CONTRIBUTED BY MONETTE EAMES
Sai Kyou Exterior
Knowing only elementary Japanese words like arigatou, ohayo gozaimasu, and hai, we sometimes get intimidated walking into restaurants with no English or picture menus. Thankfully, I have a husband who encourages me to not let things like that stop us. I am so glad we did walk into this place called ‘Sai...
CONTRIBUTED BY SUZIE SMITH
Looking to expand your higher education while in Okinawa? Well look no further. The University of Maryland University College or UMUC is located right here on Okinawa and is ready to help you reach your goals. Of course you may have questions, but I’ll cover the basics for you.
Only on island for a couple of years?
Not...
CONTRIBUTED BY LEAH MAGID
Miyako View by Stephanie Magid
Miyako Beach
Mid-October, my little family and I took a much-needed vacation to the small island of Miyako (Jima is "island"). I had been looking for a quiet, close place to visit for a while, and a few months ago I found Miyako. Just a 45 minute flight from Naha, Miyako is part...
CONTRIBUTED BY SARRA MCMILLAN
Green Papaya
Even though I have been living in Okinawa for 2 years, there are still moments where I am struck with fear in Japanese grocery stores, standing in front of vegetables that I couldn’t name, let alone know how to cook. OkinawaHai offers a great wealth of knowledge for deciphering some of these strange-looking foods (goya...
CONTRIBUTED BY ANGI BRZYCKI
Sakura Zaka Exterior
The Sakura Zaka 桜坂劇場 is one of my favorite places to go to in Naha. The movie theater shows mainly independent Japanese, American, and foreign films. The screening rooms are fairly small, similar to an old theater house. Most of the films are hard to find at the big theaters; the one draw...
CONTRIBUTED BY QUENTIN RICHARDSON
Kyan View
These two sites provide fantastic views of the southern coast as well as secluded snorkeling opportunites (given the sea condtions). Both sites are amazing places to take a loved one; however, kids need to be closely watched if present. Both sites can be visited en route to other places, such as Okinawa World & Peace...
CONTRIBUTED BY LAURA COSTA
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 what they do, they love balloon art, and...
CONTRIBUTED BY QUENTIN RICHARDSON
Yanbaru Bird
Yanbaru Front
I found this spectacular place while looking at it from Cape Hedo. I was curious to see it close up and wanted to snap some photos of it. The problem was... finding it. My first attempt didn’t go so well. However, persistence paid off, as is often true on Okinawa, and once I discovered how...
CONTRIBUTED BY ERIN SCHALK
rakuten purchasesII
As holiday season approaches, time, patience, and energy are all beginning to run short, while social commitments and gift lists increase with each passing day. For those of you who have already completed your holiday purchases, congratulations! Obviously you are very good at planning ahead, or you secretly harbor some sort of shopping...
CONTRIBUTED BY MONETTE EAMES
Lima Sign
Lima… the capital of Peru, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Imagine my surprise when we found a place called ‘Lima Restaurant’ one day after church! Ever since discovering a Peruvian restaurant near Okuma, I knew I had to find one closer to home. I was so excited to find Lima, assuming it was...
CONTRIBUTED BY SARAH FORTE
We were recently invited to enjoy a complimentary meal at Jumbo Steak Han's in partnership with Plat Okinawa. Sarah and her husband enjoyed the meal, but the opinions are all ours.
Hans Front
Steak! Savory red meat cooked to your specification, seasoned just enough to bring out the full flavor. In my book this one piece of food,...
CONTRIBUTED BY QUENTIN RICHARDSON
Kaya View 3
I found this spectacular place on my way to Cape Hedo. If you want to see how beautiful Okinawa really is, this is the place. It’s one of those spots where a photo of this place will convince anyone to visit!
Kaya Hut
Located above the northernmost tunnel on Highway 58 in Kunigami Village, the area...
Back in 2008 we had a regular contributor, Kaho, whose first language was Japanese. She wrote many posts with helpful information about commonly used and needed Japanese expressions, often added to the ends of her posts about shopping. We're turning her "Japanese Corner" tidbits into posts of their own so that you can hopefully feel more comfortable beginning to...
Editor's note: We have been informed that this restaurant was closed for six months, but as of March 2015 the bar section has reopened, with the full restaurant planning to open again in summer 2015.
CONTRIBUTED BY JESSICA RODRIGUEZ
Crocs Crab
A delicious restaurant in American Village, Crocodile’s is easily one of the best places that I have eaten on while on Okinawa. Its atmosphere...
CONTRIBUTED BY ANGI BRZYCKI
Pan Ya Signs
EDITOR'S NOTE 8/12: This post was written specifically about the Urasoe location. Unfortunately these shops have closed. They are still open at their Naha address -- map below indicates Naha locations.
Two of my favorite places for french toast in Okinawa are the Sea Side Cafe and Pan-Ya (Bread Shop). Lately I've been going to Pan-Ya...
CONTRIBUTED BY QUENTIN RICHARDSON
If you want to know even more about Okinawa, I highly recommend this book. It covers so much material abouth holidays, places to see/eat/stay, as well as some historical facts. I have used this book in conjunction with the TripAdvisor App to “explore” all there is to do on the Okinawa Prefecture. In my experience, the...
Back in 2008 we had a regular contributor, Kaho, whose first language was Japanese. She wrote many posts with helpful information about commonly used and needed Japanese expressions, often added to the ends of her posts about shopping. We're turning her "Japanese Corner" tidbits into posts of their own so that you can hopefully feel more comfortable beginning to...
CONTRIBUTED BY ANGI BRZYCKI
Ukishima Front
Prior to moving to Okinawa I lived in LA for 7 years. I got used to the “organic” food phenomenon and vegan restaurants 'a-plenty. When I moved here, I figured there would be just as many 'healthy' style restaurants in Okinawa. After all, I heard my friends from the states raving about the 'Okinawan diet'...
CONTRIBUTED BY ERIKA MEYERS
Becoming a student on Okinawa is simple. There are several international universities on the island that accept students:
Meio University
Okinawa International University
Okinawa University
University of the Ryukyus
For people living on Okinawa already, becoming a student is easy because you need to submit your application in person. As far as paperwork goes, it is in Japanese (some with poor...
CONTRIBUTED BY JESSICA TIUSECO
Red Lobster Exterior
Let me start this off by saying that I have never been to a Red Lobster in the states, in fact my consumption of sea food was pretty limited until I came to Okinawa four years ago.
We found ourselves exploring around Naha after the Tug of War ended, and just so happened to stop...
Back in 2008 we had a regular contributor, Kaho, whose first language was Japanese. She wrote many posts with helpful information about commonly used and needed Japanese expressions, often added to the ends of her posts about shopping. We're turning her "Japanese Corner" tidbits into posts of their own so that you can hopefully feel more comfortable beginning to...
CONTRIBUTED BY ASHLEY MORALES
My friend decided to take me out to lunch for my birthday. She chose the restaurant Nana Iro no Niji.
Nana Road
The restaurant is hidden in a valley surrounded by a range of small mountains in northern Yomitan. The scenery around Nana Iro no Niji is refreshing. There is a pond that customers can walk around and...
CONTRIBUTED BY QUENTIN RICHARDSON
Urasoe Pano 1
Urasoe City Park & Castle Site is a massive network of observatories, walking paths and a large playground at its lower level. The park sits on a high hill on the border of Ginowan & Urasoe. It branches out in several directions and also includes nearby neighborhoods, cemetaries and a large athletic park.
Urasoe Castle
For...
CONTRIBUTED BY MONETTE EAMES
Olive Sign
Lately, I have been craving the Olive Garden back in the states. So when I found out that there was an Olive Restaurant, I immediately started thinking about the Italian favorites and the never ending breadsticks and salads. I knew not to get my expectations too high, but once we stepped into Olive...
CONTRIBUTED BY HEATHER GELORMINE
As parents, finding quality childcare is one of those dreaded tasks that need attending to. Whether a parent works outside the home, works from home, or is one of those oxy-moronic "stay-at-home" parents who occasionally needs to leave the house without her (or his) kids, finding the right person to care for our wee ones is...
Back in 2008 we had a regular contributor, Kaho, whose first language was Japanese. She wrote many posts with helpful information about commonly used and needed Japanese expressions, often added to the ends of her posts about shopping. We're turning her "Japanese Corner" tidbits into posts of their own so that you can hopefully feel more comfortable beginning to...
CONTRIBUTED BY JESSICA RODRIGUEZ
Gyu Front
On a family outing looking for dinner, we found on OkinawaHai the Jungle Themed Izakaya. We stopped, and went in, and realized that there were people smoking. We had our four month with us and decided against staying because we didn’t want the baby to be exposed to so much cigarette smoke. Right across the...
CONTRIBUTED BY ANGI BRZYCKI
Ploughmans Food
The term “Ploughman's Lunch” is a British phrase for a plain and simple, cold lunch. It usually includes a piece of meat, salad, cheese, and bread. Ploughman's Lunch Bakery is true to the name and the general idea remains the same, but the meal is anything but plain and simple.
The restaurant only serves one plate....
CONTRIBUTED BY LEAH MAGID
English on the awning is our signal that the restaurant we are approaching has an English menu, or at least a picture menu. We rely on the familiar characters not only to let us know that food can be found inside, but that we are encouraged to patronize the particular establishment. For months, on our way...
Derby Gang
CONTRIBUTED BY ZABRINA "JerZee Stinga" Songui
When I first got to this island, I felt so disconnected. I was newly married and this was my first experience living overseas. My day-to-day activities involved going to the gym, driving around the island, cooking and cleaning. Yes! I know…Snore! Then, I was lucky enough to meet someone that was involved with...