CONTRIBUTED BY EMILY BUREK
If you ever drive on Route 74, you may have seen a large Aromatherapy sign just east of Kadena Gate 3. This is the sign for Reflow Aromatherapy, located on the second level of the building.
When you arrive they will have you remove your shoes and replace them with a pair of soft slippers. There is...
Editor’s Note: This is the ninth installment of Kassie’s adventure through Cambodia and Vietnam with her sister. Click on the following links to read the others: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 10
CONTRIBUTED BY KASSIE O'DRISCOLL
Against our guesthouse's recommendation, we decided to try to make it all the way to Vinh Long because Tabitha's 2009 Vietnam book said that...
CONTRIBUTED BY HEATHER OLSEN
Just a short distance away from Shuri Castle in Naha sits the Kinjo Dam. Construction of the dam took a little more than ten years and was completed in 2000. It is a concrete gravity dam and its main purpose is flood control for the Li River.
While this dam has no historical significance, it is in a...
CONTRIBUTED BY KELSEY FEENEY
I’ve discovered a gem of a clothing shop that I would like to share with everyone! Gloss, which is located in the Ferris wheel building of American Village, is another trendy spot to shop for new additions to your wardrobe!
Although small, Gloss clothing has a nice selection of perfectly priced clothing to choose from. All of...
Editor's Note: This is the eighth installment of Kassie’s adventure through Cambodia and Vietnam with her sister. Click on the following links to read the others: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 9, Part 10
CONTRIBUTED BY KASSIE O'DRISCOLL
We had a choice to make after seeing the elephants: to stay or not to stay. After realizing that there wasn't much else to see...
For all you parents looking for a preschool that suits your kids, we’re hoping to add a little something to aid in your search. Parents of children who attend various preschools on island have filled out a series of questions about the schools for the benefit of the rest of us. We welcome more than one voice on each...
CONTRIBUTED BY MICHAEL WILLIAMSON
Since I can remember, I have been molded by the very fabric of art: singing with the choir in the church, painting in the classroom, and acting on-stage. Shakespeare said it best, “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and entrances; and one man in his...
CONTRIBUTED BY EMILY COZZIE
One day while exploring Naha, my husband and I became extremely hungry. In our family, hunger + long car rides = grumpiness. We were relieved to have stumbled upon Anjina Beach Café because our bodies just couldn’t fight the hunger pangs any longer. When we arrived, the friendly staff sat us down and handed us English...
Editor’s Note: This is the seventh installment of Kassie’s adventure through Cambodia and Vietnam with her sister. Click on the following links to read the others: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10
CONTRIBUTED BY KASSIE O'DRISCOLL
Tabitha and I booked our travel to our next stop, Mondulkiri, through our hotel for around noon. Every time we brought up Mondulkiri everyone would...
CONTRIBUTED BY ANTHONY CAMINA
Towering high above the Motobu landscape is the expansive and beautiful Mount Yaedake. It is ironic that as prominent as the landmark is how many adventure seekers and island enthusiasts overlook this majestic old mountain. Unlike many other obscure attractions hidden throughout the jungle locales in Motobu, Mt. Yaedake is as simple to find as it...
CONTRIBUTED BY MICHELLE CAMINA
If you’re looking to get away for an afternoon and up to taking a bit of an unconventional field trip off the beaten path of castle ruins, beaches, parks, shopping, etc. a visit to the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) in Onna should fit the bill quite nicely.
Although OIST is a graduate university for...
CONTRIBUTED BY EMILY COZZIE
This month my husband and I made a challenge to find free things to do on Okinawa, so we decided to take a drive on 58 south towards Naha to see what we could find. On our way home we noticed a sign for Kinjocho Stone Pavement and decided to check it out. Let me just...
The 2014 calendar was available for purchase in November and December of 2013, and for a limited time in the early months of 2014. Next year's calendar will be available for purchase in the final months of this year.
This was August’s page:
Obon
Photo Credit: Cynthia Ensley
Chatan Festival
Photo credit: Ashley Perez
aperez011307.blogspot.jp
"Mark my words: you'll miss
The views, the food, the wet heat
The drumming...
Editor’s Note: This is the sixth installment of Kassie’s adventure through Cambodia and Vietnam with her sister. Click on the following links to read the others: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10
CONTRIBUTED BY KASSIE O'DRISCOLL
“Our truck inches on in the streets, allowing us a safe view of the scene. Everywhere, people scream their good-byes to those who choose...
CONTRIBUTED BY KELSEY FEENEY
As most of you know, there are plenty of tattoo studios to choose from here in Okinawa. Unlike the states, however, most tattoo shops here do not offer piercing services. I was itching to get my nose re-pierced and after searching high and low I almost gave up until I discovered Island Tattoo. I cannot speak...
CONTRIBUTED BY KATHRYN STRONG
When I first arrived in the northern part of Okinawa three years ago, vegetarianism was a little known and often misunderstood concept. Since that time though, I’ve seen a remarkable transformation take place right in my backyard. Restaurants that previously had no meat-free offerings have added dishes to their menu or expressed a willingness to accommodate...
CONTRIBUTED BY EMILY COZZIE
One day my husband was looking online for fun places to stay overnight when he came across the Surf Side Bed and Breakfast. I was so excited because I am a sucker for quaint and charming get-a-ways. And what made this place even better was they allowed dogs. Yes, you read that right, our four-legged canine...
Editor’s Note: This is the fifth installment of Kassie’s adventure through Cambodia and Vietnam with her sister. Click on the following links to read the others: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10
CONTRIBUTED BY KASSIE O’DRISCOLL
Tabitha and I started our journey to Phnom Penh in the afternoon. Our hotel booked our bus for us using Giant Ibis Transport, which...
CONTRIBUTED BY ANDREW FASSETT
Tsuru-Mi-Ya Ramen was my favorite restaurant on all of Okinawa for the two years I was there. It is basically a small Japanese noodle place that has delicious food, in good quantities, and for a very reasonable price.
My personal favorite was their deep fried chicken set with pork broth soup. I never left there hungry and...
CONTRIBUTED BY KATRINA RAYMOND
Living in Asia, we have the ability to see so many sites that are right at our door step. The opportunity to go to India for under $1,000 with flights, hotel, and tours was a deal I could not pass up. I went in May, which is low season, and why the deal was so hot (literally and...
CONTRIBUTED BY JENNIFER MARTINEZ
What better way to spend a breezy, uneventful afternoon in Okinawa than by strolling through the vibrant Southeast Botanical Gardens in bloom?
How about you take that lovely flora and fauna-filled afternoon, toss in a buffet lunch of the grandest kind at Peace Restaurant, and you guessed it: end the day with what could be the most exotic...
Editor’s Note: This is the third installment of Kassie’s adventure through Cambodia and Vietnam with her sister. Click on the following links to read the others: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10
CONTRIBUTED BY KASSIE O'DRISCOLL
Our tuk-tuk driver met us outside of our hotel, the Kiri Boutique Hotel, to take us around on our last day in Siem Reap. We...
Editor’s Note: This is the third installment of Kassie’s adventure through Cambodia and Vietnam with her sister. Click on the following links to read the others: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10
CONTRIBUTED BY KASSIE O'DRISCOLL
Our tuk-tuk driver met us outside of our hotel, the Kiri Boutique Hotel, to take us around on our last day in Siem Reap. We...
CONTRIBUTED BY EMILY COZZIE
It’s no doubt that Okinawa is one of the best places to find sea glass. Let’s face it, we can’t help looking down at the beautiful sand from time to time and spotting a gorgeous piece of frosted glass. It makes us wonder about the story behind it. Sea glass pieces may always be a mystery,...
CONTRIBUTED BY KATHRYN STRONG
It’s a Tuesday morning, which means that I have to be at work an hour later than usual, which means that instead of arriving at work right as Pain de Kaito is first opening its doors, I’m heading out as the bakers are pulling warm trays of bread out of the oven and lining them up on...
For all you parents looking for a preschool that suits your kids, we’re hoping to add a little something to aid in your search. Parents of children who attend various preschools on island have filled out a series of questions about the schools for the benefit of the rest of us. We welcome more than one voice on each...
Editor's Note: This is the third installment of Kassie's adventure through Cambodia and Vietnam with her sister. Click on the following links to read the others: Part 1, Part 2, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10
CONTRIBUTED BY KASSIE O'DRISCOLL
After leaving Angkor Wat, we asked our tuk-tuk driver to take us to a breakfast place that he'd enjoy. He ended up taking us to...
CONTRIBUTED BY KELLY GILLOTTI
I saw this huge green vegetable, with a sticker price of around $1.75, and decided that I must learn to like this, based on the price alone.
I stood there in the middle of the market, entering kana into my Japanese translation app to discover that yuugao (ゆうがお) is bottle gourd. Apparently, they make delightful liquid vessels...
CONTRIBUTED BY ANTHONY AND MICHELLE CAMINA
Café Seseragi sits nestled between a winding mountain road and picturesque flowing stream in the Motobu peninsula of Okinawa. The first thing one will notice upon arrival, even more so than the shokhiho (Japanese gargoyles) that sit atop the café’s prominent black terra cotta roof, is the entrance to an impressive garden path adjacent...
Editor's Note: This is the second installment of Kassie's adventure through Cambodia and Vietnam with her sister. Follow along on the rest of their trip: Part 1, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10
CONTRIBUTED BY KASSIE O'DRISCOLL
The second day in Siem Reap we decided to play smarter, not harder. So, we hired a tuk-tuk driver and headed back out to...