Okinawa Hai!

CONTRIBUTED BY REGINA DESAMOURS I recently enlisted the help of Okinawa Party Characters for my sons 5th birthday. It was his very first party and I wanted something extra special to mark the occasion. I booked three characters, (Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and SpongeBob), and they were so much fun! The characters danced to music [...]

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Recycle Store Exterior CONTRIBUTED BY STEPHANIE MONROE I’ve been on Okinawa about a year now, and since our arrival I’ve been lamenting the loss of one of my favorite activities: shopping the neighborhood thrift stores. Back in the states thrift stores are one of my regular stops to find unique, antique, or bargain priced items. [...]

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CONTRIBUTED BY CHRISTOPHER DONG We walked through the small streets of South Sunabe on a sunny weekend afternoon. It was that odd hour of day where we were feeling peckish, energy enough to think about doing something, too hungry to actually accomplish anything. “Tea-time” menus infuriate me, lazily turned out dishes while chefs busy themselves [...]

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CONTRIBUTED BY SARAH FILLMAN Skip Front I am pregnant with my first child, and was very excited when I stumbled upon this store, Skip. It’s right in American Village and I couldn’t believe I’d never been inside before. When I walked in, the first thing I saw was a toddler size t-shirt with a huge [...]

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We aren’t certain we are getting this info to you in time!  But on the off chance that some stores are still offering these, we are adding it now.  We will be sure to re-post it late in December again… CONTRIBUTED BY SARAH PHILLIPS Fukuburo Toys R Us Since childhood I’ve loved the excitement and [...]

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CONTRIBUTED BY LAURA COSTA Joy Balloon Birthday Joy Company provides balloon decorations and so much more. My favorite thing about Joy Company is not just the quality of their work, which is great, but it is the kind and loving owners. Islaine and Maulo, also known as Alex, make the company so great. They love [...]

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CONTRIBUTED BY ERIN SCHALK Koza Gate Pottery In my case, finding Koza Gate Apartment, a combined boutique and art gallery, could be best described as a happy accident. Earlier this summer, I had agreed to meet my friend and Japanese teacher there for a private lesson and good conversation. As with many storefronts in Okinawa, [...]

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Swap Clothing CONTRIBUTED BY MEGAN PARKER The concept of swap shopping is simple and genius: take what you don’t need and trade it for something you do! It’s a great way to recycle, save money, and even meet new people. If you like any of these things, swap shopping might just be for you! The [...]

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CONTRIBUTED BY MONETTE EAMES Living in Okinawa, we’ve often read some awkward sounding phrases on shirts that made us go, “Huh!?” Sometimes it almost sounds like poetry in a way. Or sometimes, reading certain food descriptions on a menu made us wonder what really is in the food. Other times, we come across a store [...]

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CONTRIBUTED BY SARRA MCMILLAN I love shoes. Who’s with me? Before coming to Japan, I agonized over the shoe situation that would await me; I’d be in a county filled with the most adorable footwear, none of which would ever adorn my (average-sized, thank-you very much!) feet. Luckily, upon arriving, my obsessive worrying manifested itself [...]

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