CONTRIBUTED BY MONETTE EAMES
Soul Kitchen Front
I was never a big fan of ‘soul food’ growing up on an island, but I guess I was just not getting the REAL soul food. When we moved to Southern Georgia, we were surrounded by ‘soul food’ types of foods. I grew to love hush puppies, fried chicken, grits, gumbo, collard greens,...
CONTRIBUTED BY QUENTIN RICHARDSON
Snorkeling Area
Snorkeling this area is very rewarding if you use your best judgement. There is plenty of areas to see squid, eels and a variety of fish. There are areas like this all over the island, but on this particular day when the water was calm, we decided to give it a try. Only enter this...
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 one thing I was DYING to...
Editor's Note: The owner of this salon has since left Okinawa. We are leaving this post in our archives for those of you who may be looking for it.
Salon Erwani
CONTRIBUTED BY MELISSA JOHNSON
With each move in the last 17 years, there are the immediate priorities -- new doctors, dentists, food stores, schools, etc. But then comes the second line essentials...
CONTRIBUTED BY MELISSA RUISZ NAZARIO
Remember that scene in Big Daddy when Adam Sandler's character and little blonde "Frankenstein" try to order breakfast at McDonald's, but find out they're too late? Huge tantrum ensues. We can relate--why not just serve breakfast all day? Who doesn't love "breakfast for dinner"?
Cafe Latte Pancakes Bacon
Enter Café Latte, located inside Kadena's Officers Club. They...
CONTRIBUTED BY MONETTE EAMES
Motherleaf Exterior
A recent visit to Camp Schwab reminded me of visits to the North Shore in Hawaii. Visits to the North would always end with trips to the competing shave ice stands. I remember patiently waiting in line for my soft, pineapple flavored shave ice with a treasure trove of vanilla ice cream and...
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
Newlywed Road Signs
After the shock of our...
CONTRIBUTED BY MELISSA NAZARIO
Oceans Pizza Booth
Suppose you met a couple of Okinawa newbies (or, you're that Okinawa newbie), still bubbling with excitement and ready to explore and find adventure on this tropical island. And, suppose at the top of their To Do List was to try some Japanese interpretation of American cuisine, to be able to eat a lot...
CONTRIBUTED BY MONETTE EAMES
1756 Exterior
This is one of those cute little cafés where the owner makes a lot out of such a little space. This place isn’t big at all. In fact, it’s probably the size of the living rooms in base housing—that’s including the café’s kitchen. When we walked in, my kids had nowhere to...
CONTRIBUTED BY QUENTIN RICHARDSON
Kijoka Torii
Kijoka Falls
found about this site from my Okinawa Explorer Book. Since I was heading past this area, it was a good idea to check it out. It’s not as impressive as the other nearby falls, in fact, its a prayer site. Jumping in and taking a dip wouldn’t be a good idea at this one....
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
Riding with our sponsors from Kadena Air...
CONTRIBUTED BY AMY MADDOCKS
Tsuboya Vill Map
Tsuboya Vill Street
After visiting the Tsuboya Pottery Museum, don’t miss taking a walk down Yachimun Alley. Plan on spending at least an hour discovering adorable little shops, cafes, and watch skilled artisans work their creations. You can even create some pottery of your own!
Naha’s Tsuboya District is the center of Okinawan pottery,...
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 just a sampling of the facts...
CONTRIBUTED BY MONETTE EAMES
Ever since we moved to Okinawa, ladies I met from a Bible Study class often talked about the Tee House on Kadena. I imagined a cute little tea house where we could have tea parties at High Noon, complete with finger sandwiches, scones, crumpets and different types of teas.
Not until I found an ad for the...
Editor's Note: Louise submitted an article about her kids' success with Island Youth Lacrosse back in 2012. Since then, the league has grown and much has changed. The current President of Island Youth Lacrosse, Shannon, updated the article for us in August 2014. However, we've kept some of Lousie's original comments to make sure you still get the parent's perspective!
CONTRIBUTED BY LOUISE MCKERNAN/UPDATED BY...
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
Ah, jet lag. As many times as I'd...
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 May's page {Click on...
CONTRIBUTED BY MONETTE EAMES
Hinata Front
I am always on the lookout for cute cafes when I’m not confined within the school walls with my students. It’s probably because I’m such a huge foodie. I’m happy when I’m around food… and ever since we moved to Okinawa where they don’t just slap food together, presentation means a lot, too. So while...
CONTRIBUTED BY MONETTE EAMES
So roll call for your Space A flight is at four in the morning. You grab snacks for the kids on your way out of the house in hopes that you’ll make that one special flight and you won’t need any more food until you reach your destination. You get there to the terminal extremely early...
Pineapple Big One
CONTRIBUTED BY AMY MADDOCKS
While taking a drive to the southern tip of the island last weekend, we saw a huge pineapple on a corner at an intersection in Naha. My husband and I love pineapple, so on our way back we decided to stop and see what was going on. Turns out, this place not...
CONTRIBUTED BY CALYN PAQUIN
Petit Sweet Front
I passed by this place so many times with intention to patronize like I did with many places I’ve seen in Okinawa. After I tried a delicious birthday cake they made at a birthday party and heard so many great reviews from my Japanese friends, I finally made the trip.
Petit Sweet Inside
When my...
Editor's Note: Ryu's Dining was originally reviewed on Okinawa Hai on April 9, 2009; you can read a PDF copy of that original review HERE. The post below is an updated take on this restaurant, published May 1, 2012.
CONTRIBUTED BY AMY MADDOCKS
Ryu Front
We went to a little gem of a restaurant last weekend and I just had to share! This was my...
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
Newlywed Georgia Family
"Human beings are the only...
CONTRIBUTED BY JILL BAKER
Sidelines Outside
Since we have been here in Okinawa we have been looking for that restaurant that reminded us of the sports bar and grills that we were use to in the U.S. In the the back streets of Okinawa near Kadena we have found that place. It is off the beaten path but close enough to...
CONTRIBUTED BY CALYN PAQUIN
Medical Center Exterior
First, I must admit I am a person who likes to go with the flow when it comes to physical wellbeing. I am thankful that I am a relatively healthy person. Growing up in Asia with parents who were always tending to family business, we don’t go to annual checkups and whenever any of...
CONTRIBUTED BY MONETTE EAMES
Blue Shore Exterior
Brothers Cazimero, steel congo drums, ukulele strumming. Hawaiian music playing inside and outside the restaurant. Sigh...
Blue Shore Sign
On a beautiful sunny day in Okinawa (it's been pretty cold and windy lately) my children and I decided to stop at a cafe that we've been wanting to go to every time we passed by. Whenever...
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 ANGI BRZYCKI
LOrange Exterior
I first found out about L'Orange Patisserie (オランジュ) from the feature in CalendOkinawa. I could not believe how beautiful the muffins looked from the photos. I had to see for myself. The first time I went to L'Orange, the muffins had just come out of the oven. It was hard to decide which one to order....
CONTRIBUTED BY LEEANN STEVENS
CREDO – Chaplains Religious Enrichment Development Operations: Great retreat workshops (Marriage Enrichment, Spiritual Growth, and Personal Growth) are available for married couples, individuals and teens. Retreats are FREE and open to all DoD ID cardholders.
This February, my husband and I went for a Marriage Enrichment Retreat by CREDO. We have been married for three years...
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
It's hard to describe the feeling of relief...