Living overseas has its challenges, and a commonly agreed upon one is finding that perfect place to live. To help those of us who are curious about the different options for living on Okinawa, readers have answered some of the most frequently asked questions about on-base housing. If you live in an on-base house that has not yet been...
CONTRIBUTED BY CHRISTOPHER DONG
Tsuki Window
It was a clear, crisp night as he journeyed along Hiei mountain route. The twilit sky glowed dark and immense, path softly illumed by the white blushing moon. As he hiked towards the temple, the calm that surrounded him amplified the sounds of his own movements; the deep rush of breath breathed in and out,...
CONTRIBUTED BY QUENTIN RICHARDSON
I never though I would tell someone “I’d wish the fish would stop following me”, especially since I love snorkeling. This place has so many hungry fish that literally stalk you for food as you swim. They know the benefit of human interaction leads to a quick meal. This place has as many, if not more...
CONTRIBUTED BY JESSICA YANKEY
Turtle Crate
Recently, my family and I attended the annual turtle release by Churaumi Aquarium. We were invited by the local Boy Scout Executive, Karen Meier, from the Far East Council. Each year, there is a lottery and island residents have the opportunity to enter to try to win one of the coveted turtle release positions. This...
Motobu Dolphin Jump
CONTRIBUTED BY AMY MADDOCKS
We swam with dolphins! Literally! This last weekend my family and I were blessed with the opportunity to join in a program where we were able to interact with dolphins, including swimming with them and having them do tricks around us. All of this was done at a facility called Motobu Genkimura. You can...
CONTRIBUTED BY ELAINE ROBINSON
Shiny Exterior
Once in a while, it is nice to be able to take a break, relax and, well, get a good massage. Recently, I discovered a wonderful massage place near my house. It is called Shiny Relaxation Room. I’ve passed by it many times and one day, I finally decided to try it.
Shiny Massage Room
The place...
CONTRIBUTED BY QUENTIN RICHARDSON
Tsuken-jima is a nice get away easily seen from White Beach or Katsuren castle. Also known as “carrot island”, this place has a lot to offer and worth a day trip. I invited some co-workers to explore this place with me since the summer had finally arrived. The ferry schedule can be found from various sites...
CONTRIBUTED BY ANGI BRZYCKI
Vivace Exterior
The Vivace building is rather large and difficult to miss. It is on the edge of Naha and Shuri on the 241. The first floor has a high quality spa that offers facials and a variety of relaxation treatments. On the second floor there is a high end boutique. VIVACE also offer healthy eating workshops...
CONTRIBUTED BY KYLE KELLY
As my time here on Okinawa tragically comes to a close, my family and I are in a mad rush to try everything we can. I’m sure it is a common thing, but there are many things that we kind of “put on the back burner” as far as things to do and we are making...
Living overseas has its challenges, and a commonly agreed upon one is finding that perfect place to live. To help those of us who are curious about the different options for living on Okinawa, readers have answered some of the most frequently asked questions about on-base housing. If you live in an on-base house that has not yet been...
CONTRIBUTED BY NATALIA TSOI
My boyfriend and I love to travel. This January, we decided to go to Beijing to celebrate the Dragon Chinese New Year. I flew from Hong Kong to Beijing and my boyfriend flew via Air China’s new direct route from Naha to Beijing. It took about 2.5 hours to arrive from Naha.
We stayed at the Park...
Gusuku
CONTRIBUTED BY QUENTIN RICHARDSON
Anywhere from Manzamo to Motobu facing out west toward the sea, you see an island not too far out with a cone-shaped mountain at its center. This island is known as Ie-jima, and its tallest peak is Mount Gusuku also known as “Gusuku Yama." This sacred mountain is home to prayer sites and a short, but...
The 2012 calendar was only available for a couple short months at the end of 2011 and the beginning of this year. In case you missed the opportunity to purchase one for yourself, we'd like to show you what you're missing.
This was August's...
CONTRIBUTED BY ERIN SCHALK
Kanji
During a visit to see family, little did I know that an elementary knowledge of kanji would add another dimension to watching Top Gear, a British TV devoted to cars. My brother Patrick, who has been enamored with the world’s flashiest and fastest motor vehicles since his high school days, cannot get enough of the program...
CONTRIBUTED BY QUENTIN RICHARDSON
Mina Sea Life 2
I read about this location last year and decided to take a co-worker of mine who really enjoys snorkeling. The first time I went to this location, there were mostly divers entering the water and fishermen (at the "first half" discussed later). It wasn’t overloaded with large groups of tourists or locals and...
CONTRIBUTED BY CRAIG LAPINE
Sniperz Team
When you think of Okinawa, you think of some of the best diving in the world and some of the worst heat and humidity this side of the equator. What you don't think of is ice hockey, but believe it or not there are several teams that play at Southern Hills Ice Arena in Naha.
The...
CONTRIBUTED BY ELIZABETH GOMEZ
Brazilian SC Logo
For devoted soccer families moving to Okinawa, there are a few choices for play. The best option for our family proved to be the Brazilian Soccer Club, coached by professional trainer Roberto Iwashita.
Brazilian SC Play 2
We began with summer soccer camps to get a feel for the club. Having just come from the madness...
CONTRIBUTED BY AMY MADDOCKS
Urasoe Art Building
Want to see some of the most amazing cultural treasures of the Ryukyu kingdom? Head on over to the Urasoe Art Museum. This museum mainly focuses on laquerware and the cultural exchanges with neighboring countries that heavily influenced the development of Ryukyuan laquerware. There are both temporary and permanent exhibition rooms to enjoy.
Urasoe Art...
For those of you planning a move to Okinawa soon, we hope Marie's descriptions of the process of their travel and first months of settling in can help you with a few of the "unknowns." To read more of their story see links at the bottom of the post.
CONTRIBUTED BY MARIE LEWIS
"The Constitution only guarantees the American people...
CONTRIBUTED BY KELLY ZENKEWICH
Washi Box
Washi Collage
On a Japanese craft blog I read, Hello Sandwich, the Australian writer, editor and designer dedicates a lot of time to talking about washi tape. It's something I had only seen in passing on sites like Etsy and Pinterest, and seeing what Ebony Bizys at Hello Sandwich did with the tape was absolutely inspiring!
Washi...
Kokusai Street, Naha
CONTRIBUTED BY AMY MADDOCKS
We talk about “Kokusai Street” all the time here on this beautiful rock we call home, but some of us only really know is that it’s in Naha and is a fun street on which to shop. And, of course, where they hold the famous Naha Tug-of-War each year. So, here is some basic...
CONTRIBUTED BY REIKO MOTOBU
I saw the add for FLEX in the Okinawa Living magazine and though it looked good! So a couple days ago we finally had the chance to go and try it!
Flex Bar
The place is pretty big. They have a bar, and they also have some tables outside facing Araha beach. We sat inside, a table for two....
Follow Sarah's OCONUS to OCONUS journey here: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6
CONTRIBUTED BY SARAH FORTE
Olympic PCS e1340020468834
There are several milestones when planning a PCS to Okinawa: sending off your shipments, the long oceanic flight, finding a house, and getting a car. When you leave, these same events have to be reversed: you pack again, check out of housing, book...
CONTRIBUTED BY ANGI BRZYCKI
Barclay Exterior
Truthfully, I am not really a fan of strip malls with the exception of Barclay's court in Urasoe City.
For one, the Starbucks opens at 6:50 am compared to a lot of the other Starbucks in Okinawa that open at 9 am. The only drawback is that they do not have WI-FI. The Daiso (100 Yen...
CONTRIBUTED BY TARA HOWES
Tara used to live on Oki and was our Forum manager. She now resides in Texas, but just had to write and tell us about her family's incredible experience at this dojo.
My nine year old son left his hoodie at school last week and today when he came home he cried that it was gone forever....
CONTRIBUTED BY QUENTIN RICHARDSON
Minna Beach
It was finally a nice day in between all of the rain, so I invited a bunch of co-workers and friends out on a day trip originally to Zamami-jima in the Keramas. Due to some maintenance work, the north port (Tomarin) wasn’t launching the express ferry at the time. So plans had to change. I...
CONTRIBUTED BY AMY MADDOCKS
Hamagawa Trail
The randomness of this island never ceases to amaze me. I love that little parks, shrines, or random historical sites are sometimes located in the middle of a busy street or surrounded by modern buildings. We came upon one such little beauty the other day called Hamagawa Ugan.
Hamagawa Sign
This place is considered a prayer site...
CONTRIBUTED BY DAVID GOTTLIEB
Oroku School
It’s surprisingly easy to spend time, sometimes even years, abroad without needing to know the local language. More often than not, just enough people have a working knowledge of English, and if they don’t, pointing and exaggerated gestures usually work just as well as speaking. But aren’t we cheating ourselves? Aren’t we cheating those so...
CONTRIBUTED BY JORDYN PUGH
The rumors are true, my friends! After many long years of waiting and wishing and hoping, the military finally has provided an off leash dog park! I almost could not believe my eyes when reading the news on a status update from Karing Kennels, and was very excited to try it out.
My husband took our dog...
CONTRIBUTED BY QUENTIN RICHARDSON
Tachigaa Sign
On a cloudy Sunday morning, I decided to show my guest (Mom) some of the waterfalls of Okinawa. It’s an adventure worth doing if prepared and planned out. We visited the first set and made our way to the next set of falls known as “Meoto” or “Tachigawa”.
If you are like me and speed from...