(CNN) — Hawaii is consistently one of the most popular holiday destinations for Japanese tourists. But they don’t show their love just by going there.

Food, clothes and even festivals all over Japan demonstrate that people’s love for the islands is about way more than beaches.

According to a 2022 travel trend report from Japanese domestic travel agency HIS, Hawaii had the most overseas trip reservations for the summer holidays, accounting for 20% of people booking overseas summer trips through the agency.

Japan’s two biggest airlines, ANA and JAL, restarted their daily flights to Hawaii in July and June, respectively, for the first time since the pandemic.

“ANA and JAL know that Hawaii is the first place Japanese tourists return to when traveling abroad. It is a place where they can go freely without a visa,” said Kotaro Toriumi, a Japanese aviation and travel analyst. “These airlines are strengthening their Hawaii campaigns the most … all they do is advertise for trips to Hawaii.”

Japan’s love affair with Hawaii can perhaps be summed up by one word: iyashi. It means “healing” or “comfort” in English but often encapsulates the sense of freedom and relaxation that many Japanese associate with the islands.

Rise in popularity, rise in prices

Although Japanese travelers’ love for Hawaii goes back decades, it will take a while for travel numbers to go back to their pre-Covid-19 heights.

Before the pandemic, Japanese travelers made up the largest number of overseas tourists in…