[EVENT INFORMATION - BASEBALL SEASON SCHEDULE]

Oh yeah! It's that's season again! BASEBALL IS HERE! 

Each year popular teams from around Japan (and Korea) come down to Okinawa for practice and exhibition games. You can catch them playing at various locations around the island. If you're a baseball fan this is a must! Check out the link below for schedule and information.

 

CLICK HERE

[EVENT INFORMATION - FEB 9 and 10]

Do you like American music? Why not check out "AMERICAN MUSIC TIME!" happening on the 9th and 10th of this month?The PACAF Band "Pacific Trends" will be performing at both American Village (Feb 9th from 7 to 8pm) and at the Itoman Roadside Station on the 10th at noon.

The event is free and open to all as an international exchange with the local community. There will be all types of music too so it's sure to please every taste.

APOC11 and the Okinawa International Orchid Show 2013

 

APOC11 (11th Asian Pacific Orchid Conference) and the 23rd Okinawa International Orchid Show is a yearly event that happens in February at the Ocean Expo Park located in Motobu. This is the largest orchid show in the country and a favorite among the many people who love flowers here in Okinawa.

This year we went to the show for the first time. To be honest we would have never heard about it if we had not gone to take a quick look at what a local travel agent located near our grocery store had available for local tours. Of course being the frugal and adventurous people that we are we skipped the tour but took down all the other vital information. It was also going to be exciting because it was the first time for us to go to the Tropical Dream Center, a part of Ocean Expo Park, which we had never gone to before.

We arrived early and were able to park a short walk from the entrance. (NOTE: If you plan on attending this event you're going to benefit if you arrive early. There is minimal parking near the venue itself and by the time that we left there were a number of people having to walk a great deal.) The entrance had a number of vendors selling various orchid related goods. The prices were reasonable especially if you are looking for something that is of a different variety then you can find at a local store.

Once arriving on the inside of the venue (after purchasing our tickets which you can get at half price if you come with a same day stub from the aquarium) we were pleased to see that there were orchids everywhere. They were used to decorate the entire entrance and they would continue the theme throughout.



As we continued on the route we found ourselves in a room which was sectioned off with various contestants for separate categories. Each orchid had already been judged (this is a competition after all) and the ones which stood above the rest wore a ribbon. (or two, or three) There were so many that I honestly didn't know where to look. Row behind row of beautiful multicolored flowers of all shapes and sizes seemed to take over the entire area of the Tropical Dream Center. In fact to be completely honest I cannot imagine what would even be there if there were no orchids.



As we continued to walk through the venue there were places to sit down and rest, even a large court yard with dancers and more goods to include turkish ice cream. The turkish ice cream was apparently a big hit because there was not one person in the place that was not enjoying some.

Overall we had a great time and would certainly go back again. There are some things that you should know before you go. Head over to the event early and before the flowers wilt. I realize that this is a place where flowers are kept but with the temperatures changing and everything else that has been going on recently it's best to get there as soon as you can so that you don't find yourself missing out. Arrive early in the day to avoid too much congestion. If you really want to look at the flowers then getting up early and heading out that way is going to be beneficial. We arrived at about 8:30AM when the event opened and left around 12:30PM. As we were heading out the large crowds started to roll in so the timing was just right in my opinion. Keep the kiddles at home. I realize that there are a number of people out there who feel that every place on Okinawa is kid friendly but the fact of the matter is that there are some places where your child simply isn't going to benefit from the experience and overall as a parent you're going to have a stressful time. Although this event offers child pricing (which is part of the standard pricing for the venue) there is really nothing for kids to do during this event. After all it is a flower show and competition. It is important to note, however, that this place would be a great place to take the kids any other time of the year as there are activities that would be scheduled more during the summer months but none of these seemed to be available for the show. If you do plan on taking the kiddles because you know that they can handle or would enjoy this type of thing keep in mind that the venu is not necessarily stroller friendly. If your intention is to bring a small umbrella stroller you should be good but the new large double strollers are going to be a struggle to get through some areas where the orchids are being displayed. Also note that baby backpacks might not be a good idea either because of low hanging plants and low ceilings which will no doubt result in plant like in your baby's face (especially if mom or dad are tall).

Aside from those few things there is not much else to say about the event. There is a very English friendly staff for this event as it is International. There are also people from all over the world too. I would certainly check it out if you are interested in flowers or just looking for a nice place to spend the weekend.

[EVENT INFORMATION - February 2 until February 3]

 

The FLOWER AND FOOD FESTIVAL is happening this weekend at ONOYAMA PARK located in NAHA CITY. You can expect to see flowers as well veggies which are common here in Okinawa. There also seems to be a lot of fun planned for those who are interested in taking classes however, there does not seem to be English Language support for those who are participating in the event so you might want to have some knowledge or Japanese or a Japanese friend who is willing to translate.

[EVENT INFORMATION - Jan 19 to Feb 3]

Snow may be falling in Tokyo but here in Okinawa it's already cherry blossom season! There are many places where you can enjoy watching the cherry blossoms but one of the places which caught my attention is the NAKIJIN 6TH ANNUAL CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL.

What could be better than looking at the cherry blossoms wile walking through a historic castle site? Seeing it all in a beautiful night time display of course!

The opening ceremony for this event takes place tonight (Jan 19) at 6pm. If you can't make it out there tonight not to worry you won't miss out on a good time. Each Saturday and Sunday during the festival EISA DANCERS will perform at the entrance of the castle starting at 5PM. On JANUARY 20TH Meio University will perform a CONCERT starting at 4PM and on the 26th of JANUARY you can also enjoy a performance of "The Wind Of Hokuzan" which starts at 4PM. All of these performances can be watched for free as they happen at the entrance of the castle, however, if you would like to walk the grounds and enjoy the cherry blossom's night time display the standard price of admission applies (300yen for children, 400yen for adults).

Here are directions courtesy of our friend over at Map It! Okinawa:

The most simple route is Highway 58 North to Highway 449, then on turn on Highway 505 heading towards Nakijin Village. You will see signs directing you to Nakijin Castle along the way.

[EVENT INFORMATION - February 2-11]

If you enjoy looking at beautiful flowers mark your calendar for APOC11 the 11th Asia Pacific Orchid Conference in OKINAWA & the 27th Okinawa International Orchid Show. 

This annual event takes place at the Ocean Expo Park and is the largest orchid show in the country. This is also a competition so be prepared for some amazing flowers and arrangements.

Ocean Expo Park Illumination

 

The holiday season is pretty much over but there are still a few places that are continuing the celebration which is why tonight we packed up the car and headed out to Ocean Expo Park for the Illumination that will be continuing until January 14th of this year. Rusty had seen something about this illumination and since it would be running through the 14th we figured why not.  Once Rusty got back from work we packed up the car and headed out.


 

Once arriving at the Ocean Expo Park we noticed that there were a great deal of parking spaces open. In fact some of the lots were even closed down. Finally we found the appropriate lot, parked the car and headed towards the lights.



Once we started towards the large open area we both became rather surprised. There were a few lights on either side of the rail but there didn't seem to be anything in the distance. Knowing that the park is a large area we moved onward. The first stop was towards the planetarium. The staircase was appropriately lined with white lights forming astrological signs. It was certainly beautiful. The planetarium itself was also open and offered a show which we had just missed by a few minutes.



We continued to move on towards the aquarium but unfortunately we found that there were only a few more lights which were on trees and along the walkways.



 

As we returned back to the car we took some time to look at the lights again. Canopies which were now taken down indicated that at one point there were vendors lining the larger area once visitors came down the stairs. Being that it was almost the end of the event's run we came to the conclusion that they probably had left. I imagine that the event may have felt more festive with them around. There was also a stage which made me feel as though there may have been live music or performers at one time. Tonight there were no performers but there was music playing throughout the park.



Overall the "event" as it had been advertised seemed very anticlimactic. There was not much to see and virtually nothing to do other than walk down a small path which even at our slow pace taking time to get good photographs took us no longer than about 15 minutes. Some shops were open but all were empty. The only people left in the park were the few who were trickling out of the aquarium.



Once arriving back home I took some time to do some research about the event and see if there was any more information on the internet that I may have missed. It turns out that according to the Ocean Expo Park website this is the first year of this illumination which leads me to understand it's small size and believe that it can only improve over time. Overall I would not say that that this is the type of event that you should plan to do as a stand alone. From what we saw I would say that this is a good button on a day full of fun at the Ocean Expo Park. Those who were in the aquarium and exited to the array of lights leading them back to their cars seemed to enjoy this but for us the hour long drive was not quite worth it. To be completely honest had we known that the lights would be less of an event and more of an addition to the time that you were spending at the park we may have left the house well before sun down and enjoyed one of the many things the park has to offer ahead of time and then close out the evening with a walk through the lights.



 

 

 

First Cherry Blossoms Bloom In Japan - Yaedake

Cherry blossoms are a sign of spring so you might imagine my surprise when I saw them blooming the other day as I came down a mountain road on Yaedake. Knowing that Yaedake is known for having the first cherry blossoms in all of Japan I could not resist so I pulled over and started snapping away.



Being that it is only late December this was a rare sight. The blossoms are not supposed to show themselves until at least mid January but here they were all around. It is said by the locals that when the cherry blossoms bloom that means we have seen our coldest day of the year. Being that it is so early in the winter I hope that this is not the case. I would like to enjoy a few more cool days before the summer returns.



If you would like to view cherry blossoms you can do so all over the island of Okinawa but remember there is no set time that they will bloom and there's no saying how long they will be around. Some say that is what is so special about cherry blossoms.

The Stone Lion of Kishaba

 



Almost everyone who comes through Okinawa is familiar with the shisaa. They come in many shapes, sizes and can be found in either pairs or by themselves. It is common for some nowadays to think of shisaa as good luck charms but this is not exactly the reason that they are around. Overall the shisaa is a protector. There are a lot of stories which I will save for another day but at a time they were most commonly seen on the roof of a house, not necessarily in pairs. This particular shisaa was placed in a location (different from where it sits today) facing a stone which was said to spit fire and therefore to prevent natural disasters in the area the shisaa was placed facing it.  There is no date on the shisaa and like many other things throughout Okinawa it can not be exactly determined when it might have been constructed but it does seem as though it is in the same fashion of the shisaa which are located in the kyuuna area. I have not yet talked about those shisaa in a video but I will be sure to cover them in the future.

The current location of this shisaa is in a small park which is located in the Kitanakagusuku area. The park is beautiful and holds a few different historical areas although at this time I am not entirely sure of what each one is. After walking up a large set of stairs into a large coral stone area you can feel as though you are in the middle of the jungle.

The park has a number of tombs and monuments although we did not venture to one of them because it was too overgrown. Signs mark the direction of each area as well. On a beautiful day this is a great place to get away for a brief moment and enjoy the sun but it is also a great place to see some history as well.

Below all of the tombs, water way and everything else in the overgrown area you can see that there is a large grassy area as well as a sandy area which is more likely than not used for gate ball. Benches also are set throughout the park for people who are wondering through to sit and enjoy the area. Although this is a great place to see this is not a park which is dedicated to kids, at least not kids who enjoy jungle gym equipment.

There are a few things to remember when visiting this park. First and foremost the roads leading to this park are small and you should use extreme caution to ensure that you are able to safely get where you need to go. I do not recommend bringing large SUV type vehicles to this location as you may encounter trouble. Also as with many other places of this type please have a great deal of respect for the area and the residents who are in the immediate area. I understand that when one uses the word "park" it can mean something different to some then it means for others. This is the type of park where you walk through rather than the type of park where you play ball. If you have the chance to check it out and if you want to see some history you will love this location.

Okinawa Kids Clothing Swap

There's no way around it, kids grow like weeds. One day you're cuffing their pants because they drag on the ground and the next they are 2 inches too short. Sometimes clothes have barely been worn before it's time to get rid of them because they simply don't fit any more. Wouldn't it be great if there was a way you could somehow put those clothes to good use? Well, it turns out that a group of people had the same thought and created the Okinawa Kids Clothing Swap.

[caption id="attachment_775" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Founded by Annastasia McPherson and joined by Sarah Cardio.
Current coordinators are Kristina Trujillo, Kristy Wells, Elaine Wang, and Courtney Walinski.[/caption]

 

What exactly is the Okinawa Kids Clothing Swap? In a nutshell it's an event that happens every 3 months where you can bring the clothes that your kids no longer have use for and swap with others who have done the same. Great idea right? Top it off with some super organized individuals who run the group and you have yourself a really great program.

It all started in April of 2009 when a military spouse who was stationed here in Okinawa put together the swap. At the time the group consisted of only about 12 people who met to swap clothes on Camp Foster. This, however, quickly grew to the large event that it is today and consequentially needed to move to a larger venue to accommodate all of the interest.

"How do I get started?" 

Before you run into your closet and pull out everything that you would like to bring to the next clothing swap there are some things that you'll need to know. First of all you're going to have to go over to the Okinawa Kids Clothing Swap Yahoo Group and register as a member which you can do by clicking here. This page has boatloads of information for you to read and to get you on the right track to participating in the next swap. You can also check out the Okinawa Kids Clothing Swap Facebook Fan Page  where you can not only get links to important information but communicate with others who are participating in the swap. I myself have check out the Facebook page and WOW! The great people over at Okinawa Kids Clothing Swap also would like to stress that if you have any questions ASK AWAY! They do a great job of giving you all the information you need.

Once you are registered it's time to get all of your clothes prepared for the event. I spoke with the coordinators over at the Okinawa Kids Clothing Swap who explained that this is the most important thing for participants to do before bring clothes to the swap. Premie/newborn through children's large clothing is accepted (sorry they do not accept juniors). You're going to have to sort and label clothing by gender, size and include your last name on each bag. You must double-check for stains, holes, excessive wear, and make sure that all buttons and/or zippers work. It is also asked that you do your best to bring only clothes which are in "like new" or "gently used" condition. Not only will this ensure that the standard of the swapped clothes is high but it also assists the volunteers from having to do unnecessary work.  Once this is done clothes are then dropped off at Kadena Elementary school, in the cafeteria, Friday before the swap (5-6PM) and Saturday morning before the swap (8-11AM). It is kindly requested that those with more than 50 items drop off clothes before 10AM and that those who participate bring no more than 100 items total.

"What can I expect at one of these swaps?"

[caption id="attachment_776" align="alignright" width="300"] This is no little swap. There are LOTS of clothes to pick from![/caption]

After you have dropped off your clothes you are free to leave and return at 12:30 to sign in and receive a credit total for the items you have brought to be swapped. This is done all by volunteers who sort and count your clothes as well as double-check to ensure that clothes meet their "gently used" standards. They will then fill out a form with your name and the total count of items accepted. If your item is not accepted because it does not meet the "gently used" standards you can choose to receive your item back or have it put into a "free" pile. For those of you who are first time swappers and might wonder why what you brought was not accepted the great people of Okinawa Kids Clothing Swap have thought of that. They will give you your items back and show you why they were not accepted.

The swap itself starts at 1pm at which time some announcements are made and then swappers can check out what items are available. Clothing is separated on tables by gender and size which makes things very easy for swappers. The event itself is quite fast paced and by 2:30PM most of the swappers have already checked out. 90 MINUTES! That pretty much means that there is no leisurely browsing once the event gets started so you should probably know exactly what you are looking for!

You can use all your credits at one time or you have the option of having unused credits carry over for 2 future swaps after which they will expire. Once you choose your items you can then go a check out where volunteers will count the items and record the number of items taken. Then that's it! You can go on your merry way and continue on with your day.

Volunteers are always needed!

These types of events and organizations are great but it's no secret that they don't run themselves. The Okinawa Kids Clothing Swap is 100% volunteer run and organized. This is part of the reason that the event is free to those who want to participate. They also welcome any donations of resources to help keep the event going strong! One of the ways that can help is to volunteer some of your time. Here's that the Okinawa Kids Clothing Swap told us about what it's like to volunteer for a swap:

We will have 3 shifts this swap. Friday late afternoon, Saturday morning, and Saturday afternoon. Friday will be a 2 hour shift for unloading of the stored swap clothes and setup. Saturday morning will be a 4 hour shift from 0800-1200 for clothing checkin, reviewing, and placing on tables. Saturday afternoon will be a 4 hour shift from 1200-1600, and will run the check out tables and assist in filtering out expired clothing, counting items for record keeping, and packing left over clothes back up into our space bag totes.

And just because you're volunteering doesn't mean that there aren't perks:

All swap-participating volunteers receive 10 PREPICKS! This means that if you volunteer, you must be present at 1215 at the swap location to go pick out 10 items to take home before the swap opens. You get FIRST PICKS of all the new swap items, 10 of them, (as long as you have 10 credits to use). This is our way of saying THANK YOU for volunteering and helping to keep our swap running free and smoothly as a service to all military families on Okinawa. We will provide a letter of appreciation and a certificate if needed for your volunteer service hours.

If you are interested in volunteering you can contact the Okinawa Kids Clothing Swap through Facebook.

My thoughts: 

At first glance I loved the idea of the Okinawa Kids Clothing Swap but it honestly wasn't until I took some time to read more into it and talk with the folks over there that it really started to shine. Looking at some of the online resources and seeing the amount of effort and work that has gone into that alone was great but then to hear how much the volunteers put into this and how many people participate really sold me on how great this is which is why I wanted to highlight Okinawa Kids Clothing Swap for those of you who might be reading this blog.

I would also like to add a special thanks to the people over at the Okinawa Kids Clothing Swap who assisted me by answering my questions. You guys are doing a great thing over there so keep up the great work!

Unfortunately I was unable to post this before the last event which happened this month (November 2012), however that give those of you who are interested in participating in the next swap plenty of time to get prepared and read all of the necessary information.

 

A look back: Typhoon Season 2012

This typhoon season has been an interesting one. There were a good number of typhoons compared to what we are used to and they were pretty intense including one which came from the west which is never really good.

I have taken some of the videos that I posted during the storms and put them here so that you can take a quick look back.

 

Celebrating Non-Japanese Holidays In Okinawa

Today is the Fourth Of July and for many Americans it is a day to celebrate America's Independence. But what if you are here in Okinawa? I mean it is Japan right? So how do people celebrate Non-Japanese holidays here in Okinawa? This is actually a great topic for discussion and I think that it is one that many of you will be interested in so let's discuss.

The first and most obvious thing to discuss and understand is that here in Japan there are a set of holidays which are simply not celebrated like they are in the states because they do not hold significant meaning here. Independence Day, MLK Day, Columbus Day, Memorial Day and so on. These are the days celebrated in America because of American achievements. Naturally the Japanese don't have any interest in these holidays and therefore these days are just like any other day of the week. However, there are some Japanese companies which actor to American customs here in Okinawa that may have these days off. You may also find that if you are working on or for the Military bases you will usually observe these holidays as you would in the US but be advised that this is not always the case and you should always take special care to ask your employer or command whether or not you are granted these days off. It is also important to note that if you are American and part of the military bases you may find yourself having the ability to attend special celebrations on some of these holidays. MLK day usually has some sort of African American in America Pride/Accomplishments type seminar or event. Memorial Day usually has some type of memorial service and Independence Day has a celebration also. It used to be that the Air Base known as Kadena did a thing called "America Fest" where they would have a ton of different activities for all including the local people who were not normally allowed on base but this year they did a small cookout style event with a live performance from some local bands with fireworks.

So what about these other holidays that are celebrated by Americans?

Halloween

Kids all over America can't wait for Halloween and for the American kids being here in Okinawa is no exception. So how does Halloween happen here in Okinawa. If you are in a standard neighborhood out in Okinawa you are not going to see anyone observe Halloween. It's not something that people do here even though you might see little basic costumes out in town or halloween decorations BUT this is not the case if you are on a base. The bases do have an observance of halloween which usually consists of the camp commanders determining when children can go out from house to house and what children can go from house to house. That's right. The date, time and age of the children who can trick or treat is determined by each camp. Unfortunately this leave some kids out in the cold, for example one year if you were over the age of 12 you were not allowed to trick or treat which I found a bit silly but again that's my opinion. There are other celebrations you can attend as an adult and sometimes you may have halloween events to attend as a teen but there is usually a large gap between the little kids and the adults where there is not much to do unless you organize it yourself.

Christmas 

Christmas is one of the holidays that although you might not have the day off in a Japanese company, is still celebrated here in Japan. Unlike in the US it is not religious in nature and is more of a romantic holiday comparable in my opinion to valentine's day where you and your loved one can go on a date, do romantic things and enjoy each other's company. There are still decorations and it is a beautiful sight to see. Again if you are on the military bases you may or may not have this holiday off.


To be completely honest I can't think of any other holidays that are celebrated in America to mention. That's not to say that there re not others out there but I just don't have them to comment on right now (feel free to ask away and I will add more information). Now the question most of you are probably wanting to ask about, how do I celebrate the holidays here in Japan. Well to be completely honest it depends on what the holiday is and how much money and effort I am willing to put into it. The best celebration we have had recently was Thanksgiving last year when we went around from place to place trying to make a "thanksgiving dinner" out of random things. The word "Thanksgiving" has the link to that video so please check it out. As for other holidays we take them as they come. We celebrate Christmas be doing some fun little things but we really don't to too much as far as decorating goes because of the cost of electricity and the lack of space that we have. We do still exchange gifts though and we do maybe go out for dinner or something nice like that. Other holidays really aren't a thing though. Today for example we are just going to have another day like any other. Maybe we will do something like eat hamburgers or hotdogs which is not something we would normally eat and that will be a bit of our celebration to remind us of home but other than that it's just another day for us here in Okinawa.

How do you celebrate the holidays?

Leave me a comment below, on Facebook or email me at okininjakitty@yahoo.com

My thoughts this week.

It's a dreary Wednesday here in Okinawa Japan. The sun is not shining and it looks as though we are going to get another day of heavy rain. These are the days when I like to set myself down in front of my computer and enjoy learning a little bit about Japan by reading blogs and watching VLOGS. I have always loved Japan but recently I have had a particular interest in some JVLOGGERS who are not new to YouTube but are new to me. Being that they are from various parts of Japan I hear about how Japan differs from city to city which I personally find fascinating. It is to be expected that different parts of Japan would have differences but it is still fun to learn about and hear first hand accounts from those who work, live and travel there. One of the things that I find so very interesting is that each part of Japan almost has a different culture. Everything from the style of food to the language to the style of dance is different in some places and that is just something I find extremely interesting.

With all of these differences there are bound to be some similarities and one of these similarities is "tatemai and honne". If you have been watching videos and trying to learn a lot about Japanese life and culture I am sure that you have heard these words once before. There are a great deal of people who are on YouTube who have tried to explain what "tatemai and honne" is but always seem to struggle because it is a difficult concept to understand. Many time Japanese people as well as some foreigners will say that this is a concept that is unique to Japan and that is part of the reason that it is hard to explain. I don't think that this is the case though. I would agree that the Japanese have coined a phrase for this concept but it is not as foreign to us foreigners as some Japanese people think. If I were asked to define these two words what I would say is that "tatemai" is the way that you present yourself in order to cause the least amount of friction possible and "honne" is the way that you really feel. You might find yourself speaking with a family member, friend or coworker and responding to them in a way that is not in line with what you believe because you do not want to cause an argument or say something that might have a negative affect on you or your work. If you are a man an example of this would be your response to "do I look fat in these~". I am sure that when a question like this comes along you go into overdrive trying to ensure that you are not giving an answer that might "cause friction". The Japanese have a slightly more intense approach with this concept due to the nature that they have for being non confrontational. You might not realize it if you are only here for a short time or if you do not have active relationships with Japanese people but the fact of the matter is that the Japanese are people who do not like to cause waves. In some cases they would even suffer through something difficult to deal with than try to resolve the issue. Again, this might not always be the case but I have experienced it enough times to say  that it is something that happens. This makes some people extremely hard to work with just because of the subservient stance that they can take. In some cases (and yes this has happened to me) they will expect you to go along with the situation they have created by not speaking their mind causing you more work and more stress. There is also a flip side to this and that is when "tatemai and honne" are used as a way to try and get you to chance your stance on something or indicate that you are doing something wrong. For example rather than saying "Could you please get me some milk" they would say something like "I would absolutely love a cold glass of milk". This again makes some people extremely difficult to work with. To be completely honest this is one of the things that I dislike about the way that some Japanese people handle themselves because for me this concept of trying to say something without saying something is a waste of time. In some cases you may even find yourself the target of some anger because someone said they would like some milk but you didn't get any for them. For my strong personality it is the most difficult thing that I have to deal with because I am not afraid of conflict nor am I afraid of confrontation.

The last thing that I wanted to talk about was language and I didn't end up talking about this in today's JVLOG video because the video's audio got messed up and to be honest I am not going to talk about it right now either because I do not want to cut this topic short of what needs to be said and I feel that right now I just do not have the endurance to write everything that needs to be said. Thanks so much for your understanding and keep posted and I will make sure I get that post up soon. Thanks for reading.

Thoughts on Tokyo Safety

I have recently been asked a question regarding travel to Tokyo. The reader who had sent me an email asking my thoughts on radiation and food safety in the Tokyo area. After reading this question it took me a minute to really collect me thoughts on how I do feel about the radiation and food safety in the Tokyo area. I have not made any videos about this topic to date nor have I really taken the time to talk about it in any form of media but seeing as how I received the question via email I figure now is as good a time as any.

When it comes to radiation in Tokyo I quite honestly have absolutely no concern whatsoever. I realize that this may not be the interesting answer that some of you were hoping for but it is my answer regardless. In fact I have absolutely no concern for radiation or food safety in the area of Tokyo. To be completely honest and terribly boring that is really all that there is to say. Why do I not have concern? Well, why are you (some of you at least) not concerned about the amount of radiation which you receive going through a full body scanner like the ones now used in the US or the amount of radiation you then receive going up in a plane and flying cross country and/or across the ocean. I really think that it all comes down to asking yourself the right questions.

If there is a harmful amount of radiation in Tokyo (and I am not saying that there is) it would not be enough to kill you on the spot because there are thousands still living, working and visiting the city daily so it's a matter of what long term risks you might encounter. Maybe there is a chance you could get cancer. . . . . ok. There is always a chance that you can get cancer. Cell phones, tattoo ink, fried foods, microwaves, motorcycles, car engines, preservatives, smoking, breathing in polluted city air and plastic bottles (just to name a few) are all some of the things that can also cause cancer and we are consumed by these things each and ever day not to mention the things that could kill us on the spot like car accidents. The question then becomes where you are willing to draw the line. Are you willing to possibly not experience something amazing because there is a little off chance that it could end badly? For me the answer is no. I am not willing to not do something because of the off chance that in the lottery of what we call life I might just pull a card which could give me negative health risks. The same goes for food and food safety. I know what foods to avoid just in case and I know what foods I am going to enjoy. I also know that there is as much higher risk of me getting sick from food that is not cooked properly than there is from me eating something that happened to be irradiated. Again it comes down to what risks you are willing to take.

My real concern while I am in Tokyo. . . . earthquakes. I know that there have been a great deal of earthquakes still happening in the central to northern part of Japan and this causes some concern for me. I want to make sure that not only am I safe but so is my mother who is not used to the feel of the ground shaking under her feet. I have taken real life preparations for this installing various applications which detect earthquakes on my phone as well as having a plan for what to do in the event that there is an earthquake and tsunami during the time that we are in Tokyo. Again does the fact that there are still earthquakes concern me, yes but will it change my plans to travel to Tokyo, no.

Ultimately you only live once and you can choose to sit in the house or you can go and see the world.

Where was this weather yesterday?

Typhoon Guchol has passed by with less than anticipated strength. The storm gave us very little wind and rain which resulted in almost no damage. Of course we are extremely grateful for the lack of damage because it is important to keep everyone and everything safe especially during the typhoon season. This morning we even woke up with a clear blue sky which had shown us that the storm had passed and we would be able to go back to our very warm summery selves.

This was, however, very short lived when a thunder and lighting storm moved in a few hours ago. Although we are not experiencing and wind we do have a great deal of rain and thunder we are experiencing right now which has made a lot of people wonder. . . . where was this yesterday? I myself wondered the same thing and discussed it in the video below.

High expectations the reason for bad travel reviews?

I have been doing a lot of research recently for my Tokyo trip. I am not looking for a great deal of information but just a few things that would make the trip easy like if the hotel has a laundry service so nothing big. During my research I ended up spending time some time reading reviews which I found were interesting and at times surprising.

To be completely honest I read only the English comments because I wasn't into translating. During the time that I was reading I started to see a pattern and that pattern is that basically I think people have high expectations when traveling to another country and in some cases feel that that country should accommodate to what is part of your particular culture or it simply is not up to good standards. This is best illustrated in the example of bedding. Now here in Japan it is most common for people to sleep using futon. Futon can be closely compared to a long thin mat that is rolled out on the floor and from there a sleepy person would sleep upon it like a bed because. . . . it is a bed. If you were to go to home shops you might also see the same type of thing where the futon is rolled out on a raised level which looks similar to a bed or in some cases a mattress is used although it is usually firm. Knowing this you might only assume that it is natural for the beds in Japan to have a similar build where they are firm. Unfortunately there are a great deal of people traveling to Japan who don't seem to know this and therefore feel extremely disappointed or even distraught about the fact that the beds are firm or "feel as if you are sleeping on the floor". The comments that I had read were absolutely relentless stating things like "Japanese obviously hate Americans" just for the feel of the bed. It actually makes me wonder if these people had ever traveled to another country ever before. My thought is no and the reason that I say this is supported by something else that I found myself reading during my research and that was that no one spoke English and "staff was extremely unhelpful because of it". Wow. This is always one of the things that surprise me the most when I hear it from people who travel to countries which do not have English as a primary language. Of course English may be available from time to time, however, just because a hotel has "english speaking staff" for example does not mean that everyone on staff at all times speaks English. Truthfully I do not feel as if there is a lot of explaining for me to do in order to try and help others understand that when traveling to Japan it might not be possible to communicate in English but I suppose that there are some out there who just feel this way and that saddens me. In fact the reason that I am most sad about this is because the way that these comments are made almost make it seem as if these families were traveling to Tokyo and going to certain destinations and then having no assistance whatsoever. It seems like they are made to figure out everything on their own and fend for themselves which I do not think is the case. What I can do is explain what I have experienced in the time that I have been here. I have been in Japan for approximately  6 years now but my language skills are not the best especially because Okinawa is not the best place to learn Japanese but I will get into that during a different post. Regardless my lack of language skills I have never encountered a problem doing anything here in Japan be it Tokyo, Osaka or Okinawa. I Have also take a number of steps to ensure that I do not run into problems. I have a great survival vocabulary and when I do not know I have taken time to make accommodations for ahead of time. Anyone can do this and I encourage anyone going to any country to do something similar.

There were other things that I had read about and just thought was amazing that people were not considering these things when they left on a trip to Japan. I suppose some people are just never satisfied. Thanks for reading.

Top 20 Tourist Locations, Brown Sugar Cola, Ospreys and More: This is Current Events.

It's Monday and that means it's time for "Current Events".

As this is the beginning of these new segments I have been thinking about ways to make these segments better and more interesting for those of you who are reading. In today's blog and eventually VLOG you will find that we talk about some of the current events here in Okinawa as well as some other current events in the JVLOG community. I hope that this is an improvement.

Okinawa Aquarium one of Top 20 Tourist Attractions in Japan

An organization in Hiroshima Prefecture has announced that the Okinawa Aquarium is one of the top 20 travel destinations here in Japan. I imagine that this is no surprise to those who have visited the Okinawa Aquarium before. If you have never been to the Okinawa Aquarium before let's talk a little bit about it. This is not just an aquarium, this is a vacation destination. The area known as the "aquarium" is an aquarium, gardens, beach and outdoor eating area. The area is amazing in and of itself is amazing but this is before you even look at the building that is the aquarium itself. The building was actually featured on Modern Marvels which was an amazing show and you should check it out if you have not already. Now going in to the building itself you will see some amazing animals including whale sharks (which are personally my favorite) and a variety of other sea life which are all in the oceans surrounding our little island. The amazing things, however, is the tank that they have which is considered the largest in the world. Looking at it is feeling like you are standing on the bottom of the ocean floor because of it's massive size. This is a must see for anyone coming to Okinawa and in fact I have been told that this is also one of the destinations that school children visit when they are traveling to Okinawa from the Main Islands. It is no surprise for Okinawa's Aquarium to be listed in this top 20 but then again it is pretty awesome to hear that something we have here on Okinawa is one of the must-see attractions in the country.

Osprey's Coming to Okinawa 

If you know Okinawa you know that we have a heavy military presence here by the US. If you are a follower of my work you may know that I have not focused so much on the politics and details of what happens here as far as the US Military goes. This is not because I have any particular political stance or because I want to avoid the comments that people may have on these areas. The honest reason is because I don't want my blog and VLOGS to be mostly about the military presence and politics and trust me there are so many of these situations that it would take over much of my blog and VLOG. That doesn't mean that I will never talk about anything like this and hence why I am writing about this right now.

As many of you may know there is a base here in Okinawa called MCAS Futenma which is known by many as a dangerous base. There are many reasons for this but for the sake of time I will not discuss that at this time. Nonetheless there is a new aircraft that will be deployed here to Okinawa in the near future known as the Osprey. This is a very interesting aircraft which can take off like a chopper and then fly like a jet. Unfortunately although these are awesome and interesting planes there have been a lot of crashes and malfunctions that have happened during the development of this aircraft. This coupled with the recent crash of an Osprey in Morocco has not make anyone feel really warm and fuzzy about the aircraft coming here to Okinawa. To be completely honest I do share concern with those who are worried about these aircraft. The reason for this is very basic. Honestly I live around the area of the flight pattern of these aircraft and I am very aware that they fly extremely low and in bad weather. It doesn't really matter your position on this or that there are times when you have concern.

It has been reported that Okinawa officials are going to receive training regarding Osprey Crash Training although I am not sure of any other details. I will keep you posted if I hear anything more about it.

Brown Sugar Cola 

As I reported last week there is a new kind of brown sugar cola which is going to be released today. I am not sure where this cola is going to be sold although I am thinking that it may be in the vending machines like other drinks of this kind. I will be searching today at the end of the day and  I will report back to you and let you know if I find what I am looking for.

JLand Kev/Bussan Kevin: "Teacher gets suspended for giving 0's"

I watched a video this weekend posted by Kevin who is one of my favorite and I date to say (because my memory doesn't always serve me the best) first JVLOGGERS that I had ever watched. He was reporting on a story which basically said that a teacher in Canada had been suspended for giving their student's zeros in class. These students had not attended class or completed assignments and therefore this was the reason that they had received these marks, however the school had what is called a no zero policy which basically means that the students are graded on the work that they pass in and not on the work that they don't. Kevin being an educator obviously had an opinion on this as do I which is what I wanted to report to you now.

To be completely honest as an educator myself I think that this is only to be described as sad. This concept that this school has in place basically says that if out of 10 assignments if a student passes only one of them in and gets 100% they get a total grade of 100%. I do not understand how on earth this is beneficial to the students in any way whatsoever. How are students going to have the capability to succeed in life after school if they are being taught with such soft principles as this? Now I will add that I do not think that all of these kids will be failures nor do I think that all of them are failures for not coming to class or passing in work but in my opinion it is a concept of "if you can't do the time don't do the crime". Silly I know but if you don't pass in work, you get a zero. That's my opinion at least.

So ladies and gentlemen that is today's current events. I hope that you all enjoyed this post! Don't forget if you have any questions or comments please feel free to shoot me an email at okininjakitty@yahoo.com contact me via Facebook or cheek out the youtube page. Have a great night.