30 for ages 5 to 12, including SkyRide admission. For Vancouver Trolley Co. information, call 604-801-5515 or visit www.vancouvertrolley.com. Gray Line also offers tours to Capilano Suspension Bridge. Call 604-879-3363. Vancouver Aquarium:Exhibits bring you face to face with sea lions and adorable sea otters. Don't miss the feeding of the Beluga whales. In Stanley Park. Admission is $18.50 for adults. HOTELS Sylvia Hotel: The Grand Dame of Vancouver hotels was built to human scale in 1912. It's comfortable but could use a bit of upgrading without changing its graceful facade, partially cloaked in Virginia creeper. It will appeal most to those who also appreciate old homes and is not a place for those who seek novelty or luxury, but its beautiful setting across from English Bay can't be beat. Rates run about $169 to $189 for a one-bedroom suite to $319 for a two-bedroom suite with kitchen. Pan-Pacific Hotel: This first-class property at Canada Place welcomes visitor input, resulting in some unusual amenities, such as bathroom scales and oxygen canisters, said to work at combating jet lag. You'll also find bottled Fiji water and bath products from London's Gilchrist and Soames. Rooms start at about $175 to $270 per night. Westin Grand Hotel: This all-suite hotel with workout facilities and heated lap pool puts you in the center of Robson Street shopping, with every modern convenience available in your room or just outside the property, including a post office a block away. Rooms start at about $160 to $225 per night. At 433 Robson. Call 604-604-1999.

On cloudy days you'll see nothing but fog. That's OK. The view is only one of many pleasures awaiting at the top. During the summer, most visitors head down the mountain paths in hope of spotting resident grizzlies Grinder and Coola. Both are orphans being raised and studied by the Refuge for Endangered Wildlife, a research, education and conservation center housed at the top of Grouse Mountain.While hiking along the path circling the grizzly's enclosure, blocked off by only a thin fence of electrified wire, I couldn't help but think of the Grizzly Man, Timothy Treadwell, who was killed by a grizzly in Alaska. I felt certain that an enraged grizzly would not feel a thing if it were to charge through that wire, so I treaded cautiously.

There's no guarantee you'll actually see a bear as you circle the wilderness landscape, and it might be easier to simply follow the crowd to see where they're congregating.

After circling almost the entire enclosure, I came across people with cameras in hand staring at a distant patch of fur. It was Grinder, snoozing amid a cover of rocks and bushes. Every once in a while, you could see a patch of his yellow fur rising with his heavy breathing. There was much excitement when he finally lifted his head, only to peer at the crowd, and, perhaps in search of privacy, lumber off into the bushes. The crowd lingered awhile, although an encore appearance was unlikely.

For those who might never scale the mountain, the mountain will come to you via Internet. At www.grousemountain.com you can get weather and seasonal updates, while at www.wavelit.com you can check out the Grizzly Cams, where your chance of bear-spotting is just as good as it would be by being there.
Grouse Mountain is also home to gray wolves, retirees from the movie industry that, too tame to be released into the wild, are now free to enjoy the large, protected mountain habitat.

During winter months, Grouse Mountain is open to snowboarding and skiing until 10 p.m. There is also an ice skating pond and five trails for snowshoeing, with lessons available for all activities.

If you get hungry, the cafeteria-style Lupins Cafe offers coffee, hot chocolate and sandwiches for about CAD$6 to $8.95. More substantial fare is served up in the Altitudes Bistro at the fine-dining restaurant the Observatory, which offers a view of the city on clear days.

Capilano bridge

En route back to the city, stop at the Capilano Suspension Bridge and Park, where you can swing and sway like Indiana Jones. It's no endeavor for anyone with a fear of heights.Following the "do unto others" rule, try not to spook others by bouncing and jumping on the bridge. For many, simply swaying is scary enough.
Vancouver's first visitor attraction started as a simple hemp rope-and-cedar plank bridge built in 1889 by George Grant Mackay, a Scottish civil engineer and land developer. Today's steel-cable bridge spans 450 feet across and 230 feet above the Capilano River. Another series of seven bridges rises 100 feet above a forest of cedar and Douglas fir trees.

Granville Public Market

You won't need a boat to get to Granville Island and its grand market. As picturesque as it might be to catch one of the little blue False Creek Ferries ($2.50 per adult, $1.25 per child) from the Aquatic Centre at the end of Thurlow Street over to the "island," you can save some time by driving underneath the Granville Bridge. Of course, the problem then is finding a place on the small island to park your car.It's always sad to me that cities with the best markets also tend to be cities with the best restaurants, so what's a foodie to do? I always choose to stay in suites with full kitchens that allow cooking and snack storage, but I'm also torn by the desire to try as many restaurants as possible within the span of a typical vacation.

Certainly, you could save a few dollars here by skipping restaurants and feasting on Granville Public Market's bounty alone. The market outshines Seattle's Pike Place Market not only with its abundance of produce, but also its prepared foods, from dolma to eggplant wraps to red pepper or mushroom tortellinis ready for adding to a sauce of your own making. You'll also find an array of bread, soup, cheese, pâté and smoked seafood.
As for nonedibles, crafters busily work while offering their felted flowers, cut-paper greeting cards, jewelry and hats for sale, and for those who travel to relax, a touch of aromatherapy.

After looking around, stop in at Granville Island Brewery, or simply "GI," for its Bavarian-style Island Lager.

NADINE KAM / NKAM@STARBULLETIN.COM Inukshuk, the ancient symbol of the Inuit culture, representing hospitality and friendship, stands at English Bay and will be the symbol of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games to be hosted in Vancouver and Whistler.

Chinatown

You'll know you're in Chinatown when you see the dragon banners hanging from lampposts. Vancouver's Chinatown looks like Chinatowns all around the world, though more orderly than most. Dried fish and other fare are evenly stacked such that it seems it would be a shame to scoop up a couple and ruin the symmetry.While there, sample tea from Fujian and other provinces at the Treasure Green Tea Co., at 227 Georgia St., and check out the variety of savory cakes at the Boss Bakery & Restaurant, 532-534 Main St.
Where Honolulu Chinatown offerings are limited to sweet bean cakes, the Boss offerings include savory moon cakes featuring combinations of abalone -- or shark fin or chicken -- and mixed nuts with egg yolk.

It's free to walk through Sun Yat-Sen Park, which leads to the Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, a reproduction of a 14th-century Suzhou scholar's garden, where admission is CAD$8.50.

Chinatown covers about eight blocks between Georgia and Hastings streets and east of Main. Be careful about straying too far from the produce stands and restaurants, because the area immediately outside is home to homeless shelters and drug-rehabilitation facilities, and sketchy characters abound.

Most people will also suggest a drive to Deep Cove, at the easternmost corner of the North Shore, for hiking, canoeing and kayaking where mountains and ocean converge, as well as a day trip to picturesque Victoria, the provincial capital of B.C., by bus and ferry or helijet. I skipped ther this time because I always believe in saving some sites for my inevitable return trip.

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If You Go ... Getting thereSince entering the Hawaii market in the fall of 2005, Harmony Airlines has made it easier for residents to discover Canada, with 19 direct flights a week from Hawaii to British Columbia and Alberta. The airline is an industry leader in full-service air travel, but if you do have the money to splurge, consider an upgrade to HarmonyOne business class (about CAD$1,000 one way) where seats are spacious and you'll be pampered with champagne and will dine off menus created by Lumière's celebrated chef Rob Feenie (see dining sidebar). It's not the same as actually visiting the restaurant, but I never expected to see seared sashimi on a plane and it was a pleasant surprise. We flew during the Great Liquid Ban of September and were happy to discover that one of the amenities offered by HarmonyOne is a toiletry kit of aromatherapy products from the Canadian company Escents. A Mandarin orange-flavored lip balm was a particular lifesaver. Somehow, being plied with movies, music and conversation with the amiable crew made the five-hour flight feel reduced to two hours. Of course, the danger is that you might never want to fly coach or any other airline again. Exchange rate I thought that the slightly higher value of the American dollar might offer slight savings, and although things like the hotel costs quoted in Canadian dollars on the Internet do turn out to be cheaper in American dollars, Vancouver is an expensive city to visit. For now, because the American dollar is worth slightly more than the Canadian, stores will gladly accept your money on an even exchange. By not exchanging your money, you will lose about 8 percent to 10 percent in transactions. When I visited in mid-September, exchange outlets were buying American dollars at rates of $1.05 at hotels and post offices to $1.11 at Gastown Currency Exchange, generally at a cost of $1 to $1.90 per $100. On the Net » www.tourismvancouver.com

No doubt about it

Mojo Records
No Doubt plays Maui, Honolulu.

'Tragic Kingdom' tour
brings band to Hawaii

By Nadine Kam
Assistant Features Editor
Star-Bulletin 

Being a rock guitarist is an iffy career choice at best, a one-way ticket to stardom or bust. It's no wonder Tom Dumont remembers clearly the day in March 1995 when he quit his real-world job as file clerk at a mortgage company to enter the realm of videos, world tours, magazine covers and fame.

Then again, maybe the band would sink into oblivion.

The guitarist for No Doubt said, "We had just finished recording 'Tragic Kingdom' and I had a good feeling about it. But quitting was a real big deal at 27.

"I had a side thing where I promoted rock concerts, so I thought I could always fall back on that."

So even though the band's first album was canned by its label, Interscope, Dumont made the break. His office job, he said, "was miserable. Everyone there was miserable. For eight hours, we'd all watch the clock."

The only good thing about the job was being able to look through files of mortgage applicants -- "no one famous," he said -- studying their financial positions and dreaming of the day he would have a mortgage of his very own.
These days, as a member of one of the most popular bands in the nation, Dumont doesn't have to worry about money, and he doesn't watch the clock, so he has to apologize for missing an interview.

"Sorry," he said. "Friday was my day off so I went out and played and I get forgetful."

On work days, the band has been rehearsing like crazy so they can put on a show Saturday worthy, not only of the Honolulu set, but to impress or at least avoid making A in front of one of their favorite bands, Madness, also on the bill for the Nomad Festival at Richardson Field.

Luckily, touring is good practice and the band has done a lot of that since October 1995, crisscrossing the country 26 months out of 32 to promote "Tragic Kingdom."

"Touring is something we really wanted to do," Dumont said. "There are bands we looked up to -- one that really inspired us was 311. They toured constantly and built up a following by crossing the country over and over again.

"We wanted to play Hawaii, which we feel like we missed. We didn't go when we should have at the peak of 'Tragic Kingdom' so we've felt guilty about that. This is our chance to make that better."

No Doubt is one of few bands that takes active interest in tour planning. They favored the switch in Oahu venues from Turtle Bay Hilton to Richardson Field.

"I know (the North Shore) is beautiful, and we'd like to hang out there, but we tried to get it closer to the city to make it easier for people to come out to.

"We try to be proud of everything we do, having the best quality sound system, giving the best experience," Dumont said. "We still go to concerts so we know what it's like to be in the audience.

"Being that playing live has been our strength for 10 years, we wanted to bring that kind of organic experience to people."

Although No Doubt last played Hawaii at the 1996 Big Mele, ubiquitous radio play of "I'm Just a Girl," "Spiderwebs" and "Don't Speak" makes it seem as if the band was never really far away.

To those outside of No Doubt's hometown underground scene in Orange County, Calif., the band seemed to appear from nowhere in 1995 with its playful new wave-meets-ska sound and chirpy-voiced singer Gwen Stefani.

Stefani's so-called "loser band" had actually been kicking around since 1987, representing a joyful parallel universe to grunge's bleak landscape. Dumont joined in 1988.

He saw promise in No Doubt, and an exit from his own frustrating world of rock and heavy metal. "This was in 1988, so you have to keep it in context, but it was a different age and those bands weren't about music. They were into drinking, wearing Spandex. I was into music, and being a part of No Doubt, that was the first time people actually came to see the band."

Still, it's doubtful people will continue to follow a band based on one album, and Dumont says he knows fans are waiting to hear something new. Two months ago the band leased a home in the Hollywood Hills to write and record demos for a new album. This trip to Hawaii represents a vacation from the process.

"We're trying not to set a date for (an album)," Dumont said. "Our philosophy is, just spend the time to make it great. It'll be a step up from where we left off last time.

Nomad Festival

 Featuring: No Doubt (above), the Vandals, Cherry Poppin' Daddies (see story)
 Maui Arts & Cultural Center: 6 p.m. tomorrow
 Richardson Field, Pearl Harbor: 1:30 p.m. Saturday (Madness appears only at this show.)
 Tickets: $26.50 at cultural center, Hungry Ear Records, Radio Free Music Center, Tower Records, Tower Video, military and Connection outlets
 Call: 545-4000 or 1-800-333-3388, to charge