The Solomon Islands is a country consisting of six major islands and about 1,000 volcanic and coral islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It is generally not a country well known to Japan, and fewer than 300 Japanese tourists visit each year. However, it has strong historical ties to Japan as it was the site of fierce fighting in World War II. We concentrate our explorations on Honiara city on Guadalcanal island and discover locations connected to WWII, an Independence Day celebration, a party for Prime Minister Manele, a casino for locals and an excellent Japanese restaurant. The ccTLD for the Solomon Islands is “.sb“.
◆Where are the Solomon Islands?
The Solomon Islands are located east of Papua New Guinea, approximately 1,800 km northeast of Australia. They are the second largest island country in the Pacific, in terms of land area, and have the third largest population of approximately 740,000 people (World Bank, 2023). They are a member of the British Commonwealth and a part of the Commonwealth realm, meaning they recognize the British Monarch as Head of State. The currency in use is the Solomon Islands Dollar (SBD). *As of July 2024
= Table of Contents =
◆Kitano Mendana Hotel, with In-house Japanese Staff
◆Art Gallery with the Latest Hand Made Folk Art
◆Local Square Hosts Pacific’s Tallest Flagpole (50m)
◆Exploring WWII Memorials -Reaching the Unmapped Resting Place of 916 Ichiki Regiment Soldiers
◆Getting Lost and Finding Out about Independence Day Celebrations
◆Strolling Around Honiara – National Museum, HS Basketball, Casino, Markets and More
◆Dining in the Solomon Islands – Delicious Food in One of the Few Japanese Restaurants
◆Finding “.sb” Around Town
◆How to Purchase a SIM & Test the Internet Speed
◆Kitano Mendana Hotel, with In-house Japanese Staff
We head towards the Solomon Islands, taking off from Fiji. We left our hotel, which was close to Nadi International Airport, before 6am, as our Solomon Airlines – Flight 703 left at 8:15am. The sunrise was beautiful.
Here we are at Nadi International Airport. The check-in counter was busy, despite the early hour.
It takes 3 hours to fly from Fiji to the island of Guadalcanal.
The airport is decorated with Solomon Island themed artwork. It was the Spanish explorer Mendaña who gave the country its name, when after returning to his expedition base in Peru, he went around declaring that he had found the island of King Solomon, of the ancient Kingdom of Israel.
The arrival area of the airport uses Mitsubishi air-conditioning units.
We saw this panel, made in 2023, with the inscription, “Grant aid from the people of Japan as a token of friendship and cooperation between Japan and the Solomon Islands”. It’s located near the entrance to the Departure lounge.
After changing our money into Solomon Islands dollars (SBD) at the airport’s one and only cash exchange, we rushed to catch the free shuttle to our hotel, the Kitano Mendana Hotel, which was just about to leave.
It took about 20 minutes. Here we are at the Kitano Mendana Hotel. Kitano Construction Corp., which has been developing construction projects related to the fishing industry on behalf of the Solomon Islands government since the early 1980’s, also took over the ailing state-owned hotel, reopening it in November 1989.
They have Japanese staff working there, but unfortunately, we didn’t get the chance to meet them during our stay.
◆Art Gallery with the Latest Hand Made Folk Art
Let’s start exploring. We start off by checking out an art gallery near our hotel. We pass 4 to 5 stalls selling colorful clothing. It had been raining, but it’s clearing up now.
After passing the street stalls we arrive at our destination. The National Art Gallery. Admission is free. It’s just a 3-minute walk from the hotel.
Let’s take a look at the outside. There’s a shop selling T-shirts, hats, accessories, etc.
They were also selling T-shirts that were quite sheer. Some shops were selling folk art.
We keep going. Up to this point, it just felt like an extension of the previous street stalls, but finally it starts to feel like an art gallery. Artists were also there on-site. All artwork on display was available for sale.
There was a man working on a wood carving. It’s beautiful, isn’t it. There’s no price tag, so we had no idea how much it cost.
When we asked, we were told it would cost $17,000 SBD. Artwork without price tags were open to negotiation.
◆Local Square Hosts Pacific’s Tallest Flagpole (50m)
We walk westwards along Mendana Ave, the main street in Honiara that goes east to west. It seems “Tourism Solomons” can help fulfill any request you may have while traveling in the Solomon Islands. We might try it out if we come back on holiday.
This shop sells and repairs smartphones and related products, headphones and speakers.
We turn left on Commonwealth Ave and come to the wharf, where inter-island ferries arrive and depart. It’s about a ten-minute walk from the hotel.
On the wharf, there is this Solomon Scouts & Coastwatchers Monument. This memorial honors local coastguards and scouts during World War II. They are also known for their efforts to rescue President John F. Kennedy from a ship sunk by a Japanese destroyer in August 1943.
Almost directly opposite this monument is Unity Square. This square was built by Solomon Ports to commemorate the 42nd anniversary of the Solomon Islands independence.
Cultural totems representing all the provinces are also displayed inside the small square.
The small square is dominated by the 50m flagpole, the tallest in the Pacific, and the flag of the Solomon Islands is 15m long, 7.5m wide and weighs 25 kilograms. It’s surrounded by flags of each of the 9 provinces of the Solomon Islands. The opening ceremony was held on July 6th, 2020 and was attended by the then Prime Minister, Manasseh Sogavare, as well as the 9 premiers from all the provinces.
◆Exploring WWII Memorials -Reaching the Unmapped Resting Place of 916 Ichiki Regiment Soldiers
The Solomon Islands were the scene of some fierce fighting in World War II. In the Battle of Guadalcanal, Japanese forces suffered some 22,000 casualties and starvation deaths in just six months. There are many Japanese war memorials on Guadalcanal Island. We’ve decided to visit the Japanese Kawaguchi Brigade Memorial, a memorial to the Kawaguchi Brigade, led by Major General Kiyotake Kawaguchi. It’s a 20-minute drive from Kitano Mendana Hotel.
We decide to go by chartered taxi. The friendly taxi driver shows us this building saying, “It’s a hospital being built by a Chinese company. When it’s finished, it will be the tallest building in Honiara”.
He keeps driving at a steady 30km or below. More and more cars are overtaking us, but safety first, I guess.
Our driver also had to keep checking Google Maps on my phone, as he had never been to the Kawaguchi Brigade Memorial before. As we get closer, we stop and check with the locals. He is a careful and mindful driver.
We’re now entering an area with gravel roads. There are several houses.
We can’t see any roads on Google Maps. Our speed is now down to 10 km, due to the road conditions, but we keep going.
We’ve arrived at some kind of entrance.
Two men come out of a house to meet us. They confirm that the memorial is just down the road.
A child leads the way. It’s not far.
This seems to be a quarry. Would there be a memorial in a place like this? We stop the car and take a look around.
We found a memorial. But, it’s not for the Kawaguchi Brigade. It’s a memorial for the Ichiki Regiment. Google Maps was incorrect. The Ichiki regiment were 916 men led by Colonel Kiyonao Ichiki. This memorial is for all the men who were killed in battle, right on this land. It took about 40 minutes by car from our hotel.
But why is this memorial in the middle of a quarry? We discovered that this land only became a quarry in August 2023, before that it was overgrown with vegetation.
一木支隊奮戦之地
米軍の手に陥ちた飛行場を奪回しようと前進してきた一木支隊と、それを守る海兵師団の戦闘が行われた地域です。そばにイル川がありアリゲータークリークと呼ばれていました。右は支隊が全滅したとされる時間に撮影した同付近の写真です。遠くに米軍が布陣した森林の前縁が見えます。 pic.twitter.com/bAdYchFGmv— 関口高史 元防衛大学校准教授 (@parsifa18401874) August 21, 2023
But it seems that in 2019, a Chinese company bought the land and started construction in September 2023. As we were preparing to leave, a man approached the three of us (not the taxi driver), and asked us to pay an entrance / viewing fee of $100 SBD each, for a total of $300 SBD. There was no receipt.
Even after returning to Japan, I was curious about the Ichiki Regiment Memorial, but I still couldn’t find any official location on Google Maps. I was also surprised to see that the location on Google Maps that had been mistakenly registered as the “Japanese Kawaguchi Brigade Memorial”, but in fact was a Memorial for the Ichiki Regiment, now had nothing registered at all. If you search for “Japanese Kawaguchi Brigade Memorial”, nothing comes up. I’m pretty worried about the current condition of the Ichiki Regiment Memorial. (As of August 8th, 2024)
The memorial to the Kawaguchi Brigade was actually located in the Allied War Memorial Honiara, a mere 3-minute walk from the Kitano Mendana Hotel. “Allied War Memorial Honiara” on Google Maps doesn’t include any information about the Kawaguchi Brigade.
This area was fenced off, so we couldn’t get any closer.
After leaving the Ichiki Regiment Memorial and driving for ten minutes, we came cross the wreckage of a tank. The Danger sign is a warning that there are still unexploded devices in the area and trespassers will be prosecuted. The message is from the RSIPF-EOD, the Explosive Ordnance Disposal team of Solomon Islands Police Force.
Many unexploded ordnances still remain in this area known as Hell’s Point.
Our next destination was the Solomon Peace Memorial Park.
We write our names on the visitors’ list and pay an entrance fee of $50 SBD.
It was built in 1980 at the foot of Mount Austen, by the Taisei Corporation.
It has become a symbolic site on Guadalcanal Island for various services to be held, such as bone cremation ceremonies or memorial services.
It overlooks Ironbottom Sound.
Our next stop was the Guadalcanal American Memorial.
Admission is free. We write our names on the visitors’ list.
The Guadalcanal American Memorial is another World War II memorial. Dedicated on August 7th 1992 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Red Beach landings, this memorial was built to remember the Americans and their allies who lost their lives during the Battle of Guadalcanal, which occurred from August 7th 1942 to February 9th 1943.
It describes the damage done to Japanese ships and aircraft by US forces. It also included the names etc., of destroyed ships of the US and allies.
This memorial stands along Skyway Drive, on a small hilltop that was the first place captured by US troops.
The Solomon Islands Memorial Garden is next door to Honiara International Airport. Admission is free.
For each stone carved with the name of a fallen soldier, a Carilla tree is planted.
There are about 500.
On our way to dinner, we accidentally entered the grounds of the Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
“Hold on!”, two men called out to us. When we explained why we were there, they opened the gate that leads out to the road near the restaurant we were heading to. We chatted as the gate was being unlocked, and found out that this very day, July 7th, is Solomon Islands’ 46th Independence Day and that there will be a commemoration ceremony held at the National Stadium the following day. They said other nationalities are welcome to join them, so we decided to attend, too.
Another man kindly came with a key to the gate. We apologized for holding them up when they have an early start the next morning for the commemoration ceremony. We gave them some Tokyo Caramel Nuts to say thank you for their kindness.
The next morning, we were told that Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele would be coming to our hotel, Kitano Mendana, around midday. We headed to the National Stadium in a chartered taxi shortly after 9am, with the plan of returning to the hotel for lunch.
The morning news for July 8th, reporting on Independence Day celebrations.
Leading government figures are escorted back and forth to the venue.
We arrive at the Solomon Islands National Stadium.
After passing through the security check, each person receives a bottle of water and a juice. No doubt helpful to prevent heat stroke.
There are three varieties of juice to choose from.
The atmosphere is very festive. We saw lots of people with the Solomon Islands flag painted on their faces.
This mom has a flag down her back.
This woman is wearing a polo shirt with a Japanese flag.
The 10,000-seat stadium was built as the main venue for a multi-sport event, the 2023 Pacific Games, officially known as the 17th Pacific Games, but commonly called Sol2023 or Honiara 2023. Construction started in May 2021 and was due to completed in May 2023. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the discovery of unexploded World War II ordnances, construction was delayed and the official completion wasn’t until September 14th, 2023.
The ceremony was being held under the hot sun and eventually several people had to leave due to being unwell.
I think she’s a bit tired of the ceremony? It was probably boring for kids.
Vehicles in town celebrating Independence Day.
It was a really great experience to be at the Independence ceremony in person. It’s time to return to the hotel.
We’re back. Unlike this morning, now tight security is in place.
Security is especially tight near the restaurant Capitana. It seems Prime Minister Manele is here.
We wanted to catch a glimpse of the Prime Minister, but we were stopped by security police as we went to enter the restaurant. They explained that only invited guests were allowed to enter. Oops. Apologies for the trouble.
A car believed to be carrying Prime Minister Manele left Kitano Mendana Hotel. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to see him.
◆Strolling Around Honiara – National Museum, HS Basketball, Casino, Markets and More
Right opposite Kitano Mendana Hotel is the National Museum. There is no entrance on this side facing Mendana Ave, as you can see in the picture.
We take a side street past the ‘Anthony Saru Building‘ to get to the other side. According to one of the taxi drivers, it is currently the tallest building in Honiara, at six stories high.
It also houses government offices.
Coming out the other side, we see the entrance to the museum, which faces Hibiscus Avenue. It’s open Monday to Friday, from 8:30am to 16:30pm. Admission is free.
The museum, which opened in 1969, covers the cultural heritage and history of the Solomon Islands in great depth.
Unfortunately, everything was still closed, probably because we arrived shortly after the opening time of 8:30am.
The staff seemed to have only just arrived and they were slowly getting things ready.
The souvenir shop was still closed, too. I guess it may be best to avoid going too soon after it opens. It looked as if we may have to wait quite a while, so we decide to leave.
We next come across the Solomon Islands National University – Panatina Campus. This university was established in 2013. It has five faculties; Business & Tourism Studies, Science & Technology, Nursing, Medicine & Health Science, Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry and Education & Humanities.
The Solomon Islands campus is a member of the University of the South Pacific. The University of the South Pacific (USP) was established in 1968 in the Laucala Bay area of Suva, Fiji and has campuses in the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu in addition to the Solomon Islands.
We hear loud cheering coming from one of the university buildings. Some students are peering inside. I wonder what’s happening? We’re curious now, so we go inside to find out.
After paying $10 SBD each, we enter and find that the ‘Advanced Technologies Ltd High School Basketball Competition (HSBC24)’ is underway. The game is between Tenaru High School in orange, and Burns Creek Community in green.
Whenever either team scored, the crowd cheered enthusiastically.
Eventually we leave and continue our walk. We often saw ‘Australian Aid’ signs while walking around Honiara. As well as Japan, Australia also provides aid to the Solomon Islands, and as this sign states: “Australia is the nambawan partner in infrastructure and has invested over $5 billion SBD in infrastructure across every province in the Hapi Isles since 2019”. We were curious about the word ‘nambawan’. I thought it must mean “number one”, but we were told that “nambawan” in Bislama, one of Vanuatu’s official languages, means “best; excellent”, so it seems to translate to “excellent partner”.
We decide to check out the Coral Sea Resort & Casino in the hotel.
A few cautionary points regarding this casino: No hats. No chewing gum.
The slot machines use cards and not coins, so visitors need to make a $100 SBD deposit card.
There are two entrances on the left and right of the main counter. First, let’s go into the Red Koi Room.
Some men are enjoying a game of roulette. This is a VIP room where you play for higher stakes. We leave to check out the other room.
This room, through the left door, is busier and seem to be mostly local men.
A regular at this casino shows me how to work the slot machine.
We give a game of Blackjack a try, too. For $200 SBD per person, we had over half an hour of fun, and even won a little.
Our next stop was the Honiara Central Market, the most well-known local market. It’s open every day, except Sundays, from 6am to 6:30pm. It’s crowded, so watch out for pickpockets.
There’s a stranded ship.
In this spacious covered area, many varieties of fruit and vegetables are on offer.
And straw.
Taro and pineapple. By the way, according to FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), the annual per capita consumption of sweet potatoes worldwide is 11.8kg, but the Solomon Islands is by far the largest consumer at 173.6kg.
These clothes were popular with the local ladies.
Even huge fish are taken home just as they are. It’s dragging a little, isn’t it.
Some people are going home now after visiting the market. We got the impression that many of the locals here are friendly and cheerful. If we were taking photos, they would turn to us and wave.
Today’s taxi driver. Seven hours cost us $600 SBD.
◆Dining in the Solomon Islands – Delicious Food in One of the Few Japanese Restaurants
・Palm Sugar
Designed as Honiara’s newest cafe-style casual dining restaurant. It has a wide range of Western, Asian and fast-food dishes available. It’s located within the grounds of the National Art Gallery.
We ordered KFC-style fried chicken and fries for $70 SBD.
We also got two slices of pizza ($35 SBD) and lemon green tea ($12 SBD).
And a Coconut juice ($10 SBD).
There were some delicious looking cakes available, too.
・Tenkai Sushi Café（Tenkai Sushi Café）
This is the restaurant where we went through the grounds of the Prime Minister and Cabinet’s offices. They offer a wide range of Japanese dishes, such as ramen, fried chicken cutlets, okonomiyaki pancakes, squid tentacles, tempura, takoyaki (octopus balls), deep fried tofu, etc.
We ordered Fish Cakes & Fish Noodle Soup ($108 SBD).
Cold Matcha Soba Noodles ($76 SBD).
Takoyaki balls (6 pieces, $68 SBD).
Steamed egg custard ($68 SBD). Every single dish was absolutely delicious!
This area was covered in empty plastic bottles. We tried asking the restaurant staff if there was any meaning to it and they quickly replied that they had no idea.
・Hakubai（Hakubai）
Located on the ground floor of the Kitano Mendana Hotel. This restaurant also has an extensive menu.
They offer a buffet-style breakfast.
But there aren’t any Japanese dishes.
For lunch, we had an incredible bento box ($210 SBD).
Oyako-don Rice Bowl ($120 SBD).
It was a hot day, so we had a local SolBrew, a beer made by Solomon Breweries Ltd. It was light and refreshing!
・Capitana
In the evening, we went to a restaurant called Capitana, just opposite Hakubai. Since the Prime Minister had visited at lunch time, we wanted to order the same dishes he had, but we were told that Capitana would only be serving dishes from Hakubai’s menu that evening. What a shame!
I got the meat and seafood set meal.
Curry and rice.
The Matcha Basque Cheesecake I wanted to order was unfortunately on the Capitana menu, so I couldn’t get it.
Instead, I got a banana smoothie. We also ordered a Zosui rice soup and some beer, and altogether it came to $560 SBD. All dishes were from Hakubai and they were really good!
◆Finding “.sb” Around Town
The ccTLD for the Solomon Islands is “.sb”. We came across it many times as we traveled around Honiara. This is a rent-a-car company.
Real estate company.
Honiara’s telecommunication carrier, Our Telekom.
Solomon Power, owned by the government run Solomon Islands Electricity Authority (SIEA).
How to Purchase a SIM & Test the Internet Speed
We used eSIM Ubigi. The speed was 1.16Mbps when measured at The Solomon Islands National Stadium.
At Kitano Mendana Hotel, it was 9.8Mbps.
