Quick…What is the first things you think of when I say “Hawaii”? If you are from most of the Western world, images of pristine beaches, blue ocean waters, and maybe a nice margarita will shoot through your mind very quickly. But if you are Japanese, you think of pancakes.

Yes, pancakes. Because somehow, through years of marketing savvy, the Japanese have been convinced that Hawaiian pancakes are the single most important cultural item to be indulged in from the Aloha state. Who perpetrated this falsehood is difficult to determine, but my hunch is that it was the Japanese themselves.

Let me explain. I had traveled to Hawaii several times (Big Island, Oahu, and Maui) prior to going there with my wife in 2009. I did all the touristy things (and even some less than touristy things). I walked the Waikiki strip, went snorkeling on an overcrowded buffet boat, walked Kilauea’s lava fields, and scootered the road to Hana. But not once did I feel compelled to indulge in pancakes. My wife, on the other hand, started pining for pancakes the minute we landed. In fact, she had several pancake location scoped out and circled in her guidebook. I was a bit confused by this.

Want to know why? Because Hawaiian pancakes aren’t a thing. I mean, there are pancakes, just like there are anywhere in America. Maybe they are a bit more pricey from those found on the mainland, but that is to be expected. But “Hawaiian” pancakes. Sorry Japan, but you got played. Most likely a bunch of Japanese tourists started “discovering” some regular breakfast joints in and around Honolulu. Then they made the conclusion that those pancakes where unique to the island. Then they spread that rumor back in Old Nippon. Then suddenly there are overpriced package pancake tours of Hawaii. Then, finally, a never ending stream of overpriced, pancake specialty restaurants opening all over Japan.

I loath these places. Pancakes in Japan are marketed as a kind of gourmet dessert and usually cost over 1000 Yen (about 10 USD). Check out these monstrosities from Mint (Sapporo Pancake and Parfait). Their スモークサーモンとアボカドのパンケーキ (Smoked Salmon and Avocado Pancake) is an insult to pancake culture worldwide.