Okinawa Hai!

Tsuboya Museum Front CONTRIBUTED BY AMY MADDOCKS Naha’s Tsuboya District has been the center of Okinawan pottery since 1682, but they say the earthenware first began being made about 6,600 years ago. The most famous Okinawan pottery is tsuboya-yaki, and it is still being made after being passed down from generation to generation. These are [...]

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CONTRIBUTED BY CLAIRE BRAY-COLLINS Mihama Front Tot and I love a good quarter mile roller slide over a freeway, like the one at Urasoe Park, a not-so-miniature “Navy S.E.A.L.’s” training site or a hair-raising ride on a “tilt-and-hurl” spinner like those at the Okinawa Convention Center, or even a vaguely supported free fall down those [...]

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CONTRIBUTED BY MONETTE EAMES Adan Boy A little swish of the brush here, a little swish there, and maybe a slight smile looking thing on the page. Whenever I watch my students practicing writing kanji and hiragana, pure amazement comes over me, making me want to teach myself whatever they’re doing. A year ago, I [...]

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Xystus Front CONTRIBUTED BY IVETTE TRUE The kiddos and I had been exploring Okinawa during their summer vacation.  Beaches, caves, parks, etc…. We love going to Wago Land, US Land, Monakids…  They’re all fun… but, my friend showed me this new place called Xystus Kids Land that had just opened on July 1st, 2011. Xystus Play [...]

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We were recently invited to enjoy a complimentary dinner and show at The Orchid.  Sarah & Tara enjoyed the evening with their families, but the opinions are all ours. CONTRIBUTED BY SARAH FORTE When you think of traditional Okinawa what comes to mind? Maybe it’s Eisa dancers, sanshin players and taiko drummers pounding out their [...]

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CONTRIBUTED BY JENNIFER SHUE This little gem is nestled right between the Toys R Us/Babies R Us and the Naha Mainplace. If you’ve been down there you must have seen it. The outside is the creamy limestone so common in Okinawa and is stylistically reminiscent of the various gusuku sites scattered around the island. Inside, [...]

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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 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 HEATHER GELORMINE Mary wrote a review about Round 1 back in June, and she did a great job letting us in on all the fun activities for adults and teens.  But maybe you didn’t know that there are good times to be had by our little ones, too. On the fifth level of [...]

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CONTRIBUTED BY HEATHER GELORMINE This is our first summer here on Okinawa. We moved here from Colorado Springs, and it seems as though in coming here, what we lost in altitude we more than gained in humidity. It’s getting hot… and it’s getting humid! It’s enough to make me want to park myself on a [...]

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