CONTRIBUTED BY KELLYERACE
About a week ago a friend came over to my house telling me that she’d just gotten done eating pancakes at a new pancake house in Yomitan. A new pancake house? Here? In my neighborhood? I hardly dared to believe such good fortune. “Like real pancakes or teeny tiny fake ones?” I asked her. “Real pancakes” she...
CONTRIBUTED BY KAHO
Today I am writing about an organic store in town called "anew". I know two in Okinawa City. One is located very close to Kadena Gate 2 and the other one is located near Camp Butler. Please see below for the directions.
All the labels are written in Japanese, but I don't think it's hard to figure out...
CONTRIBUTED BY MEREDITH NOVARIO
Eli, my oldest boy, turns three this week which is odd because I'm pretty sure I just had him a couple of months ago. Three years is an impossible and shallow way to sum up the time and energy and heart-aching, back-breaking love that is Eli. You know how it goes.
Before we came to Okinawa and...
CONTRIBUTED BY JOELLE YAMADA
So the Powells & Kelly want to know about the Sakura (Cherry blossom) Festivals which are supposed to happen next weekend (25/26/27 January). And since I'm going to Okuma for next weekend, I do to!! But I'm very frustrated because I can't find specific info related to THIS year.
However, here is a collection of info...
CONTRIBUTED BY KAHO
I wrote about Co-op a couple of weeks ago and said that the Co-op stores carry organic vegetables. For those of you who do not read Japanese, it's hard to find what are organic and what are not. So, here I am to show you how you can find them.
Try to look for the stickers. I put...
CONTRIBUTED BY SUZY
Let me just start out by saying that I'm pregnant and can't get enough of any kind of Chinese food. I have been searching recipes to try to make the stuff I crave at home but it never seems just right so I finally gave up and began trying local places to feed my cravings. I've found...
CONTRIBUTED BY MEREDITH NOVARIO
On February 1st of last year, I wrote the first Okinawa hai! post. In just shy of a year we have put out 310 additional posts and received 1515 comments. We haven't broken any world records or lined our pockets but we've reached out to each other. We have created a place for people to share...
CONTRIBUTED BY JOELLE YAMADA
Just wanted to give a chance for those of you who are involved in various Bible studies around the island to give a shout out to your group. It was one of the things I looked for when I first arrived to try to connect with other women and find a friend or two (which I...
CONTRIBUTED BY KELLYERACE
This question is brought to us by our loyal reader, Arleta. She writes:
I have been a faithful reader of the okinawahai blog since we got our orders in at the end of July and now that we're here I want to learn how to make some of these yummy foods here. I have googled my way around...
CONTRIBUTED BY CASEY
{Last week, Casey was trying to find Liberal Sushi Restaurant. She found it, and here’s what she’s got to say:}
Well we found it and it is a very nice little restaurant. It was 1200 yen for all you can eat sushi for an hour as well as other yummy foods from a mild curry, various salads, miso...
CONTRIBUTED BY KAHO
These are not the nicest pictures of the store, I know... I apologize. I had some time to take pictures of the store one day, but the weather happened to be a little gloomy.
There are movie rental places in the U.S., but I have never seen places to rent CD's. Here in Japan, it's common to rent...
CONTRIBUTED BY DIANA MIDDLETON
Most of us have had to do this at least once in our time as military families--move out of one house into another all on our own! In the Marine Corps, we call it a D-it-Y move (ditty). This can be good or bad depending on how you look at it. If you're like me, it's...
CONTRIBUTED BY KAHO
I've seen a question about where to go to find maternity clothes in Okinawa before. I thought that I would put some information on maternity items sometime and finally I decided to do that this time even though I don’t have much helpful information to present. I figure that if I throw this question out there, readers...
CONTRIBUTED BY SUZY
My husband, two year old, and myself recently stopped by a gorgeous little coffee shop called The Hearth Cafe. It's located down the road from the Transit Cafe at the Sunabe Sea Wall. It's the very last building on the right before the road turns into a dirt road at the wall. We parked on the wall...
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...
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 off-base house that has not yet been...
CONTRIBUTED BY KELLYERACE
On Thursday, some of my ESL students at Central Texas College shared their favorite "off the beaten path" places to eat. Today, we've got three more places to read about: a museum, a beach, and a great place to check out a beautiful sunrise. Enjoy!
THE PERFECT SUNRISE
CONTRBUTED BY SEIKO
If you want to see a beautiful sunrise, I...
CONTRIBUTED BY KELLYERACE
I just finished a project with my ESL students in which we talked about places that are "off the beaten path". They read about off the beaten path treasures that sprinkle New York City. They wrote about the off the beaten path gems they love in Okinawa. Among them are a bakery, a Christmas restaurant, a museum,...
CONTRIBUTED BY KAHO
I like shopping in Japan, but sometimes I do miss shopping in the U.S. I miss H&M, Zara, Gap, Old Navy, etc… There are many places to shop in Okinawa, but prices are not always within my reach. There is one store that I love going and the prices there are affordable to me. I’m a bargain...
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...
SushiZenSign, originally uploaded by okinawa hai.
PHOTOS & REVIEW CONTRIBUTED BY AVIVA BOWMAN
This past July, a new restaurant, Sushi Zen, opened its doors near the Sunabe Seawall. Local sushi lovers frequent this neighborhood spot to enjoy conversation with the friendly chef and owner (who moved here after spending 25 years in Queens, New York – and loves to talk about...
CONTRIBUTED BY KAHO
I am a bread lover. I can live on bread. I don't know many good bakeries on the island. There is a post on a bakery in Yomitan area on this blog. I would love to go up there to buy some pastries, but having a little one doesn't allow me to explore all the way up...
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 off-base house that has not yet been...
CONTRIBUTED BY JULIA
My friend Angela pointed me towards this mom and pop shop that uses Kanji characters in its name. How Tsu or rather Hao Chi in Chinese means “delicious” or “tastes good”. Well it certainly lives up to its name and not just by my standards. Out of the goodness of my heart I had passed some of their wares onto...
CONTRIBUTED BY JULIA
Ramayana Asian Market is a great place to go if you're looking for something unique for your home or just some cool accessories. They sell products from several different countries including Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and India. You'll find handbags, necklaces, pillows, curtains, wooden statues, and even some furniture. They also sell women's clothing, incense, and candles.
I found...
Photograph thanks to Jennifer Shue
CONTRIBUTED BY MEREDITH NOVARIO
Kijimuna, these are my friends.
Friends, this is Kijimuna.
species: fairy, sprite, goblin family
gender: male & female
age: greater than three but less than ten
origin: Okinawa
hang-out: banyan trees
hair & face color: red
likes: fishing and eating the left eye of his/her catch
dislikes: octopus and people who pass gas on their backs
signature move: paralyzing people while they...
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 JOELLE YAMADA
**INFORMATION UPDATED JANUARY 2010**
Chasing your child who is running toward the wall with non-washable crayons may seem exhausting, but I'm not sure it actually counts as exercise. Now, the 27 trips up and down the stairs with baskets of clean/dirty clothes, dozens of shoes, blankets and pacifiers MAY count, but it's sure not much fun. But...
CONTRIBUTED BY BAMBI CALDWELL
This garden was beautiful! The entry fee was free and you just tell the people at the front entrance how many people (at least on the day we went -- Adventure Okinawa says it is 300 yen for adults and 100 yen for 10-16 year olds). You can pay 100 Yen at various...
CONTRIBUTED BY JULIA CHEN
Editor's Note: We published a new post on this park in October 2013. Click here to read the newer post on Tobaru Koen Park.
Tobaru Koen is home to the largest rollerslide that I’ve been to on-island so far. My kids love it! The last time we went I had to check the back of...