CONTRIBUTED BY JEANINE CZUBIK
If you’re a wine lover, head down to Côte D’or Wine Selection Store. Open for just over a year, Côte D’or offers wines from Australia, California, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, and Japan.
This Japanese wine called Sai Sai koshu is produced using a thousand year recipe.
There are also several wines from the Nagano area. If you are...
CONTRIBUTED BY PAMELA OLIVERAS
I am featuring the three images posted for cloud this week. If you haven't arrived in/on Okinawa yet, you are in for a wonderful treat when it comes to clouds. There are some absolutely amazing cloud formations out here.
Thriveoutdoors is back after a long day of paddling near Onna point...
BijoD captured this image on their way...
CONTRIBUTED BY JANNINE MYERS
While holidaying in New Zealand recently, I was visiting with a friend whose daughter is currently studying Japanese in high school, and her daughter began asking me how to say certain Japanese phrases including, “I love you.” I had to think about it for a moment, because although it would seem to be a fairly easy...
CONTRIBUTED BY MARY RICHARDSON
It's strawberry season in Okinawa!
Sure, you could go to the store and buy a package of the sweet red fruit that may have been shipped over from somewhere else, OR you could seek out the local Blue Sky & Green Field Farm. Located in the northern part of the island, this strawberry farm lets you pick...
CONTRIBUTED BY JEANINE CZUBIK
The area just north of Naha is quickly becoming my favorite place to shop. Amidst the weathered buildings, newer, trendy stores seem to revitalize the neighborhood, as well as supply me with hard to find gourmet items.
Such is the case of fresh coffee beans. In my opinion, there can never be enough. I began my coffee education in...
CONTRIBUTED BY JANAE BURGER
As a child I watched ‘Annie’ numerous times while singing along with the song, “The sun will come out tomorrow’ and occasionally referring to my mother as Miss Hannagain when she assigned unwanted chores. This past fall I was thrilled when my church group was gearing up for a project for one of the local orphanages....
CONTRIBUTED BY PAMELA OLIVERAS
Melfeldt brings us 'Youth' this week.
Taken at Torii Beach at sunset. Look at this little girl go! The one thing I really love about Okinawa is that the kids can just run and really explore and BE KIDS! Thank you Melfeldt and everyone else.
Now for some cloud. Okinawa definitely has its fair share of amazing cloud...
CONTRIBUTED BY MARY RICHARDSON
Okinawan vista, photo taken while geocaching last weekend
A while back, a neighbor of ours mentioned that he's been doing something with his family called "geocaching." Ever heard of it?
Basically, it's a high tech treasure hunt game in which you use a hand held GPS to track down hidden containers, or geocaches.
Think of it sort of like the Amazing...
CONTRIBUTED BY PAMELA OLIVERAS
Pmyer brings us ONE breaching whale. Taken with a D90 (105mm) on the East side of Nago. This was taken last February. Okinawa is gearing up for this years whale watching season and there are many opportunities for tours, just check out all the local publications. Thanks for playing everyONE!
CONTRIBUTED BY JANNINE MYERS
Dining out and/or drinking with Japanese friends and acquaintances is perhaps a regular event for many of you, but for those of you who have yet to experience this, here are some basic cultural tips:
If you’re invited out to a restaurant it’s probably safe to assume that your Japanese host is going to pay for your...
CONTRIBUTED BY MARY RICHARDSON
Looking for a serene escape?
Visit the Tropical Dream Center, a secret garden tucked away in the midst of Expo Park. After navigating around masses of school kids and tourists at the aquarium last weekend, we ventured over to the center and felt instantly soothed.
The center has short (half hour) and standard (one hour) walking courses that...
CONTRIBUTED BY JEANINE CZUBIK
Are you a foodie who loves cheese? A warmed camembert spread over crusty French bread, a homemade batch of emmental and gruyere fondue, or perhaps a taste of something local? Cheers!! is the place to find all three.
Cheers!! offers both the well-known varieties of cheese including parmesan, gouda, brie, camembert, blue, boursin, havarti, and fresh mozzarella,...
CONTRIBUTED BY JANNINE MYERS
Whenever I pass through an airport in Japan, I am reminded by all the omiyage displays that I must not return home without bearing gifts. There are several occasions where giving a gift is customary in Japan, and one such occasion is when you return from either a personal or business trip.
The word omiyage essentially means...
Editor's Note: This attraction closed in 2014 and reopened in 2015 as Uchina Farm. We'll be publishing a review on the new farm in March 2016.
CONTRIBUTED BY MARY RICHARDSON
Would you ever have guessed that wine production and miniature golf go together?
Like other fun unusual business combinations in Okinawa (Think back to the egg shop and petting zoo), last weekend...
CONTRIBUTED BY AVIVA BOWMAN
I love artisan breads…and I miss them terribly. Though I love to cook and bake, bread is not on my list of abilities. It’s a pain – and I don’t have the patience. Living in Okinawa, I miss fresh-baked, crusty, delicious artisan breads. Well a local friend of mine told me about Gidon Boulangerie.
I’m told that...
SCHOOL INFORMATION INDEX
So you and your family are here on Okinawa (or getting ready to PCS to our lovely island) and you've got questions about the schools. Well, we've got some answers.
Links to DoDEA Websites
DODEA Pacific
DoDDS Okinawa District
DoDEA Okinawa School Calendar
DoDDS Kindergarten & First Grade Entrance Age Requirements: "Kindergarten students must be five years old on/or before 1 September of...
CONTRIBUTED BY PAMELA OLIVERAS
This week, Subajogu's car image represents 'yellow' for us. I am not a car fanatic myself, as long as it has 4 wheels and a steering wheel I am mostly good. But, I realize that some people just adore cars. I must say, I love the colours of some of the cars out here and would...
CONTRIBUTED BY MARY RICHARDSON
In early December, my husband had a work assignment at US Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni and I tagged along Space Available to get a glimpse of life on mainland.
Iwakuni has several worthwhile excursions and it is close enough to both Hiroshima and Miyajima Island to fill a few days with fun activities. Best of all,...
CONTRIBUTED BY LARISSA
“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” - Luciano Pavarotti
Salad at Pizza In The Sky
Most days I could comfortably say that my life is predictable, even boring. That included what I ate as well. Or, at least that...
CONTRIBUTED BY JEANINE CZUBIK
La Petit Prix is a quaint café and store reminiscent of a French farmhouse. While the exterior is white stucco wrapped in brick, the natural wainscoting and earthy tones inside draw you in.
Filled with organic linens and aprons, dishes and décor items, La Petit Prix likely holds an item to complement the country kitchen of someone...
CONTRIBUTED BY JANAE BURGER
Gone are the ornaments, the tree, the decorations, the lights, the holiday gatherings and the constant flow of delicious foods. Too bad everything about the holidays isn’t gone, namely that holiday weight.
With losing weight and increasing exercise being two of the top 10 most common New Years Resolutions, many of you are thinking about this right...
CONTRIBUTED BY PAMELA OLIVERAS
Happpyyyyyy Newwww Yeeeeaaaar! Erika AKA Bija D brings us a chilly image to start off the new year photo fun. There is no mistaking that clear and crispy blue sky, it is a winter day in OkinawaThere is no mistaking that clear and crispy blue sky, it is a winter day in Okinawa! And it's actually quite...
CONTRIBUTED BY JOELLE YAMADA
And you thought you knew what an apple was???
Two different apples to tell you about today! The first is called a Custard Apple:
When I asked my market guy about it he said that custard apple (also called sugar apple) is the sweetest thing grown on Okinawa. And WOW is he right. In fact, I didn't buy...
CONTRIBUTED BY MARY RICHARDSON
I wish you will have a good new year!
Yoi otoshi o omukae kudasai!
よいお年をお迎えください。
source
One of my most memorable events of 2009 was visiting the Naritasan Temple on New Year's Day. My husband and I participated in the Japanese tradition called Hatsumode, which refers to the first shrine or Buddhist temple visit of the year. It...
CONTRIBUTED BY LARISSA TRAQUAIR
Hands down the coolest place to get a donut on-island. If you love good food, a fun place to eat and convenient locations on the island then Mister Donut is the place. We discovered this sugar shack back in 1999. This was one of our favs that we missed once we were stateside again. What I...
CONTRIBUTED BY PAMELA OLIVERAS
This weeks pottery image is provided courtesy of SvitanNikol. A wonderful vast array of pottery items to feast yours eyes upon!
Lots of lovely colours and textures, I am wishing I didn't miss it. Next year, next year! Thanks so much for playing and for the other submitted images on the stream.
CONTRIBUTED BY JOELLE YAMADA
It takes me about two and a half minutes to do my hair, one and a half to do my makeup. Those times have shortened somewhat since the arrival of kids, but I've always been the type who preferred not to spend much time in the pursuit of "cleaning up nice." Hence my love for the...
CONTRIBUTED BY LARISSA TRAQUAIR
I know I have said this before but I love eating out in Okinawa – it makes me feel like my life is so interesting. I asked the hubs recently, “Will our lives be this interesting when we return to the states?” And to this he says “Is our life interesting now?” The urge to strangle...
CONTRIBUTED BY JEANINE CZUBIK
In many Asian cultures, a name stamp or seal is often used instead of a signature. Here in Japan, name stamps are called hanko and are used in business to signify acknowledgment or ownership. As a foreigner, I have had only a few opportunities to use my name stamp for attendance paperwork at the Japanese school where I work, but enjoy adding my mark at...
CONTRIBUTED BY PAMELA OLIVERAS
Love this super colourful image this week by Michael AKA mjspagna. It is "Oki junk - pile of scrap metal near new apartment building site near Sunabe Baba Park". Great capture! Truly Okinawa!