6 Things NOT to do in Okinawa

We often focus on what to do while when traveling to a new place but what should be avoid? Figuring that this would be an interesting post I put together a list of 6 Things NOT to do in Okinawa.

Now I have to admit this is a bit targeted towards those people who are moving here for a job or maybe with the military but there are a few important details in here for tourists as well. I hope you find these tips helpful and if you have any of your own please feel free to add them in the comments below!

1. Don't assume you're not understood because you speak English. 

The language most commonly used in Okinawa is Japanese, however, English is also known by a number of people. Sometimes those people are comfortable enough to strike up a conversation in English but others may be more timid and keep to themselves. Regardless it should be common practice to conduct yourself as though others understand what it is you're saying . . . . . because they just might.

2. Don't be afraid to shop around. 

Okinawa has a lot of conveniently placed "deals" for military members and tourists alike. Merchants, dealers and other sales professionals know that you're going to eat up the first thing you see so prices tend to be inflated. Believe it or not this can be avoided by walking to a shop further down the street or even visiting a car dealership which is more out of the way rather than right outside a Base's main gate.

3. Don't limit your travel to your neighborhood. 

Easily one of the biggest mistakes made by those who move to Okinawa (particularly military members who are here for a few short years) is the unwillingness to travel beyond their immediate area. Sure they might travel to Churaumi Aquarium or Okinawa World but all the spaces in between seem to be "too far" or "too out of the way". The unfortunate result is a lot of gems that are missed out on possibly until it is too late.

This isn't limited to tourist attractions or historical locations either. Some great salons, restaurants and other businesses are usually just beyond where some people are willing to go.

4. Don't stick to the guide book. 

A good guide books is always a great place to start but if you find yourself only doing what is in the guide books you'll end up only seeing about 1% of what's here on Okinawa. . . . . . and some of it isn't even the best stuff! I say use the guide book as a stepping stone and don't be afraid to explore the surrounding area and see what you stumble upon. Even as I approach my 7 year mark I still have multiple laundry lists of things to see. . . . and I haven't been much of a couch potato either. In fact most of the wicked cool places on the island are marked with signs and easy to find if you're willing to go off the designated path to or from some of Okinawa's major tourist attractions like Okinawa World or Churaumi Aquarium.

5. Don't forget to keep an open mind. 

There is no denying that Okinawa is an entirely different world then you are used to. The cultural and all around lifestyle differences can be hard for those visiting Okinawa (or living here) for the first time to adjust to. Although you may not find yourself completely understanding the culture or differences in lifestyle it is important to remember to keep an open mind. Those who keep an open mind, even if they do not see eye to eye with some of the cultural or lifestyle differences here on Okinawa, tend to have a better more positive experience then those who brush off or completely disregard Okinawa's culture.

6. Don't "play the gaijin card".  

The term "playing the gaijin card" is usually in reference to someone who is choosing to dismiss culture and/or rules that they are aware of with the intent of getting away with it because they are a foreigner.

Although some people don't see the harm taking advantage of the understanding and tolerant nature of the businesses around Okinawa can often have negative results. Some businesses may change policies or in some cases may even go so far as not assisting foreign customers.

 

The Best Phrasebook For A Japan Trip

I often receive questions from nervous people who are preparing to take a trip or relocate to Japan regarding language. The questions usually can be boiled down to will I be completely lost because I don't speak Japanese. I always answer this question as I do with all other questions I receive, as truthfully as possible and explain that for the most part Japanese people do their best to accommodate for those who do not speak Japanese.  Unfortunately this doesn't mean that you won't find yourself in one of the awkward situations where both parties are trying to figure out what the other is saying. There are a few ways to remedy this but the most realistic and reasonable for the world traveler or relocating family is to have the proper tools at your disposal in order to assist in sticky situations.

Throughout my time here in Japan I have gone through many of these "tools". Most of these tools have sucked, and that's putting it lightly. Who wants to carry around a book full of phrases which only work if you find yourself in that very particular situation? Then there is the complete uselessness of carrying around a Japanese to English dictionary. I mean who has the time to flip through hundreds of pages looking for the word toilet? Finally

I found the Lonely Planet Phrasebooks - Japanese. This pocket sized phrase book is the best tool that you can have when coming to Japan (or any of the countries that the book covers the language of for that matter). First and foremost as I mentioned is the size. When I say pocket sized I literally mean you could fit this into your back pocket. This makes it incredibly easy to put into a purse or day bag without taking up too much precious space. Then there is the content. The book is divided up into 7 sections. Each section is color coded which makes flipping through to find what you need quick and easy. Once you flip to the section you are looking for bold topics divide up the phrases so you can again quickly find what you are looking for. When you finally find what you are looking for the book divides up the phrase into three sections: English, Japanese and Phonetic. This allows you to look for what you are trying to say, make an attempt at saying it and if all else fails hand the book to the person, point to what you are trying to say and have them read it. As if this is not good enough each of the headers and categories are also in Japanese so if someone who speaks Japanese is trying to unsuccessfully communicate with you they can also use the book.

The biggest draw to this book, however, is that it has real life practical phrases which you might need to know on any given day rather than in a particular situation. What kinds of phrases? Here are some as an example:

DVD & Video: Does this have an English-language preference?

Senior & Disabled Travelers: What services do you have for people with a disability?

Outdoors: Can I go through here?

Health: Could I see a female doctor?

There are also many other words which assist you with understanding responses as well as formulating your own phrases appropriate for your own situation with a "fill in the blank" type format. Another helpful section is the "Listen For" section which offers some phrases that you may hear after asking your question and/or making your statement. Finally cultural tips assist to tie up any loose ends.

I purchased my book new in 2008 for about $9.00US and have kept it with me ever since. I understand that there are more updated versions which I imaging only improve on an already great book. If you're looking for a useful tool for your trip to Japan I would definitely recommend picking up this book.

Agena Central Park - War Monument

Those who frequent the area around Camp Courtney in Okinawa, Japan may be familiar with this area. Others may drive by day after day not giving the small parking lot that they pass a thoughts. This is Agena Central Park and is the home of many interesting things that we will explore over the corse of the next few videos and blog posts. The first focus is a beautiful monument which is set up for those who's lives were lost to the war.





Although I was unable to read the monuments themselves I later found a bit of information which clearly stated that this corner of the park is dedicated to mourn those who lost their lives in the war. Although there was no distinction of what war is being referenced it is clear to assume that they are referring to the Battle of Okinawa which took place during WWII.



The area consists of a few different monuments all which are situated in one area. They are very similar of other monuments which I have seen in northern parts of Okinawa memorializing the same cause.





The monument is beautiful and seems relatively well kept because although flowers which had been left at the monument seemed to have been dried out for quite some time. This is one of the many places in the area of Ishikawa which make me wonder. I will get more into that in a later post.



The park is located next to the Agena Bull Ring and parking is available. There are also restrooms as well as vending machines.

Shrine in Ozato

Yesterday when driving to a few places that we thoughts would be fun and exciting we stumbled upon an area that looked interesting. After a detour which took us round the block we found a quick place to park and I went up the inconspicuous stairs to investigate.

When I got to the top I saw that the area was a small local shrine. Much like other shrines in Okinawa this one was concrete and grey in color. Inside the shrine were five small offering areas where people often put incense to burn. Unfortunately there is not much to say about this shrine. There were no markers nor where there any indicators on the maps in the are that it was even here. Another thing that I found interesting is that there were 5 offering areas but no stones or ceramics in the shrine itself. Generally inside these shrines you can find something other than the offering areas themselves. Either way it was a nice little area that I thought you might like to see.

[caption id="attachment_1041" align="aligncenter" width="652"] Entrance[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_1040" align="aligncenter" width="652"] Inside the shrine[/caption]

Shrine in Genka

 

One day while driving through some of Okinawa's villages we found ourselves at a shrine in an area of Okinawa called Genka. There is honestly not much to saw about this shrine as I am not entirely sure of it's specific purpose although I thought that it was very unique at least compared to what we usually see here in Okinawa. The colors not being simply grey as well as the shape of the roof. Another thing that I also thought was interesting about the shrine was the large amount of parking around the shrine. It was something I became curious about because of the fact that it was in a very small area where space like this seems huge.

Unfortunately as I said I do not know too much about the shrine itself. I will continue to see if I can research and if there is anything that I find out I will be sure to include it in a future post.

 

 

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.

The road that "sings"!

Where in the world can you find a place where when the rubber hits the road. . . . . the road actually sings? In Okinawa that's where. On a small stretch of road off route 331 some genius (as far as I am concerned) has found a way to cut grooves in the road to make it so that when you drive over at just the right speed of 40kph you can actually hear a song. I honestly can't say much more about it because you have to experience it to truly understand how fascinating this is. Below I have a video which is just brief and again it doesn't do it real justice.

 

Just Like A Horror Movie

 

Ok, I don't usually do posts like this but this one I simply could not keep to myself. Today one of our little adventures took us to a neighborhood in a northern section of Okinawa. The goal was to find a particular path and climb to the top of the area. We had marked out the route and were able to find the neighborhood easily. It's funny of the hundreds of times we have driven past this area we have never seen the unique (at least to Okinawa) houses in this neighborhood.



It was like stepping back into New England, particularly New Hampshire. The houses had the distinct look with the distinct style of what you might see in various parts of the New England states. We soon found the path that we were looking for and parked along the side of the road in an open area.

Once we got to the top of the wooden stairs which made up the almost too perfect path leading up to benches and clear grassy areas it became clear that this neighborhood reminded me of something I was all too familiar with. A Stephen King novel. Ok I realize that sounds a bit over the top but everything in this neighborhood just seemed too perfect. The houses were perfect. Some of them even had wide open yards which is very strange for Okinawa. Then there was this path which led up to what can only be described as a viewing area over the neighborhood.

From the benches overlooking the neighborhood it was quite. So quiet even that you could clearly hear the music playing from one of the houses or maybe shops. It almost felt like a scene out of a zombie movie where everything is quite and there is no sign of life aside from that radio and what had been left behind.

Of course this could not have been further from the truth. Being that it was a Sunday many people were out and about doing this and that as well as spending time with family and friends but that doesn't make for a good story does it. Either way it was a very interesting little place to stop by and take some photos of. I imagine that it is also a very pleasant place to live.



 

Landslides: A real danger in some parts of Okinawa

Landslides are one of Okinawa's dangers especially during typhoon season and the rainy seasons. Today during a trip to the northern part of Okinawa I found myself encountering a great deal of damage from recent landslides and I thought that it might be a good idea to give you the chance to take a look at what you should be looking out for during the seasons when there is heavy rain. There is not too much to say about the landslides themselves other than the fact that they are dangerous and you should be aware of your surroundings especially if you are traveling along mountain roads during the rainy seasons.





 

 


 



 



 



 

 

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.

 

Orion Presents New Beer

CHECK HERE TO SEE A PHOTO

Orion (pronounced Oh-ree-ohn) is a beer which is made here in Okinawa. Each year they produce a variety of different cans with images of Okinawa as well as a special sakura blend in the winter. This year, however, they have come up with a new beer known as "Mugi No Shuzuku". This beer is said to have a strong taste of malt and has the highest malt content of all Orion products giving it a distinctive taste as well as an aroma of hops which is similar to American beers.

The product is 5% alcohol which is modest for alcoholic beverages here in Japan and is targeting those who drink regularly at home. We picked some up to give it a try and we'll have to get back to you on what we think.

Kitakeisen: Sushi, Noodles and Pizza?

Conveniently located in central Okinawa on Route 23,  near Kadena Air Base , this restaurant is perfect for those who are new to Okinawa and want to give the cuisine a try.



 

First's let's get all of the basic "must know" bits out of the way. The restaurant opens at 5PM and has English speaking staff and English Menu. They also accept yen and major credit cards, although I am not sure if they accept american dollars because I never pay with that type of currency. Reservations can be made in advance via telephone although I am sorry I did not get the number. The staff is happy to take your reservation in English as well.

Ok moving right along. . . . .

When it comes to food the menu has a great deal of variety. You can get anything from sashimi (raw fish or meat sliced for consumption) to pizza. Dishes in between include many favorites to include yakisoba, tacos, tempura, sausages, salads, fried rice, french fries and so much more. There is also a sushi bar where you can get some of your favorite types of sushi.



A majority of what is on the menu is meant to be enjoyed as a family style meal with the group sharing although sets are available if you prefer to order your own mean. Personally I have never tried the sets so I cannot speak for portions or the value of the sets themselves.



Overall this is a decent place to go out and get a meal. The portions are reasonable in comparison to the price although the sizes have gotten slightly smaller over the years. The restaurant also welcomes children and families so you do not have to hesitate when thinking about heading out to dinner. I should mention, however, that if you do not make a reservation you may want to head out for an early dinner. Especially during busy times of the week like on the weekend and as it starts getting later in the evening the restaurant gets more and more crowded. At times it can be hard to get right in to eat and you will be required to wait. TIP: My husband and I generally do our best to have dinner early when going to this restaurant as it is almost always an immediate sit down rather than having to wait in line for a table and feeling rushed through our meal. 

If you have been in Japan a while or if you are looking for strictly authentic Japanese food for an experience this might not be the place to visit. The food is good, there is no doubt about that, however, the food has been changed to accommodate the more american palate that are patrons of the restaurant. As I have said before this place is perfect for those who are looking to try something new but not commit to the full authentic Japanese meal.

 

 

REVIEW: Keisei Skyliner

On my way back from the Tokyo Disney Resort I took a few different trains to get to one of the main stations and from there I then got on the Keisei Skyliner. This is a train that travels directly from Ueno/Nippori to the Narita Airport. I found the train really simple to use (as long as you had an IC card) and affordable. The train ride from Nippori to the Airport was under 60 minutes and incredibly comfortable. There was a place to store your luggage and from my knees to the seat back in front of me was about 1.5 feet of space. There were tray tables where you could work on whatever you liked and electrical outlets so that you could plug in your electronic devices.

As far as the train itself there were rest rooms and a food car even though it was just a short trip. It would have been nice to know this on my trip to the resort with my mom because mom would have had the chance to have some food and use the rest room before we started making our way through the other stations. I cannot say that this is bad on behalf of the actual train or business that is the train though because I honestly was not paying attention at the time or we would have taken advantage of that.

Overall I give this service a 9 our of 10. It would have been a 10 our of 10 if purchasing tickets would have been slightly easier. Maybe it is that I do not spend a lot of time in Tokyo but when I was trying to get off they asked me either for a paper ticket or to put down my IC card. Luckily I had my IC card but I have no idea where I would have gotten one of the paper tickets. I am certainly going to use this service again.

Katventures Begins!

It's the time that we've all been waiting for. It's time to kick off Katventures!

Since I said that we are kicking off Katventures you know what that means. . . I am on my way to Tokyo. Over the next week I will be exploring the sights and sounds of Tokyo and unfortunately this means that I will be unable to post my regularly scheduled videos over on the OkiNinjaKitty Youtube Channel. What? You're not subscribed to my Youtube Channel yet? In that case you had better to get over there and hit that subscribe button because there are some extremely exciting videos which are going to be posted there in the coming weeks. I intend to post some teaser videos up that are taken on the fly while I am exploring which will also be broadcasted live on my UStream Chanel. Either way you can find yourself updated with everything that is going on.

So when are the high quality videos and photos going to be posted? Because I don't have the ability to edit and upload (and because I want to have a lot of fun which will lead me to getting YOU the best possible videos) you will be seeing the videos after I return to Okinawa. I know it's a lot of time to wait but I promise it will be worth the wait.

Also don't worry that you won't have something to read over here on the OkiNinjaKitty blog because I have scheduled some fantastically interesting blog posts for you to enjoy during the time that I am gone. They are going to be as closely related to the trip as I can make them. Don't forget to keep shooting me messages and comments because I will answer them all upon my return to Okinawa. That's right. It's going to be a Fan Mail Extravaganza.

There are other ways that you can keep track of my trip. Want to know how:

Check me out on Twitter by looking up @Okininjakitty

Don't forget to check me out on Facebook.

I also now have a new Tumblr.

FMF: Speaking Japanese, Driving, Beauty Schools and Non-American Holidays

It's been another long week over here at ONK and there has been a lot of preparation taking place therefore I apologize for not being as on top of things as I usually am. With that being said let's go into today's topics.

"Do you speak Japanese?" 

I can speak some Japanese but not as much as I would like to. I can also read and write but my vocabulary is very limited as far as understanding most of what I am reading although I am improving every day through lots of tedious practice. I have a few different blog posts about this but I also plan to discuss more about this in the future in a video.

"Is it difficult to learn the ways of the road?"

Learning the ways of the road are relatively easy. We do drive on the "wrong" side of the road here although that is super easy to get used to if you focus on driving. The road signs are relatively easy to learn also because in my opinion they are straight forward, although, you can and should go online and study the signs especially because you will be tested when you arrive here in you choose to drive.

So what else is there to know about driving here. . . . there is a lot to talk about here and so I might not be able to cover every detail in this particular post or in the corresponding video. Let's see if I can go through a number of these without going  into too much detail and if you have any further questions please let me know and I will ensure that I get your answers to you as soon as possible.

- Call Phones: Put them down. It is illegal to use your cell phone while driving in Okinawa and you'll need all of your attention on the road anyway.

- Motorcycles and Scooters: They're out there and they use the road so be aware of them. They will also share a lane with cars from time to time which is perfectly legal.

- Three Car Rule At Lights: It is not uncommon to see up to three people run the red light before they are considered out of line. I would not advise doing this yourself because it can be very dangerous but it is something you should be aware of.

- Speeding when cops aren't around isn't necessarily the best idea because Okinawa is equipped with speed cameras which will take a photo if you are exceeding the limit and have a ticket mailed to you. Yes even if you are American. And they are not always obvious as they are in some of the US locations where they have been installed.

- There is a lot of traffic here and therefore you are significantly closer than you would be in your home town so be aware of this and pay attention to the road.

- There are stickers which indicate when a driver is over a certain age (very old) or a new driver. Be aware that if you strike one of these drivers you will most likely be at more fault for not keeping an eye out for them as they have stickers displayed.

- Everyone involved in an accident is responsible to some extent. Period.

- Don't drink and drive. They take that very seriously here not only for you the driver but everyone in the car and even people who sent you on your way knowing that you had some drinks.

I hope that this is helpful.

The last two topics I am not going to discuss because I have already made previous blog posts about them due to the involvement I wanted to provide in the answer. Thanks so much for reading and again please let me know if you have any other questions.

Kids Will Be Kids: Being in Public

This is not a rant nor is this an anti-child proclamation or how you can be a better parent so if you happened to see the title of this post and thought to yourself that this would be the perfect place to spew your frustration please take a moment and relax before proceeding on. For the rest of you who are reading this because you are wondering about what to expect when you make your way over to Okinawa I apologize for the blunt introduction.

Now that we have gotten that out of the way let me explain why I am writing this post and what you can expect from the content. I was recently asked a question from a reader who had previously read a post where I explained that here in Okinawa we use out indoor voices even when we are outside. She explained that she has a young child who enjoys yelling, running and playing and wanted to know whether or not people in Okinawa would actually get angry at this occurring. In this post I am going to offer my observations both from what I see, what I have experienced speaking with various people from Okinawa and Japan. Before we begin there are a few things that I want to make clear that may give you a bit of perspective from where I am coming from. I have been working with children and their parents for over 12 years now. The fact that children can be difficult is not lost on me but neither is the fact that nothing is impossible with a lot of hard word, consistency and dedication. Again this is not a parenting guide, all I am offering is words of encouragement for those out there who might be reading this feeling like ever gaining control of their child is helpless. The second thing to make clear is that I am offering your real life answers to your questions. I'm telling it how it is. If you are looking for someone who is going to tell you that even if your child hurls food across a restaurant regularly you should still take them out because the staff and other people won't mind this is not going to be the post for you. Finally I ask that, as I do for all my posts, you read this with an open mind and an understanding that when coming to Okinawa you are entering an entirely different culture. Regardless if we are talking about children, food or driving in your car some changes to the way you look at things are ultimately going to have to be made. As always my goal here in to inform so that you don't have any surprises. I hope that you find this post beneficial and of course if you have any questions or concerns please feel free to leave them in he comments or email me at okininjakitty@yahoo.com.

"Using Indoor Voices" 

As I had said in the post that I had listed above it is common practice for people to use their indoor voices throughout Japan, even when outside. Let's talk a little bit about this. American's are loud, there's no way around it. The kids are loud, the adults are loud the cars are loud. . . . . we're loud. In Japan, and particularly Okinawa this is not the case. It's quite here which is why you see me say that using your indoor voice is "common practice" and not "common courtesy".  Again (I know I have talked about this in other posts but for the sake of ensuring I am consistent) it is about the culture. This is a laid back relaxed quiet culture and does take some adjustment when you come here. There is also a different attitude when it comes to being out in public places (which we will get into here in a bit so keep reading). Some places are for relaxing, some places are for conducting business and other places are for having fun. A great deal of consideration is taken by all people to ensure that you are able to relax, conduct business or have fun at these various facilities and therefore I believe it is safe to assume that everyone, including foreigners, have the same type of consideration when out in public.

"Kids will be kids" 

It's no surprise to me, or to anyone else in my honest opinion, that kids have their moments. After all they are still learning how to handle themselves in public situations, control their emotions and overall function as a part of society. There are going to be up's and down's and yes from time to time dreaded center of the aisle tantrum. That's life. Are the people here in Okinawa going to get angry with you? To be honest this completely depends on how you handle the situation as a parent. Again, it's a different culture here and therefore some of the parenting techniques that are acceptable in the US may not be as accepted in public here. To better illustrate what I am talking about let's go over some of these techniques:

The Separation Technique- 

Ok. . . . so I don't know what you would call this but I am coining it as "The Separation Technique" maybe you have used this technique as a parent or if you are like me it was used on you as a kid. So what is The Separation Technique? This is when a child , who is of an age where they can walk on their own and/or are not sitting in a stroller, is misbehaving and/or not listening. The parent then starts to walk away from the child saying something like "Ok. . . . . . bye. . . . . I'm leaving now. . . . " until the child decides to go with the parent rather than being separated. Usually with each remark the  volume of the parent's voice increases and potentially the pitch gets higher and higher but that is depending on each parent's preference. The Separation Technique.

This technique is not necessarily one that would be acceptable to use here especially if you know that it will result in your child becoming overly upset. Remember it's quiet here so doing something that might involve you becoming intentionally loud or that might trigger your child to become overly upset is going to get a bad reaction from the people around you. This also leads us to the next technique. . . .


Raising of the Voice Technique- 

As you might imagine in a society where people are quiet raising your voice at your child is not necessarily something you might want to resort to. I won't hold it against you but trust me when I say an American raising their voice in a shopping center in Okinawa is like Zeus' thunderous voice calling down from Olympus.

Avoidance- 

If you want to know when people in Okinawa are going to become upset or even angry at the behavior of a child it is almost always when the parent is using a technique which I refer to as the "Avoidance Technique". This is when a parent completely avoids any and all confrontation with their child allowing them to conduct themselves in any manner they so choose. In other words the parent completely ignores the child altogether as well as any consequences or effects that their child's behavior may have. An example of this might be a baby in a fancy restaurant. (One might wonder why there is a baby in a fancy restaurant in the first place but we'll get there in another post.) If the baby cries and the parent tries to sooth the baby or if the crying continues removes the baby from the situation there will be no problem. However, suppose the baby is crying and neither parent makes any attempt to stop the child from crying but just allows it to happen. This would cause anger or frustration with the people around you because you are not being considerate by even making an attempt to sooth the child.

Overall what I hope that I was able to illustrate with what I have said above is that yes things are different here. You are going to have to take a few things you wouldn't normally into consideration but overall if you remember to be considerate to those people around you and try to prevent and stop situations which might disrupt people around you then you have nothing to worry about. If you, on the other hand, don't care about other people or how what you or your child does affects them than yes you are gong to cause frustration and in some cases you may even cause a disadvantage for others in the future, but more about that later.


Child Friendly Places

With all this talk about keeping in line there is bound to be places where kids can REALLY be kids right? Absolutely! In fact one of the things that I found remarkable about Okinawa is the fact that there seem to be parks (and I don't mean the ones where the old people walk and enjoy the sunshine but ones with swings and kid stuff) all over the place. Not only is there one in almost ever neighborhood but they are clean and well kept too. These are places where kids can get out of the everyday shell and just enjoy being a kid. There are usually swings, things to climb on, sand and almost always some sort of large and ridiculous slide. Not only are these fun places to take your kids but they are also nice places for you to sit and enjoy being a parent with covered tables and benches as well as usually a water fountain so that you can keep yourself refreshed.

If you are willing to pay a little bit of money to give your kid the chance to play there are various other places where you can take them for some indoor fun. Although I do not often remember the names of these places because I personally do not frequent them there is one which is referred to as the Jungle something and another one which is located in a San A in the Naha Area. There are also sometimes special performances at shopping centers and even times of the year where they set up ball pits and bouncy houses right int he shopping centers for the kids to enjoy. These indoor areas are great for air conditioned fun especially in the summertime when mom's and dad's want to avoid that summer sun.

If you want to be out in the sun there are also a variety of playgrounds, such as the one at Araha Beach, which are on the beach. The kiddles can play in the sand and pretend to be a pirate while mom or dad sits in the sun and works on his/her tan. . . we are on a tropical island after all might as well look like it. This particular playground is known for being a lot of fun among many of the military families because of it's location in central Okinawa as well as being a 1 minute walk from pirate ship to ocean with a bathroom near by (although be warned the are squatty potties) and a refreshments stand.

Of course you are going to want to be a tourist sooner or later and there are many child friendly tourist destinations as well. This would include the Aquarium and Okinawa World. These are both great fun for kids offer fun activities for children and over all are safe even if you have a child who likes to dart out of your sight.

Places Not For Every Child

Like anywhere else there may be places where you don't want to take your kids. I will maybe go over more of these places in the future but for the sake of this post and the topic that we are on I am going to take about places you might not want to take your child if they are a screamer or a runner.

The Screamer

For a moment let's go back culture (don't worry I will do my best to summarize). Here in Okinawa the outdoors are very important to people for various reasons some religious. This is why when visiting some places you may find yourself encountering people praying, shrines or monuments. These things can be found at parks (the big and culturally protected ones not the ones that I described above), castle ruins, caves and shrines. People regularly visit these locations to honor ancestors or pray and therefore when visiting these sites it is important to ensure that you are doing so with the upmost respect and consideration for the people around you. This may be a tourist destination for you but it is a huge piece of history and culture for the people of the island.

The reason that I have titled this section "The Screamer" is because for children who have an uncontrolled desire to scream and/or yell this may not be the place you want to take them. Remember this is a place of worship for many and in some cases people travel great distances (even from Mainland Japan) to worship at these sites.


The Runner

When it comes to children who run it no longer becomes a matter of consideration for other people, in my opinion, but more a matter of safety. The one thing that you will notice about Okinawa when you first get here is that it is considerably smaller here than it is in the US. In stores, for example, aisles are half the size that you might find in the US. In many cases it's just enough for two people with shopping carts to pass through and corners are very tight so the odds of your child running through the store and getting hit by someone's shopping cart or accidentally running into a display case are pretty good. This isn't really the concern though. There is a bigger concern for parking lots in which people drive considerably faster than they should most of the time. The biggest concern in my opinion, however, is when taking your children to tourist locations much like the ones I mentioned above (Caves, Shrines, Recreational Parks and Castle Ruins). Many of these places have stairs and walkways made of coral which is sharp and slick. Stairways are also extremely steep as if you are climbing a mountain (I realize that seems exaggerated but I honestly do not know how else to describe it) These castle ruins are also built on mountain tops which undoubtably mean that there are cliffs in some cases they are straight drop offs. I have seen them and yes they are there without any barrier. Again it is a matter of knowing your child and determining whether you believe they are capable of handling a trip to a location such as this.

Conclusion

With all this being said what can we really conclude here? To be honest I leave it to you. Questions or Comments can be left below or you can email me at OkiNinjaKitty@yahoo.com. If you would like more information about kid friendly activities please  let me know and I will be happy to do some research and post information. Thanks for reading and I hope that you find this post helpful.

Things to NOT do in Tokyo

So you want to know what NOT to do in Tokyo?

There are a number of things that we can talk about her but for the sake of today's post let's talk about three things that I think are definite No-No's when traveling to Tokyo. Without further delay let's get right into it!

Do NOT try to imitate the fashions.

When traveling to Tokyo (or any part of Japan as far as I am concerned) it can be tempting to dress the way you see people dress in photos and on blogs. These elaborate and at times wacky outfits are fantastic, don't get me wrong, but when traveling to Tokyo I would say that they are something to avoid. The reason for this? Well it's simple. The odds are you are coming to Tokyo from another country, you spent a lot of money on this trip. Enjoy it. Fashion is great. I am a huge advocate of getting out there, expressing yourself and being who you are or even creating a you that you've always wanted. I just personally believe that comfort will ensure that you have a better time on a trip like this.

Do NOT go to Tokyo without a plan. 

There is so much going on in Tokyo that you might think it is incredible unnecessary to make a plan but the fact is there is a good chance that if you don't make a plan you will find yourself missing out. You don't necessarily have to follow the plan as if it were law but it will give you a direction to move and therefore give you the opportunity to see more. Also be sure to plan to eat. Find a few places where you might want to try in the area you are visiting and list them so when you want some food you know where they are and what they offer.  It is not uncommon for you to get so excited that you pass by a place to eat and realize that it was your only place to eat and now it is packed solid.

Do NOT rush through Tokyo. 

When I say this I am talking from the moment you get out of the plane to the moment you try and get on a train. Tokyo is much easier to get around for the English speaker than people might think BUT you have to be patient and take time to see what is around you. It is not uncommon to find English on signs at stations and airports but you may have to step back a moment and wait for them to change to your language. Also consider that there are sometimes English maps where you can check information but you will again need to take a second look for them (they are not hard to find) and then at times you may have to do a matching game with the kanji and English words so you can get on the right train. It's not hard but it does require patience. Yes people around you will be rushing and traveling quickly, they live in Tokyo they know what they are doing, but just take a slow pace and enjoy yourself.

Do NOT just travel to say you have been places. 

I will be talking more specifically about travel in another post but it is important to make sure you are traveling to do things that actually interest you. If you are not interested on going up to the tallest tower in Tokyo don't do it. If you don't have any interest in seeing the buildings in Shibuya because you live in a city, don't do it. See the things you want to see and do the things you want to do. Stay away from the travel guide books and just enjoy doing things you enjoy.

I hope that this post helps those of you who are interested in traveling to Tokyo. Please stay tuned for more information about Tokyo in the near future.

Buying a car in Okinawa

This topic came from a viewer who was watching a video that I had posted about buying a car in Okinawa and they asked what are some good places to buy a car from and what kind of headache is it to bring a car back? This is another fantastic question. Now I had asked this particular person what ind of car they were interested in and did not get a response back so I am going to go over a number of different car purchasing situations and hopefully one will be what you needing to get your question answered. So basically there are a few different ways to go about purchasing a car here in Okinawa. There are Military dealers who you can purchase from whether or not you are military but they usually have prices in dollars and have all English speaking staff which makes life easier. These dealers are also right outside the bases for super duper easy access. There are then the regular Japanese dealers and finally private parities. What kind of car you are looking for will determine what kind of place you will want to go in order to make the purchase.

If you are looking for a KCar then your best bet is going to be shopping at a regular Japanese dealer. There are hundreds of used car dealers here in Okinawa which will have a variety of used cars. It is important to remember, however, that here in Japan used cars are usually on the new side. What I mean is that if you are looking at a Japanese used car dealer you can expect to see (in the year 2012) cars that are 2010 and 2011 on the lot. You might find something older but the odds are you are going to find something only a few years old. From what we have noticed there is also a bit of pattern that occurs with the prices also. A 2010 will cost you approximately 1,000,000yen; a 2011 will cost approximately 1,100,000yen and so on. It is also important to remember that the prices at some of the Japanese used car dealers do not come with the mandatory inspections in the price so you will need to take that into consideration when purchasing also. There are some perks to purchasing from a Japanese used car dealer and one of those perks is that the car you purchase is going to be in new condition. The odds are this car has only had one or two owners before and you are going to get it as if you just pulled out of the manufacturer's parking lot. Of course the downside is the price. With today's yen rate these cars can be expensive but it is up to you to determine whether you think it is worth it or not.

If a non-turbo'ed standard car (sedan, mini van, wagon. . . . ) is what you are looking for then one of the Military dealers may be the place for you. Of course it always depends on what you are looking for and it is important to have a clear understanding of what you are looking for before you start to head over to the Military dealer. The pros of a military used car dealer is that the prices are significantly lower than the Japanese used car dealers and the cars come with the price of the inspections included. Unfortunately there is no real pattern to the pricing of the cars from a military used car dealer although you can anticipate approximately 5 to 6 thousand USD for a regular car and about 6 to 8 thousand USD for a sports car. They are also usually conveniently located within walking distance of the military bases which make them very easy to get to but unfortunately it is also one of the reasons that they are capable of taking advantage of many people. There are some big cons for using a military used car dealer but luckily a great deal of them can be avoided. The cars from these dealers are roughly in the 10 year old range (some less some more but 10 is a good round about) and a great deal of them have signs of wear a tear. It is not uncommon to have a car with a cracked windshield, dents dings or in some cases busted radiators. This is why it becomes very important for you as the buyer to take time to really inspect the car in great detail before making a purchase. Another con is that a lot of the perks which are available to you from these places have fine print attached which you might not find out about until after you have signed the dotted line. The most iconic example of this is warrantees. At most dealers if you have a car with a turbo (whether or not it is a sports car because there are other non sports cars with turbos as they are more efficient) they will not service the car. What this ultimately means is that once you drive that car off the lot regardless what happens to any part of the car the military dealer is no longer responsible. A friend of mine actually experienced this. Less than 24 hours after the purchase of the car the drivers side window stopped going down. When the car was brought back to the dealer they explained that they would not do anything about it because the car has a turbo and therefore was not covered under the warrantee. At the end of the day it is all up to what it is that you want to do. If you see something that you want and if the sale works out for you then this is a good option for you but there might be other feasible options out there for you as well.

Finally, the most anticipated car class for those coming to Okinawa sports cars. To cut to the chase you are going to most likely find yourself buying from a private seller. The reason? There is more variety from people trying to sell their cars than there is at the dealerships out in town. This is not to say that there are not dealers who have sports cars nor is it to say that there are not specialty dealers who only sell sports cars but you are going to get the most bang for your buck buying from a private party. There are some words of warning that I have about buying your sports cars here though. Let's go over a few:

1. Know the difference between a "sporty" car and a "sports" car. A good example of this is the Nissan Skyline. Contrary to popular belief not all Skyline's are created equal and no they are not all "sports" cars. Some are non-turbo some are not even stick. And please don't believe the few people out there who say "non turbo but you would never know it". Trust me you will know it. There is also an entire breed of car here that is "sporty" but don't perform when you put the pedal to the metal. One of these cars is the B4 Legacy. Don't let the twin turbo fool you it's piggy back system that they put in place with those turbos don't give you the power of a twin turbo but rather just a ton of turbo lag.

2. Don't just see the bells and whistles and get excited. If you are looking at a car that has a laundry list of modifications it is always important to take special care before making the purchase. Take time to talk to the seller and ensure that they are able to explain all of the modifications that they have done to the car. This will give you peace of mind knowing that they were not just someone poking and prodding at the engine during the weekends. Also make sure that the car comes with all original and JCI (Inspection) parts. This could include everything from headlights, tail lights, springs, struts, down pipe, cat back exhaust, rims and steering wheel. This will ensure that when the inspection comes due on the car you will not have to purchase parts. (And yes anyone who had modified their car and has a good solid knowledge of cars here on Okinawa should still have all of these parts for you) Also consider that some sports cars have been modified to not take low octane gas meaning you will not be able to purchase your gas on base and will need to buy fuel off base for approximately $10.00 per gallon. This can be costly.

3. Know what you want out of your car. What are you going to want to do with the car? Also consider what you are required to do with the car on a daily basis. Some cars like the Mitsubishi Evolution do not have back seats that fold down potentially making it difficult to move things in the trunk where as the Nissan 300zx 2 seater has a huge trunk. Of course this might not be important to you but if you are someone who enjoys scuba or other activities where you need to take around a lot of gear this might be something to consider. Of course there is the style of "sport" car that you are looking for. From drift to drag to rally everything is available here so know what you want and you will have an easier time finding a car that you can work with.

The second part of the questions was about the headache of bringing a car back to the US . To be completely honest a few years back when we were toying with the idea of going back to the US I was planning on bring my Evolution back to the states and so I did a ton of research on this and therefore I feel that I can give you a decent answer for this one. The short answer is that sadly the odds are stacked against you and your chances of getting a car back to the US are slim. I do want to make myself completely clear here, this is not to say that people don't do it. They do. And they get caught. This is also not to say that there are not ways to get parts of cars back to the states. That is also possible but for the sake of this post let's talk about getting an entire car back to the US. There are four ways to get a car back to the states. The first is if the car is an antique. I do not particularly know the process for getting an antique car back to the US because I did not have one but I am 100% aware that this is the easiest way to get a car back. The second is if the car is for the purpose of race only. This method is by no means easy nor is it cheap. There are a lot of things that need to be done in order to make this happen and it starts with having a license to race in the US and having competed in a certain number of events over a period of time. These events have to be sanctioned and Okinawa's competitions do not count (sorry). The car then has to be a special type of car which was designed to race (homologated) to prove this you have to obtain information from the car manufacturer to ensure that this is the case. This can be difficult if your car model was not released in the US. You then need to ensure that your car meets a set of standards which ensure that it is a race car. The list is incredibly long but it includes things like removing locks, removing glass (windshield needs to be replaced with shatter proof windshield, same goes for the rear, windows are to be replaced with mesh) there needs to be a fuel cell also and the list goes on. Once that has all been completed the car then needs to be shipped back to the US and inspected before it can be released to you. You then will need to prove that you are racing the car actively which is a set number of sanctioned races within a set length of time) and if you decommission your car it them has to be sent back to Japan. You are not allowed to break the car down or anything of the sort. Although this comes with a lot of rules and regulations the most troubling part about this is modifying it to be race ready. For my particular situation by the time that the car was modified so that it was accepted upon inspection prior to shipping the car back to the US we were looking almost at $10,000 to $15,000 just in parts not including the price to actually get it back.

Finally there is the ability to take a car back to the US just to drive. I must warn you this sounds ridiculous but it is all information that I received from immigrations and the people in charge over in the US. Let's suppose you want to bring back your Skyline to the US to drive on the street. Regardless if the car is made in the states or not it needs to go through vigorous testing to ensure that it is safe to be on the roads in the US. To accomplish this you will need to provide the US with 3 more of the same exact make and model car that you plan to import. This will allow them to complete the necessary crash tests to determine whether or not your car is safe for the roads in the US. Once that is all good if the car passes the tests you then have to modify your car to make it fit within the US standards which includes changing it over to left hand side drive. This needs to be done by an approved shop in the US from start to finish. Once that is done it is then inspected again and once you have paid the bill if it is approved it's yours.

Of course each of these items may be slightly dated because I got my information a few years ago so please consider that when you are reading. Also please consider that I have given a brief description of what I have learned over the time that I was researching taking a car back. As far as my opinion goes just getting the answers of what you need to do is a headache I cannot imagine actually going through with is. To be completely honest what is the biggest turn off for me is that amount of money that is potentially lost for the CHANCE of getting your car back to the US. With the money you spend you could be half way to your dream car.

 

From Magazines to Radiation this is Fan Mail Friday!

It's Friday over here in Okinawa and you know what that means, it's time for Fan Mail Friday. If you are still not familiar with Fan Mail Friday it's a time when I sit down and answer all of the questions that you have sent to me throughout the past week. This week you guys asked some awesome questions so let's get right into it!

A while back I had posted a video about magazines here in Japan. If you haven't watched it or if you don't already know magazines here are a load of fun and many of them come with some sort of gift such as a hand bag or mirror. For men's magazines you might get a hand bag also (as that is part of the fashion here) or you might find yourself with some sort of a DVD. One viewer asked where I get these magazines and unfortunately I was unable to respond to their comment because of some sort of error or glitch but I would like to answer that question now. All of the magazines that I get are usually purchased from FamilyMart or Lawsons. Of course you can purchase magazines in various other places like at book stores or shopping centers but as the convenient stores are by my house I usually find myself purchasing them from there. As I am sure that at least one of you reading are curious I am not sure if any of these magazines can be purchased online but if you purchase them here they are very affordable especially with the handbags and other items that come with them.

Another viewer asked me What are some good places to visit/live in Japan? This is an interesting question. The fact of the matter is that good places to visit or live in Japan are really different from person to person. If you like living in the city then you are most likely going to like living in one of Japan's cities where as if you like to live in the countryside then one of Japan's countryside's are going to be better suited for you. It's really not as simple as saying that one part of Japan is better than the other. Comparing Tokyo to Okinawa, for example is apples to oranges. The same is true for visiting a part of Japan. If you find yourself uncomfortable in the city, for example, you are not going to be comfortable in Tokyo because it's a city and there is a lot of hustle and bustle. In my own personal opinion I would be happy to live anywhere in Japan other than Hokkaido but that is just because I cannot stand the cold. If it were not for the cold weather I would happily live there too if I could. As for visiting Japan, again in my personal opinion, I believe that all parts of Japan are good also. Each different part of Japan has a different culture and different characteristics of how they go about daily life and to experience that is definitely something worth taking time to do if you have the means. Again it is all up to you.

I received another question from a viewer who asked am I concerned about the radiation in Tokyo. The person had also posted on another video that I needed to "get out now". Since the disaster that had happened over a year ago I had not approached this topic because aside from family back home in the US I had never been asked about it but I wanted to take a moment now to answer this question. I am in no way concerned about the supposed levels of radiation in Tokyo. There really is no more simple way to say it than that. The people of Tokyo have not been at risk of any grave danger due to radiation since this disaster over a year ago. That is not to say that there have not been precautions taken. This ensures that children, who are most susceptible to harm, are taken care of but this is precautions. I am not concerned about the food, I am not concerned about the water, I am not concerned about the air quality. Then there is the comment of how I need to "get out now". I am going to give  this person the benefit of the doubt and assume that they meant to ask me what my feelings are on staying in Japan rather than trying to tell me that I need to leave my home and life here in Japan. There is no reason to leave Okinawa or any other part of Japan for that matter (other than Fukushima) after the disaster that happened over a year ago. I do realize that for most of you who are on the outside looking in it seems like the easy route to say to get out of Japan because you may not be familiar with the geography of the country or the many other places where it is safe to live within the country. Imagine for a moment something happened in Boston and others were suggesting that the entire state of Massachusetts was evacuated. That sounds a little ridiculous as is the suggestion that Japan should be evacuated. My true and honest opinion of this is that there is a lot of panic created due to a lack of understanding. There is no denying that this is a topic that most do not understand, in fact I would wager that many people have learned more about nuclear energy and radiation now than ever before. What is troubling is where this information is being gathered from. I had watched one video of a person who sited an article by "Steve" with no last name who happened to hold a variety of degrees in the subject matter but did not state where the degrees came from. It does not take a lot to tell that this is not a good source of information. Nevertheless this information gets spread because it is the most alarming and at the end of the day the shock factor is what gets the ratings both on Youtube or on your local news station.

Now, as you will notice above there is not a lot of factual information presented to make my case nor are there sited sources as to what I have read over the past year which has given my the opinion and view that I currently have. I have done this for a reason. My blog and VLOG post are not the kind of informative that will give you a lesson on everything radioactive and nuclear. If you would like to learn about that there are a number of specialists out there who can help you out. Here in my blog you are going to get the information through my eyes and as far as this situation goes my eyes see that there are a lot of people who are on the outside looking in kicking and screaming about something that they do not fully understand.

This is basically all that I have for you right now. I have another topic that I am going to be discussing in another post because of the length but keep an eye out for that. Thanks for reading!