You would never find one in Hawaii Kai or Kapolei. Okazuya-type delis exist in Japan, but not with a multicultural range of menu items, and not under that name, either. Okazuya, though, seems to be a local term. An okazuya may close for the day once the food runs out, close for a couple weeks for an annual family vacation, close forever when the owners reach retirement age with no one to take over. They've also been adding to the menu, in part to deal with healthier eating habits.
Vegetables peak out of serving bins, looking green and freshly stir-fried.
Lee Makishi says the brothers grew up with the prospect of taking over. We always knew it was a possibility, but it was never concrete. If they hadn't been willing and able to do so, their parents would have had to sell out by now, Makishi says. This endangered nature of the okazuya is another reason Dela Cruz and Chai are drawn to the subject matter, but it also complicates matters. Since they started collecting information a year ago, two places have already closed.