“Wai” means fresh water in ‘Ōlelo Hawai’i (Hawaiian language), a resource so scarce and precious that it is also referred to as “Waiwai,” meaning “highest wealth.” How appropriate, then, that one of Hawaii’s earliest vendors of that other most valuable liquid, beer, was founded a century ago in Wai’anae, on O’ahu’s west coast. Makitaro Tamura opened his first store, Tamura Shoten, as a one-stop supermarket. Four generations of the Tamura family have grown with the company; today, Tamura Enterprises operates three grocery stores, eight wine and liquor stores, and a takeout kitchen on two islands.
As a then-new resident of Honolulu over a decade ago, I found Tamura’s Waiʻalae store while exploring the neighborhood of Kaimukī. Coming from Pennsylvania, where wine and spirits have historically been strictly controlled, I figured that that was all they sold—but the unassuming white building held so much more. Tamura’s became the place where I found beers from new-to-me breweries, not only from the mainland, but from Europe, Japan, and the outer islands.
Fellow beer lovers report having similar relationships with Tamura Shoten. “Going there was always like a fun treasure hunt. I would troop down from my dad’s house and see what beers they had so I didn’t have to drink his Natural Light,” recalls Paul Kan, author and former area resident, about visiting the store in the 1980s. And the prize wasn’t just beer, but poke. “I’d grab a half pound on the way out,” he says.
All of Tamura’s stores, regardless of size, sell poke—freshly caught wild fish in an array of sauces and preparations—which is the business’s second major draw. Poke is having a moment nationwide, but the best stuff is found where the locals go to buy pounds and platters of classics such as spicy ahi, garlic shrimp, and wasabi salmon and local favorites like kalua pork, lomi lomi salmon, and smoked fish jerky. Getting in early is key; it’s not uncommon for it to all be gone by the lunch rush. “Almost 20 years ago, I would intentionally arrive early to pick up my wife from work nearby so I could check out unique beers that couldn’t be found anywhere else on the island,” says local beer lover John Williams. “I’d look for our favorite poke, the wasabi ahi … dinner and drinks were often completely taken care of from Tamura’s.”
In the last decade, Honolulu has seen a boom of new breweries, thanks to changes in laws which have allowed for expanded production and on-premises sales. In turn, the city has welcomed new bottle shops, taprooms, and distribution from the mainland. But through all those changes, Tamura’s has maintained its large and unique stock, and its reputation as a necessary stop for beer lovers.
The store’s layout makes its selling point clear: No matter how you get to the poke counter, you have to pass multiple aisles of tallboy cans and bottles first. One Friday night, a man walked in smiling and started conversing with the cashier in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, then Hawaiian Pidgin, then English, laughing throughout before grabbing as many cases of beer as he could carry. It was a move I recognized, and a true sign of a good night ahead.
Words by Alexander Gates