Thank you for your interest in Honouliuli National Historic Site. Honouliuli National Historic Site is not open to the public as NPS does not own any land that connects the park to public roads.
The park is working with our adjacent landowners to provide limited access to the public for educational purposes. To learn about these opportunities, visit Get Involved, as it will be updated when opportunities arise.
An Alternative Tour:
There are other ways to visit and learn about the park through not only our partners, but places directly associated with incarcerated civilians at Honouliuli:
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American Institute of Architects (Honolulu Chapter) offers tours highlighting buildings that played a significant role in incarcerating Japanese Americans, including those held at Honouliuli.
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Hawai'i's Plantation Village has an interactive exhibit on Honouliuli.
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The King Kamehameha V Judiciary History Center has an exhibit on Martial Law, which was activated the afternoon of the Pearl Harbor attack and led to the arrests and incarceration of American citizens at Honouliuli.
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The Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai'i has a free exhibit on Honouliuli that also includes artifacts made by those incarcerated at the camp.
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Konko Mission of Wahiawa is a mission that was created by one of the few women incarcerated at Honouliuli, Reverend Haruko Takahashi.
Several incarcerated civilians at Honouliuli were employees of many institutions we find in Hawaii today. You will find many that are part of our daily lives and can be visited if open to the public. For example:
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Alf Hurum and his wife were held at Honouliuli. He was the conductor of the then 25 member Honolulu Symphony Orchestra (now the Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra). Alf reorganized and enlarged the orchestra so that it became a full-fledged symphony orchestra of 70 members. The 1924-25 season consisted of 7 concerts, and Hurum conducted all of them. The HSO is also a partner in the park’s 10th anniversary.
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Rintaro Taguma worked for the Honolulu Academy of Arts (now the Honolulu Museum of Art) for decades helping with installations. HOMA is a partner in the park’s 10th anniversary.
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Uichi Morimoto was an employee of the Halekulani hotel.
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Inazo Noda was a janitor at the Bishop Museum. The Bishop Museum is a partner in the park’s 10th anniversary.
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Head chef of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel
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Frederick Berg, German American, worked at Sears
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Ichitaro Ozaki, a WWI veteran, was a chauffeur and Yasumasa Murata was a clerk for the Japanese Consulate General of Japan
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Tetsuo Oi was with the Japanese Chamber of Commerce
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Edward Tsubaki worked at Hawaiian Dredging Co.
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Shinfuku Gima was the President of the Hawaii United Okinawa Association
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Yasue Takahashi worked at KZOO/KAIM radio
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People who were incarcerated or family members impacted by those incarcerated attended schools that still exist today such as Aliiolani Elementary School, Sacred Hearts Academy, Mid-Pacific Institute, Punahou, and others
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Though not incarcerated himself, Hilo Bank of Hawaii branch manager Andrew helped to get an incarcerated individual released from Honouliuli.
The following Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines that still exist today had their leaders incarcerated at Honouliuli:
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Zenkyo Komagata, Soto Mission of Hawaii
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Ryuto Tsuda, Todaiji Hawaii Bekkaku Honzan
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Waialua Hongwanji
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Houn Tamayose, Higashi Hongwanji
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Kenju Ohtomo, Honpa Hongwanji Mission
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Haruko Takahashi, Konko Mission
