okinawa hai!

CONTRIBUTED SARRA MCMILLAN Shortly after my arrival in Okinawa in December 2009, a new-found friend pulled me towards the flashing lights and screaming sounds of teenagers playing arcade games. “Have you ever done purikura?” she asked.The word was as unknown to me at that time as arigatou and irasshaimase, so I just looked at her [...]

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CONTRIBUTED BY KARA LESPERANCE After seeing the posts on Rainbow House and the Hand Craft Shop that reference the House of 66 Cents, I wanted to write up a post on them.  I could spend hours wandering fabric stores and picking out fabrics and the House of 66 Cents has pretty much any fabric you could [...]

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CONTRIBUTED BY MARY RICHARDSON Next time you’re looking for a fun activity for your family over the weekend, why not consider a visit to the Gala Sea Salt Factory in Yomitan?  I know you’re thinking, what’s so fun about salt? That’s what I thought too, but let me tell you, a visit to Gala is [...]

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CONTRIBUTED BY JANAE BURGER If you are like me, you have countless pictures of Christmas trees, Christmas presents and beautiful smiles of kids opening present, with the occasional picture of a sleepy Santa. I love looking at these pictures. They are some of the best pictures of the year. For some, they are the only [...]

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CONTRIBUTED BY JEANINE CZUBIK Attention crafters!  There’s a shop near Gate 2 Street to supply your creative needs.    Yarn, beads, fabric and notions of all kinds, the Hand Craft Shop is a great resource whatever your hobby may be. For the knitter or crocheter, the store is stocked with quite a variety of yarn, including alpaca, [...]

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CONTRIBUTED BY MARY RICHARDSON Next time you head to Shuri Castle, why not take a short detour and drop in Kyoko Art Gallery? Kyoko Nakamoto is an Okinawan artist who has featured her work locally, in mainland Japan, and internationally in such places as New York City and Los Angeles. Her tiny gallery in the [...]

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CONTRIBUTED BY JEANINE CZUBIK Despite the warm breeze still calling me to the beach, the holiday season is once again approaching.  If you aren’t set on giving a gift uniquely Okinawan, consider Asia Ichiba.    Ichiba means marketplace in Japanese, and Asia Ichiba carries a variety of imports from India, Thailand, and the Philippines.  I have [...]

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CONTRIBUTED BY LARISSA Many of us have passed this interesting corner lot, filled with huge treasures just waiting to decorate our yards and homes.  You pass this store when you are heading to the Pineapple Park, Sachi’s Antiques or the British Wine and Tea Shop.  I have never stopped to check it out because I’m [...]

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CONTRIBUTED BY KELLYERACE When I want to give an Okinawan gift to arts’n'crafts loving friends and family, there are two places that I always try to hit up:  A) the pottery cooperative on highway 58 for what I think is the best selection of pottery on the island, and B) the open-air glass stand on [...]

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A few weeks back the fam went up to the Aquarium for the day. Unfortunately, that day was a Tuesday which meant that my craving for Pizza in the Sky was doomed to failure (raise your hand if you've ever driven up there and THEN realized it's closed on Tuesdays & Wednesdays).  So, I went with [...]

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