CONTRIBUTED BY KELLY ZENKEWICH
Last week, Kelly started her list of seven great ways to use up those millions of little shikwasa that can be found in every corner market on Okinawa. To read the first four ideas, click HERE. And now back to Kelly...
5: Shikwasa & watermelon mint daquiri
shikwasa06
This recipe was born after my fridge froze a very expensive...
CONTRIBUTED BY AMANDA MARSHALL
The grave damage caused by the March 11, 2011, earthquake & tsunami is out of the news, but I was recently there to volunteer, and I can tell you first hand that it is nowhere near being over. They are still in the first phase of cleaning up the disaster - a lot of progress has...
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 KELLY ZENKEWICH
shikwasa01
In September at the supermarket I noticed shikwasas available in large amounts, for very low prices. Their harvest season is normally late summer but you can find them at lower prices into the fall. When looking at the large bags for sale I was confounded; how are they used in such large amounts? They are so...
Dragon Front 1
CONTRIBUTED BY LEAH MAGID
“Where do you want to eat?”
“I don’t know. Where do you want to eat?”
“How about this place?”
“No, I’m tired of that place. Plus, there is never parking. What about the other place, the one with the things and the people?”
“It’s good and all, but really? We ate there last time.”
(Lather, Rinse, Repeat).
Sound like your...
CONTRIBUTED BY HEATHER GELORMINE
Last week we opened a new post about pregnancy and childbirth at Lester Naval Hospital for discussion, in order to update the information for all our mommies (and daddies)-to-be. This week we're heading off-base, returning to a discussion about In Vitro Fertilization for those couples who may be requiring assistance in growing their families. A reader...
CONTRIBUTED BY LORALEE ALCANTARA
Associa front
If you’re looking for a nice, feel-good kind of full, and not a heavy food coma, Café & Bar Associa is a great lunch spot to fill up on some lite, healthy dishes for only ¥980. You’ve probably passed by this little gem many times like we did. Its outdoor patio and banner advertisement caught...
CONTRIBUTED BY HEATHER GELORMINE
We have two types of posts on Okinawa Hai that receive a huge amount of comments from our readers, both in the form of questions and answers. One of these is about housing, for pretty obvious reasons: we all have to sleep somewhere at night. The other is about being pregnant and delivering babies while on...
I always wanted to adopt but was never able to. I was a single 24 year-old female serving in the United States Marine Corps and adoption is expensive. I got by but let’s face it, I was no Angelina Jolie. I didn’t make the movie star paycheck and with the hours I worked, child care costs...
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, Koza Gate Apartment is...
CONTRIBUTED BY SARAH FILLMAN
My husband and I are new to Okinawa and really want to dive into some of the unique cultural experiences that are offered here (there are so many.) A great resource is the Schilling Community Center on Kadena. They offer a ton of great classes, excursions, ticket and travel information, big detailed maps of the island,...
CONTRIBUTED BY CALYN PAQUIN
When living in Okinawa, you are bound to drive on a few highways more often than others like 58, 330, 329 -- just to name a few. While Highway Route 66 is not one of them, there is a restaurant located in the Rocker NCO Club on Kadena Air Base named after it. This 60's themed...
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 KATIE CLARY
Obbligatos Front
I remembered from my first stay on Okinawa that Mexican food is few and far between in Japan. Other than the numerous taco joints scattered around, the only authentic Mexican restaurant chain is Obbligato. They have several branches: one in Uruma, one on 58 between Kadena and Lester, an Oblee in Yomitan near Torii, and...
CONTRIBUTED BY ERIN SCHALK
Wadaya Food
Being a newly diagnosed celiac presents many challenges, particularly when living in a foreign country. Beginning Japanese textbooks do not teach you how to say: “Excuse me, does this have wheat, barley, rye, or anything with gluten, or anything that has been cross-contaminated with gluten?” I foolishly took a risk on Coco’s low...
NEW TO OKINAWA? START HERE!
So you've just found out that you're moving to Okinawa, or maybe you've recently arrived, baggage and ticket stubs in hand, and a bit out of your element. Either way you're probably thinking, "NOW WHAT?"
Have no fear: you're in the right place! This page is all about links, from the official government-operated websites to the...
CONTRIBUTED MAYRA B.
We all have our list of the things we miss from the states. For me, one would be shopping malls where I can go browse & find the perfect items and check out, rather than the usual online shopping I do while being on the island. Next would be authentic Hispanic food! Growing up in New York...
Chura Hana Sign
CONTRIBUTED BY CALYN PAQUIN
Have you ever wished you could just stop and pop in any business establishments that caught your eyes while driving in Okinawa? I do all the time but usually I’m on my way to somewhere or I tell myself I’ll be back one day. This past 4th of July weekend, my hubby and I...
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Our readers have lots of questions. And in the interest of getting you the answers you need in the fastest manner possible we've compiled a list of the most Frequently Asked Questions here:
Q1: Help! I'm moving to Okinawa in the next few months and I'd never even HEARD of the place until a few weeks ago. What...
CONTRIBUTED BY SARAH FORTE
Kadena Gift Front
Where do you buy gifts for friends and family back in the States? I, for one, suffer from the self-imposed pressure of needing to buy something unique and—preferably—Asian. If I’m sending something from Japan, it doesn’t seem right to send something they could have gotten from Walmart. Am I alone?
Kadena Gift 1
This is when...
CONTRIBUTED BY KATIE CLARY
Cafe Pipi Neo is hidden away from the main roads, near the bird watching park in Tengan. Given that their logo is a flying bird, and "Pipi" is the Japanese onomatopoeia equivalent to "Cheep-cheep," I think it's actually named for the park. Whatever it's named for, they are a very cute little cafe with a good...
Capital Front
CONTRIBUTED BY JESSICA RODRIGUEZ
There have been many posts on here that mention Capital Steakhouse, but no post on Capital Steakhouse; I am here to fix that! Capital steakhouse has been my favorite restaurant on Okinawa since the first time my family and I went to this YUMMY location!
Capital steakhouse serves teppanyaki and sushi, all that is VERY...
CONTRIBUTED BY ERIN SCHALK
Miyawaki Store
Shortly after moving to Okinawa, I began to experience severe book withdrawal. My husband and I are not keen on recreational shopping, but while in the States, we did enjoy browsing around the local Barnes & Noble or Half Price Books during our free time. In an age of e-books and e-readers, text...
Holoholo Front
CONTRIBUTED BY KATIE CLARY
My first encounter with Cafe Holoholo was on a girls' lunch excursion. Our first choice had been closed, and Jenny suggested we try it. I vetoed it immediately, because I thought it was a Coffee house. The next time I drove by, I noticed a banner hanging on the retaining wall that said "Lunch" in...
Minatogawa Address
CONTRIBUTED BY ANGI BRZYCKI
Hidden away from the chaos of the 58 in Urasoe City is an area called Minatogawa. What once was military housing for families-has become a neighborhood of restaurants, cafes, bakeries, and little boutiques. The houses are chipped and the paint is faded, but the unique and antique businesses are full of charm.
Each narrow street has...
CONTRIBUTED BY JANNEL KETTENRING
Tamaudun Sign
Tamaudun Door
With the goal to see all nine World Heritage sites on Okinawa, while a friend was visiting, we headed off to find Tamaudun. We had a little difficulty finding this site at first. Most directions we found told us to go to Shuri Castle. After looking at the map we were able...
CONTRIBUTED BY CASSANDRA ABEL
Dining Nan's Front 1
While attempting to find Liberal Sushi and driving around in circles for about 25 minutes and our stomachs rumbling, we decided to give up on Liberal and stop at the first (decent) place we could find. We stopped at Dining Nan’s - a quite unmistakable place only half a block off of 58.
I...
CONTRIBUTED BY SUZIE SMITH
What do castle ruins, yakaniku lunch, pineapple wine, glass blowing, and a beer factory have in common? We all know how fun they all individually are; but did you know you can do all this in one day on Okinawa! Kadena ITT facilitates a monthly Explore the North tour that includes all these attractions.
Our tour started...
Gushikawa Sign
CONTRIBUTED BY KATIE CLARY
https://theotherokinawa.blogspot.com
If you are in the mood for some really good soki soba, Gushikawa Soba is a great option. I noticed this restaurant the first week my husband and I were on Okinawa, while we were still driving between the Foster Plaza Housing area and Camp Courtney nearly every day on Route 330/75. None of the...
CONTRIBUTED BY SUZIE SMITH
As a newbie to Okinawa, I’m always looking for a new place to enjoy Japanese cuisine. Normally I’m a little shy when it comes to trying out places that no one seems to know about, but this endeavor was different. I’d seen the Daruma Restaurant several times while traveling from Kadena to Foster and it caught...