May 21 – 24, 2023
at the Hilton Tokyo Narita Airport Hotel
Hosted by the Maui Chapter of HAPA
updated 02/16/23
Download Convention Registration Form
Download JTB Tour Registration Form
Convention Highlights
This year’s state convention offers two days of informative seminars, an industry tour, and the opportunity to expand your knowledge about Japan and its citizens, which ranks third in visitor spending in Hawaii (after U.S. West and U.S. East) and has a significant impact on Hawaii’s economy. Bring along your family and have some fun and adventure with other HAPA members from throughout the state and broaden your knowledge and understanding of a major trade partner of Hawaii.
Seminars and Special Hotel Room Rates
Seminars will be held on Monday and Tuesday, May 22 and May 23, 2023. Technical sessions provide substantive continuing professional education and qualify for 14½ hours of CPE credits for CPAs and 8 hours of CE for EAs. Seminars, 2 lunches, and the Tuesday evening Annual Banquet are included with the registration fees. For HAPA members, the registration fees also include the Wednesday industry tour. The Hilton Tokyo Narita Airport Hotel is offering special room rates at Hilton Tokyo Narita Airport, with the Group Code GHAP23.
Optional Tours and Social Events
Sunday, May 21, 2023 – Tour Narita area on your own
There is a free shuttle bus from the Hilton hotel to Narita Town and to the Aeon Shopping Mall, or you can take a taxi. Visit the famous Shinshoji Temple. See Narita map at:
https://www.nrtk.jp/plan/documents/2020naritabi_eng.pdf
Tuesday evening, May 23, 2023 – Annual Convention Banquet
Enjoy dinner, music, and warm fellowship as we thank our outgoing officers and directors and witness the formal installation of our new officers and directors.
Wednesday, May 24, 2023 - Industry bus tours
to include “Miraikan”, the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan – The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (jst.go.jp)); Kawasaki Robostage (https://kawasakirobotics.com/jp-sp/robostage/en/); and TeamLab Planets (https://planets.teamlab.art/tokyo/).
Schedule of Events
Sunday, May 21, 2023
- 6:00 p.m. Board of Directors Dinner Meeting
Monday, May 22, 2023
- 7:40 a.m. Registration
- 8:00 a.m. Opening Ceremonies; Greetings & Announcements
Opening Message – Marilyn M. Niwao, MSPH, J.D., CPA, HAPA State President
- 8:10 – 9:50 a.m. Technical Sessions to include:
“Adapting Japanese products and concepts successfully for the U.S. market” (Speaker: Milton Fujii, President of 3 Katto LLC, dba Daiso Hawaii; Director of Import – HouseMart Ace Hardware, Ben Franklin Crafts, and Dean’s Inc., one of Hawaii’s largest family-owned chain-store operators. Directly responsible for Daiso’s arrival in Hawaii.)
- 10:00 – 11:40 a.m. “Cross-border U.S. - Japan Estate Planning”
(Speaker: Michael H. Shikuma, Attorney (Hawaii), and Japan Licensed Foreign Law Attorney, who resides in Tokyo)
- 11:40 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. Lunch and General Membership Meeting, Part 1
- 12:45 – 2:25 p.m. “Problems in Cross-Border Implementation of Japanese Inheritance Tax Law” – from the viewpoint of a Japanese certified tax accountant and “Cross-border U.S. – Japan income tax issues” (Speakers – Katsumi Naito, Japanese tax accountant, in Ginza, Tokyo, and Eri Shima, J.D., CPA from OCCPA LLC in Honolulu)
- 2:35 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. “Japanese Business and Social Etiquette” (Speaker – Creighton Aotani of OCCPA LLC and Pacific Bridge International LLC)
- 3:15 p.m. – 5:15 p.m. Cocktail Reception
- 4:15 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. HAPA shuttle buses start roundtrip transportation from hotel to/from Narita Town and Aeon Mall
Tuesday, May 23, 2023
- 7:30 a.m. Registration
- 8:00 – 11:30 a.m. Technical Session: “2023 Federal Tax Update” (Speaker: Bob Jennings, CPA, EA, CFP of TaxSpeaker, Jeffersonville, Indiana. Bob is a nationally renowned author and an excellent speaker, presenting continuing education classes to over 100,000 tax professionals over the last 30 years all over the world.)
- 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Lunch and General Membership Meeting, Part 2.
- 12:30 p.m.- 4:00 p.m. Technical Sessions - continuation from morning session.
- 6:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. 67th Annual HAPA State Convention Installation Banquet.
Wednesday, May 24, 2023
- 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Industry bus tour to Odaiba to include visits to Miraikan – The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, Kawasaki Robostage, and TeamLab Planets.
Thursday, May 25, 2023
- 11:00 a.m. Optional bus transfer available from Hilton Tokyo Narita Airport hotel to Keio Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku. (Any changes to departure time to be announced at the convention.)
Convention Fees and Rates
HAPA & NSA Members:
Early Registration (by March 31, 2023)
$725.00
Late Registration (April 1, 2023 to May 8, 2023)
$775.00
* Registration fees for members include technical sessions, lunches, Monday afternoon cocktail reception, Tuesday evening banquet, and Wednesday industry tour. Special Chapter rebates are available for HAPA members only, with conditions. See registration rules.
Non-Members of HAPA or NSA
Early Registration (by March 31, 2023, no industry tour included)
$675.00
Late Registration (April 1, 2023 to May 8, 2023, no industry tour included)
$725.00
Japan residents only – special one-day rates for seminars (register by April 22, 2023)
Monday only seminars - $200.00
Tuesday only seminars - $300.00
Continuing Professional Education Credits (CPE) for CPAs:
Seminars on Monday and Tuesday provide at least fifty minutes of live instruction for each one hour of CPE as specified in the AICPA/NASBA Statement on Standards for Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Programs. The recommended CPE credits are 14½ hours for CPAs. Eight hours of seminars are appropriate as live tax and tax update seminars for CPAs, EAs, and other tax and accounting professionals. No advance preparation is required.
Additional Tickets to Convention Banquet and Tours
Tuesday Night, May 23, 2023 – Convention Banquet guests (non-members of HAPA)
$80.00
Wednesday, May 24, 2023 – Industry bus tour to Odaiba for non-members of HAPA and guests. Lunch and any additional fees not included.
$150.00
Thursday, May 24, 2023 – Optional bus transfer from Hilton Tokyo Narita Airport Hotel to Keio Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku
$45.00
REGISTRATION RULES
REGISTRATION FEES: Member Registration fees include Seminars, Lunches, Tuesday Convention Banquet, and Wednesday Industry Tour. Early registration forms and payments must be received by March 31, 2023. Late registration fees will apply for all registration forms and payments received after this date. HAPA and NSA member fees are available ONLY to paid-up members. Non-member registration fees will apply to delinquent members (unpaid member dues).
SPECIAL CONVENTION REGISTRATION FEE REBATES: In order to encourage attendance, the various island chapters may be offering special registration fee rebates to HAPA members only, subject to certain conditions. For information on rebates and rules for obtaining rebates, please contact the following chapter presidents:
Oahu Chapter: Eric Matsuda, CPA, ph. (808) 949-7651
Maui Chapter: Colleen Takamura, CPA, ph. (808) 242-4600, ext. 5
Big Island Chapter: Shannon Wibberley (808) 935-5404
Kauai Chapter: Ann Y. Kennedy, CPA, (808) 245-9048.
CANCELLATIONS: Cancellation notification received prior to March 31, 2023 will be refunded 100% and cancellations prior to May 8, 2023 will be refunded 75%. The refund percentages apply to fees for registration and all other events. Any cancellation received thereafter will not qualify for any refund of the registration fee and extra event tickets.
HILTON TOKYO NARITA AIRPORT HOTEL, TRAVEL AND LOCAL TRANSPORTATION: Each participant is responsible for his/her own hotel, travel, and ground transportation arrangements and costs. A limited number of rooms are available in the HAPA State Convention Room Block at the Hilton Tokyo Narita Airport Hotel.
Hilton Tokyo Narita Airport
To book your discounted convention hotel room rates, the Group Promotion Offer Code is GHAP23. Under “Special Rates,” enter the Group Code of GHAP23.
The special rates provide:
- Taxes (10%) and service charges (13%) are included in the special rates.
- A credit card is required for the reservation.
- Free cancellation before 11:59 PM local hotel time on your arrival date.
- A discounted breakfast buffet rate is available, but cannot be booked online. Instead, you should request the 2,800 Yen per person breakfast buffet rate when you check in. (Rack rate for the breakfast buffet is ¥3,800)
If you are attending the convention, please ask for the breakfast buffet to be included in your room charge because breakfast will not be served at the seminars.
Also, breakfast for two (2) is complimentary for Hilton Gold or Diamond members, assuming double occupancy.
There is a free hotel shuttle to and from the Narita International Airport. Please book early as there are a limited number of rooms available at the special convention room rates.
Special airfare rates available through Hawaiian Airlines Preferred Affiliate Program:
HAPA wishes to remind you of its participation in the Hawaiian Airlines Preferred Affiliate Program. Special discounted airfares are available to HAPA members and their families. These discounts change from time to time, and the program offers the lowest available HawaiianAir.com web fares. Currently, the program provides for discounted fares of 5% off for flights between the mainland U.S. or International and Hawaii. HAPA members can book their reservation as follows:
- Log onto Preferred Affiliate | Hawaiian Airlines.
- Enter our program code "HAPAHAL" (not case sensitive).
Note: for family and friends who want to shop or explore the area during the convention seminar sessions, there are complimentary shuttle buses from the Hilton Tokyo Narita Hotel to and from the Narita Airport, JR Narita Station, and Aeon Mall leaving once every hour.
Post-convention optional hotel and tour arrangements in Tokyo
After the convention, you are on your own to tour Japan. However, for those wishing to tour Tokyo, HAPA has arranged for a limited number of rooms to be available at the Keio Plaza hotel in Shinjuku (see hotel at https://www.keioplaza.com/) from Thursday, May 25, 2023 to Tuesday, May 30, 2023.
Please see the separate hotel and tour offerings from from JTB (Japan Travel Bureau). Telephone contact at JTB USA, Inc.(Honolulu) is Kazuko Spear, telephone number (808) 979-0115. Download JTB Registration form
Important: For Keio Plaza hotel room block through JTB, you must book and pay a $300 deposit by March 6, 2023. Final payment is due April 15, 2023.
You are encouraged to sign up for the Mt. Fuji/Hakone Bus Tour (May 26, 2023) and Tokyo Tour (May 27, 2023) through JTB (deadline for tours is March 15, 2023).
For additional information to plan your trip, please see information from the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) at https://www.japan.travel/en/ or purchase Japan travel books and start planning your trip.
Any questions? Please contact Convention Chairperson Marilyn M. Niwao, M.S.P.H., J.D., CPA by e-mail at mniwao@aol.com or at niwao@mauicpa.com; tel: (808) 242-4600, ext. 224; fax (808) 242-4607. For registration questions, please contact Eric Matsuda, CPA at e.matsuda2@hawaiiantel.net or tel. (808) 949-7651.
Important: If you plan to attend the HAPA convention in Japan, please:
- Make your hotel and airline reservations as soon as possible.
- Obtain your passport which must be valid for more than 6 months on entry and include 2 blank pages.
- Obtain a Japan travel book (such as Fodors) and read about Japan.
- Obtain a credit card with no foreign currency transaction fees for use in Japan.
- Current travel requirements to Japan – a)proof of three doses of vaccination or b) pre-departure COVID test taken 72 hours before travel. (Please check on whether the COVID test is acceptable in Japan.)
- No visa is required for stays of 90 days or less for tourism or business in Japan.
The Hilton Tokyo Narita Hotel is a 4-star rated hotel, located 10 minutes from the Narita International Airport. There is a free airport shuttle bus to the hotel, or you can take a taxi.
Please join HAPA in Japan for its 67th Annual State Convention for fun and adventure!
