Never Doubt Obaasan!

I live in Oyama, one of the very congested parts of Ginowan which is sandwiched between the coast of the East China Sea and MCAS Futenma. At one point it used to be a large area full of fields (some of which are still in use today even though the city has grown up around them) but now this is no longer the case. Fortunately there are still a great deal of people who work in their small yards making the best of every available inch to grow fruits, veggies and flowers as I am sure their families did before them (although on a much smaller scale.)

At least four of these backyard gardens are immediately next to my house all being tended by older women (obaasan). Day in and day out they are out there working in their gardens waving to me and yelling out an occasional "konnichia" up at me while I am out on my deck. Like clock work they are out there tending, weeding and sometimes just watching their gardens grow.

Now that it's spring time, however, there has been a change in the attire worn by the obaasan. Rather than just a light covering over their heads they have started to wear their straw hats. These straw hats come in all different shapes and sizes. Some of them seem like easter bonnets where as others look like a traditional Japanese style hat with a point on the top. Seeing as how I have a garden now and will be spending a great deal of time out in the sun tending to it I figured I would take the leap and pick one up for myself. After all if wisdom comes with age then these women (easily on their way to 90 years old) have got to have something here right?

Then the other day while I was at my local DIY and Garden Center I spotted it there out of the corner of my eye. I almost missed it because it was on the bottom rack hidden behind the veils of a few other visors and hats that hung above it. I immediately grabbed it saw that it was about ¥500 and tried it on (thank goodness my husband had his camera phone handy lol). Yep this was for me because if nothing else I would at least look super kawaii (and probably a little silly but I'm fine with that)!

Unfortunately as luck would have it soon after getting the hat home I had a day of clouds and then almost 12 hours of non-stop rain. Needless to saythere was no chance to see my hat in action. . . until today. I was so happy to see that the sun had come out I couldn't help myself. I grabbed my folding chain, book, sunglasses and hat then headed out onto the deck. After spending much time on the deck under the sun I realized how nice it was to have a straw hat. Not only did the hat breath really well but it kept the sun off my neck and face. I knew those obaasan knew what they were doing!

Springtime Flowers in Okinawa

Recently cherry blossoms and orchids have been the topic of conversation but Okinawa has a lot of beautiful flowers blooming during the spring time. Unfortunately springtime flowers here in Okinawa don't get their own festivals, aside from the cherry blossoms and orchids that is, so I thought that I would take a moment and share with you some of the flowers that I found today while enjoying some time in the sunshine.



This is by far the best flower that I saw today and one of my favorite flours that I have ever seen around in Okinawa. (Sorry red powder puff you're now number 2.) This pink flower almost looks like a lily and shares it's characteristics as well. The color is bright pink, so pink in fact that the image I am posting doesn't do it any justice. What really caught my eye, however, was the pattern on the inside of the flower. It almost looks like leopard spots.



This little yellow flower doesn't get the attention that it deserves. They are very small and no you're not going to get a vase full of them on Valentine's Day. In fact you might classify them more as weeds then flowers but for me they are a cheery reminder of spring. My favorite time to see these flowers is when they are growing along a coral wall.



Here's another one that I very much enjoy. These little white flowers grow in bunches. They are white and simple but very beautiful.



These are common flowers here on Okinawa. We saw these today while walking around a stone path. The small bunches of purple flowers added a splash of color to the dull path.

Now I know what you are thinking and no these flowers might not seem like much. However, they are one of the many things that puts a smile on my face and many people just walk by them every day without a thought. Next time you're out take a moment to look all around even at the little things. You might be surprised by what you see.

 

 

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.

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.

 

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

Tomorrow is Fan Mail Friday

Tomorrow is Fan Mail Friday and to be honest I am quite excited for this week's video. The questions that have been asked are actually very interesting and have been well thought out by those who are sending them in. In the true fashion of OkiNinjaKitty I will be answering all of the questions that I received in one video tomorrow so if you happen to be reading this and thinking to yourself that you would like to have your question answered please ensure that you make a comment here or at one of the many other places where you can contact me within the next 12 to 16 hours.

So what else has been going on over here? The weather has been much hotter than it has ben at any point so far in the year. I think that the storm passing us by has caused the weather to be slightly cooler than we normally have but now that all is clear the humidity has moved in and we are starting to experience weather in Okinawa that is representative of the tropical island that we are. Actually today we even had a rain storm which lasted for only about 5 minutes and caused it to get so incredibly thick and humid that both Russ and myself came into the bedroom in which I am sitting right now with the AC on. Overall this type of weather will only last for a short while although it will feel as though it lasts forever due to the heat. WE are already almost in July and we just need to make it to September before we can start to have cooler weather again.

This is about all there is to report today. Thanks for reading everyone!

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.

Typhoon Guchol passes without major damage

The very anticipated Typhoon Guchol struck Okinawa last night starting at approximately 5pm which is when the rain had started. At that time we had also started experiencing a little bit of wind but nothing too drastic. At this time we had started to recognize that the storm had been downgraded to a category three which meant that we could expect slightly less winds but it should have been a strong storm. Throughout the first part of the evening we had found ourself not really experiencing a great deal of wind. When checking the doppler it had shown that we were between two bands of storm which had resulted in the lack of drastic weather.

Over the course of the evening we really did not experience much wind nor did we experience much hard rain. I say this because my house if built like a house of cards and when we get rain or wind you can hear it clearly. There were two large gusts of wind that we had experienced over the course of the evening which had been surprising because with a category three it seems that we should have had more wind and rain. Either way it is a relief that we did not experience more wind and rain because it made today's clean up much easier. After going out and inspecting the outside of the house there doesn't seem to be much damage at all. The all famous palm tree which is often referenced in my storm videos seems to be fine.

Before I close this post I do want to thank all of you out there who had sent me and my family well wishes to stay safe over the course of this typhoon. It is incredibly kind of you. For those who showed concern know that we are well and there is nothing to worry about. For those of you who had wanted to see typhoon images and damage and the wrath of Guchol, I am sorry nothing exciting happened. Thanks for reading!

 

 

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Typhoon Guchol Update

Over the past 24 hours we have been keeping a close eye on the storm which is out in the ocean and heading towards us. The storm is still scheduled to hit us within approximately 24 to 30 hours at a category four which means that there will be a great deal of wind and rain heading out way. Today there have been a number of conflicting reports but finally by around 8pm all of the warning systems from the Air Force websites as well as some of the other weather sites have reported that it is time for us to get everything figured out.

Now that it is around 9:00pm we are starting to see that there is clearly a storm out there. The dark clouds have started to roll in and the weather has started to show signs of a storm. The wind has also started picking up and therefore we have made preparations to bring everything from outside into the house. We have taken down most of the screens and brought everything from outside inside. We have also checked the food and we are good to go for a few days if there is anything that for some reason does not allow us to get food at a shopping center.

Unfortunately there is not really anything else to report at this time. I will be giving information as I get more throughout the next week with both Facebook and Youtube. Please don't forget to "like" and "subscribe" for more information. :-)

Preparing for a Cat 4: Guchol kicked it up a notch

Waking up this morning I found myself making a regularly scheduled check on the tropical storm website that I check during this season. When I did I was surprised to find that the typhoon that is headed our way is now predicted to come at us at a category 4 (as of 0600 June 16). This was surprising to me because it is early in the season but nonetheless this doesn't change the fact that we have a storm headed our way. Before I continue on I feel that it is important for me to mention that there are a number of important facts to remember if you are reading this and are in Okinawa. First of all there is never a guarantee that the storm will follow the predicted path. We have these predictions to ensure that we have some warning and be prepared but there is still a chance that it could take a number of different paths or disappear all together.

Now that this is out of the way let's talk about what a typhoon is and what you should expect if you are here in Okinawa. To make it as simple as possible a typhoon is a wind storm which usually comes a long with rain although there are times when it doesn't and let me say that is an incredible interesting storm to experience (which I did the summer before last). They are incredibly easy to prepare for and are very survivable unlike some of the storms that you may encounter in the US or other countries. They are categorized according to the power of the wind that is traveling with the storm. There are tropical depressions and tropical storms which are the very basic warnings that there may be a typhoon on the way and then there are typhoons category 1 through 5. Category 1 is predicted to have approximately 90 mile per hour winds where a category 5 have winds over 156 miles per hour. All are possible and about 3 or 4 years ago we did have a cat 5 over here (which is also known as a super typhoon) but again you can prepare for these storms. In the case of this particular storm we are looking at winds to be approximately 130 miles per hour.

Being that you now understand what a typhoon is (roughly) let's talk about what is necessary to do in order to prepare for this type of storm. The first thing that you are going to want to do is ensure that you have enough supplies to get you through at least 7 days. These foods should be capable of being eaten with little prep time and should also be nonperishable. I understand that this may be difficult and therefore might not be as healthy as what you are used to but trust me when I say it is important to ensure that you have these foods. I am sure that there are some people out there who feel that 7 days is too long but the fact of the matter is that there are cases when you may be without food for this amount of time and so you want to be prepared. There was one storm a few years ago which had sat over us for 4 days and once it finally went away there was still over 24 hours before the roads were safe to drive on again and about 48 hours before the stores were open again. For some families, including my own, typhoon food is nutritious and as healthy as possible but I also take the advantage of getting some fun things to keep morale up because the fact is when you are in the house for more than 3 days non stop without being able to leave it can be difficult to handle and sometimes oreos are welcome. Of course it is also important to ensure that you have water available also. In some cases it is a good idea to ensure that you have the bath tub filled as well as bottled water.

There is also prep that needs to be taken care of outside of the house. When we have a storm, especially one cat 4, it is important to ensure that everything is taken into the house and/or storage rooms. There are also other helpful and interesting ways to put your outdoor items away like putting them in a car of van or in cases where you can not bring them in the house or put them in a secure area you can tie things down. Personally I feel that tying things down is not the best option because with steady winds of 130 to 140 miles per hour a cord is not necessarily going to keep things in place. I cannot stress how important it is to pick up your outdoor items. Any little doll or screw driver can be deadly during a storm like this and it is so important to ensure that you have taken care of your items in order to ensure that your assets are protected as well as the assets of those around you.

Overall preparing for a typhoon is relatively simple and can be done within a few hours (and your yard will look wonderful in the process so talk about a win win!). The most important thing to do, however, is to stay focused calm and do not worry about the storm. If you are going to focus energy focus it on the preparation and the rest of the storm will be a piece of cake!

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.

Katventure: Tokyo Prep

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This morning I had found myself doing something that I usually do a few weeks before I go on vacation. . . . packing my bag with all of the things that I plan to bring with me on the trip. So I pulled down my suitcase and pulled out some of the things that I had been planning on bringing to Tokyo and began to put some of these things into my suitcase. Thank goodness that I did because I realized a few things but mostly that I am not as prepared for this trip as I thought I was.

So let me start from the beginning. Basically what I do in the event that I want to travel is that I take everything I plan on taking with me and put it in one place. Once that is done I find myself taking the clothing and other stuff, putting going through it (and testing it out in the suitcase) and seeing how much I can fit and if my outfits were not planned in the proper direction or not. This is basically what I did today.

As you might see in the photographs above some of the stuff that I have to be packed is not clothing related at all. In fact as I had mentioned my plan was to bring foods like snacks and other treats on the trip with me. This would allow me to ensure that I have some things to snack on and eat for breakfast when I get to tokyo rather than trying to find something at a local konbini or having to pay more buying from a kiosk. . . . at least right away. I have these snack bars called "Lite Meal" and I also have some other instant oatmeal and drip coffee which will assist in the breakfast part of the day. FInally I also have some sports drinks packets which can be added to water bottles to ensure that we are getting the proper number of electrolytes when being out in the summer heat for most of the day. Of course this is not to prevent us from buying anything when in Tokyo but it will allow us to save a little bit of money and be able to use bubblers rather than having to buy bottles of sports drinks. There are various other products that I am bringing with me to include some different types of wipes for keeping clean and cool as well as a few other fun and interesting snacks like Salty Pocky. Not sure whether that will be a fan favorite when I get to give it to Mom (who will be meeting me in tokyo) or not but either way it is going to be fun. I also have a few fun treats for my mom which I am bringing with me. These items do take up a lot of space in my bag but I do plan on these spaces being cleared out for when I travel back which will allow for me to have more space for fun things I might purchase during my time in Tokyo.

I have also decided that I am going to travel with some of my electronic devices in my bag rather than on my person. Of course because airport security will require electronic devices to be taken out of the bags and put in different containers for screening it seems like there are some which are not necessary to take with me on the plane such as my camera. With me iPad and cell phone as well as my video camera there is really no reason to have the still shot with me. This will most likely be carried in my bag although I am still not sure what I am going to do quite yet and it all depends on space.

Finally we get to the clothing which is the most important part of the stuff I pack. Of course most of the stuff that I need to take needs to be ready for the warm weather but also needs to be what is considered appropriate for the different things that I will be doing during the time that I am in tokyo. I want to ensure that for the days when I go to certain places I look appropriate and on other days I can move comfortably and have a good time. A good way that I do this is to supplement some outfits with the use of scarves. I have three scarves that I will be bringing with me to tokyo all of which are basic and can go with any of the color combinations that I am taking on the trip with me. I will also be bringing some cover ups for my arms. The reason for this is because seeing as how I have a tattoo that covers my arm I want to ensure that I am being appropriate for times when it is needed but also I need to ensure that I also am protecting my expensive asset from the very harsh sun. This is not difficult and will only require a bit of sunscreen at most times although on some days a long sleeve or three quarter length sleeve shirt will also do the trick.

What I seem to notice from going through my clothes, however, is that many of the things I am packing are in need of some bottoms. I have the tops ready to go but no pants. This is really not to much of a problem because I have the pants lying around I just need to get them and put them in the pile of stuff for tokyo but at the same time the fact that I haven't set them aside yet and thought I was almost ready to go is a bit concerning. I will also need to ensure that I am bringing some night time clothes which I have not set aside yet as well as some under garments which also have not been set aside.

Overall today's mock up was very successful because it allowed me to find out what I am going to need but it also allowed me to see how much space I have left in this little suitcase of mine which turns out to be about half of the suitcase left and that doesn't count my carry on bag so I seem to be in good shape. Hopefully it all turns out well and I can get everything I need to tokyo.

Thanks for following! More soon including tips on saving space.

Beating the Heat

If you come to Okinawa and are going to be here during the summer months you will soon realize that Okinawa is a hot and humid place. In fact the heat is really minor to the incredible humidity that you will encounter here. Although our temperatures here are in the 80's and 90's throughout the summertime it is not uncommon for us to have on the up side of 80 or 90% humidity. Because of this we find ourselves doing a number of things to try and deal with the weather. Between carrying around face towels and various products which will help us attempt to stay cool.

In a video which was posted on the OkiNinjaKitty Youtube Channel I had explained some of the products that I use and find helpful during the summertime. These products are common and can be found anywhere but they are so incredibly helpful.

Now I do understand that some people don't like to try Japanese products for a number of reasons. Personally my thought is go ahead and try them and see how they work for you. I felt the same way when I first got here figuring that there is no reason to spend extra money on products because who needs them right? However, one day I found myself picking up one or another of these products and when I did I realized that when in Rome, do like the Romans.

Anyway, check out the video and maybe you will feel like you can try out some products during your time here.

Typhoon season is here. . . . bring on the typhoons!

June 1st marks the beginning of the typhoon season here in Okinawa and this year Mother Nature has wasted no time in reminding us of that fact. Marwar is this season's first tropical storm out in the ocean and that means that it's time to bunker down and get some of the items you need to safe during this season.

The fact of the matter is that I honestly have not been the picture perfect example of what should be done during the typhoon season this year. I have found myself not stocking up on what I should be and truthfully that is just not a very good thing at all. Nonetheless I do will do what I have to do here shortly to ensure that everyone in my house is safe in the event that there is a big storm and we can't get out.

Today's weather is also reminiscent of the typhoon season. We are experiencing off and on rain which is something that we experience anyway in the rainy season but that being said I suppose that is why the two seasons go hand in hand. So yeah that's basically all that I have to report on the typhoon. I apologize for this not being the best blog ever but I will have to make up for that at another time.

 

 

Visiting Okinawa: Weather in June

Today I received a message from one of my followers on Facebook asking about traveling to Okinawa in June and thought that I would take this opportunity to talk about the weather here in Okinawa during June.

First of all I should say that almost any time is a great time to visit Okinawa. The island is beautiful and has so much to offer that even after 6 years I find myself still unable to say I have seen everything. There are some seasons that are "better" than others depending on where you live and what weather you are used to but overall I believe that it is basically a case by case basis. My main point is that regardless when you come to Okinawa you are going to get those coffee table book quality photos and memories that will last a lifetime.

Overall most people will say that the summer months (June through September) are the hardest months to acclimate to when here in Okinawa. For me I would agree but as I said before I came from the north east where it snows in April. June is the month where the summer starts to get into gear although there are still days where we experience the tail end of the spring. The weather is in the mid 70's to 80's and the humidity is starting to remind us that it's here. One day you might find that it is cool and damp and the next day you can't seem to get to your car without working up a sweat. Luckily at night it cools down a bit and likewise it is cool in the mornings. The unfortunate part is that June falls within the rainy season which means that there is a 90% chance of rain at least during some part of the day. This is honestly not much of a problem because no matter where you are you can get an umbrella for really cheap (about 300yen) and continue on with your day. June is also the start of the typhoon season. Typhoons are basically hurricanes here in the Pacific and during Typhoon Season we see quite a bit of them. If you are traveling here on vacation I would recommend to purchase tickets that are changeable or refundable and if you are coming here to stay for a while (PCS or Move) it is important to make sure that you have everything that you need in order to sustain in the event that a large typhoon comes through.

Over the course of the past 6+ years I have experienced quite a few typhoons, however, only two of these were worth noting. The first was Manyi which happened over 4 years ago. The storm was categorized as a "super typhoon" and took about 4 days to pass by us if my memory serves me right. This was the most devastating typhoon that I have ever seen in my time here. It was impossible to drive, trees were down and in cases they had blown through the fence lines at the bases. Yes that's right imagine a tree taking out a hole like a cannon ball through the military base chained link fence. It was THAT bad. In fact the storm itself was stronger than Katrina. Now with that being said it is important to note that Okinawa is built for typhoons. I have spoken about this in my video Okinawa is built for typhoon and have documented various typhoons on my youtube channel. To put it short and sweet Okinawa can take a hit. Even with Manyi the buildings were mostly ok and most of the damage was to other things such as awnings that were not properly stowed, cars that were struck by trees and similar.

Basically to sum it up expect temperatures of 70 to 80 degrees with it cooler on the morning and evening. Also plan for a rain shower on most days, because it's rainy season it's not a bad idea to have an umbrella. Finally stay alert for typhoons. You can stay tuned to a variety of news sites which will offer you information regarding the hazardous weather.

Thanks so much for reading and I hope that this has offered you some insight of what to expect traveling to Okinawa during the month of June. If you have any further questions please feel free to leave them in the comments below or email me at okininjakitty@yahoo.com

I think I live in what was base housing. . . .

Let me first start off by saying that I do not live in what is a "traditional" japanese style house. To be honest I am not even sure that there are any more traditional japanese style houses in the southern part of Okinawa. Yes some of them have been preserved and rebuild but they are not the majority of what you will see here. Of course this is not something that you would have to search the history books for because the houses are clearly different from what you see in the parts of Okinawa that were not so much affected by WWII. I also live very close to the base fence line like many other people in Ginowan and yesterday I noticed something interesting. When walking up the road to get back to my house I found that one of the tombs along the left side of the road had been cleaned up. The wall is usually covered in growth but someone usually comes by and takes care of it. Yesterday, however, it had been cleared out all the way down to the stone wall itself and I noticed that it said painted in stencil yellow it said "SLOW DOWN 5 MPH". This was very interesting to me because first of all there was no Japanese that was painted on and the us of MPH rather than KPH.

Now for those of you who may be reading this looking for historical value I am going to be very up front. At this time  I honestly do not know the factual information about the location where I live as far as what it was before the past 10 years. Okinawa is a very difficult place to follow especially when it comes to some of the places like MCAS Futenma. Many of the articles that I can find about the location are focused on certain topics and it in the past 24 hours has not produced information regarding the actual layout of what the base used to be in the past. What I do know is this, MCAS Futenma during WWII was build as a "temporary" air station. The land was leveled to allow for American air planes to land and assist in the war efforts. At some point I do know that the American Military opened some land back up for the people of Okinawa to live back in again. This is basically the extent of what I know. Well that and the fact that MCAS Futenma is still here. (**For those of you who are reading this who are aware that there are a lot of other facts regarding what was and may never be recovered from MCAS Futenma's "settling" in Ginowan please know that I do know that information and have not chosen to go into that type of detail for this particular article. In the future I may take the time to put together an article with that information, however, I would like to devote to it the proper time and research to ensure that all of my facts are right rather than just pulling it together carelessly. Thank you for your understanding**)

So, we're walking past this sign and I say to my husband "I bet we live in base housing" to which he stops in his tracks and said, "wow I bet we do". There are a few clues to this which become clear when you take a look around. First off there is the structure of the base housing. Even if you are not a military member you would be familiar with this structure because of the houses near the fence line. These houses are usually one story, concrete and have a roof which is I can only describe as what you would see on a house of cards. Flat across with an overhang around the sides. This is the same style of house that you can find in certain areas around the bases in the MCAS Futenma area. Although some of them have been changed understandably since the 1970's when I imagine most of these were built you can still see the distinct similarities. These houses are small, maybe two or three rooms but enough that a small family can live there or maybe a small group of Military personnel.

The road that I live on is also quite curious. As many of you who may have seen my videos before know that it is small and leads to nowhere really, except for houses and to be completely honest it is not large enough for more than one car to go down at a time with few places which allow for a turn off. There is, however a road that is on the base beyond the fence line which runs parallel with the road that I live on. I imagine that at one time the fence line went further down maybe all the way down to 58 at which point it would have perfectly met where the MCAS Futenma sign sits today. Maybe this small neighborhood (and many others) were part of that on base land and then were given back and the fence line moved back? I truthfully have no idea. If this was the case I find it quite sad. The reason being is that there are tombs throughout this entire neighborhood which means that if this were to be part of the base at one point families would have been unable to visit the tombs of their loved ones which is a rather big deal here in Ginowan. Now I do understand that this was and is still very much the case elsewhere on the base right now but still the thought of this land being off limits does still strike a cord with me. Now, it could have also been the case that this was base housing which was constructed outside the base. This was something that I understand was also done during certain time periods. Even now this same type of thing happens where housing is built targeting the American Military members. The potential difference is that now you can rent the houses where as there may have been housing that military members used without paying at some time in the past.

Regardless what turns out to be the actual factual information (which I will hopefully find some times in the future) this is an interesting thing to ponder around.

Golden Kings, Ferris Wheel and Much More: This Is Current Events

Welcome to the first of hopefully many segments where I write (and talk if you watch www.youtube.com/okininjakitty) about current events. Although I am not 100% sure on what the name of this segment will be called I am going with "This is current events" which has a nice little ring to it and I think that it will provide me with the appropriate feel of what I would like to discuss about. In this blog post I am going to talk about various things that I have found throughout the news in Okinawa in the past week. I will talk a little bit about the "event" and let you know how I feel about that particular item. So here we go!

Golden Kings Win Championship

For those of you who might not be familiar the Golden Kings this is Okinawa's basketball team. They were known as the Ryukyu Kings but recently for a reason that I honestly do not remember they had changed their name, uniform and everything to golden. This team is the pride of Okinawa as far as I have come to understand. In fact I have not met anyone yet who wasn't a fan of this team in one way or another. I truthfully do not know the details of the championship as I was not watching but the fact of the matter is that it was the big one, so big in fact that families gathered throughout my neighborhood and most likely throughout Okinawa to cheer on the team.

You might be asking why this is something worth noting. I mean it was only a game right? Well for me yes it was only a game. I personally am not too involved with sports but for those who were watching this game it was above the level of anything I have ever experienced here in Okinawa in my 6 + years. The families were chanting and cheering in their houses. It was actually startling because this is not something that one ever really experiences here in Okinawa. It was exciting just to listed to and what was surprising is that it lasted for two days. It almost felt like I was back in the US on Super Bowl Sunday.

Ferris Wheel Operational Again

If you have been following my videos or Facebook page you know that the iconic ferris wheel in Mihama has been closed down. This was sad for a lot of us here in Okinawa. Fortunately information has been released that the ferris wheel will continue to be operational dispute the recent claims that repairs were too costly. There have been some changes, however. The coke logo in the center of the wheel is now gone and I do not know if this has changed the theming of the inside of the ride which had also been themed with Coke products. Please keep yourself posted on the Facebook page for more information when it becomes available or if you have visited the building recently please post in the comments below.

Festival Season Kicks Off At Schwab

It's that time of year again, festival season. Each year throughout the summer and into the holiday season the military bases open up to the local public one weekend a month for various festivals which will feature local and state side entertainment. This year the festival season kicked off at Camp Schwab located in Northern Okinawa with a live performance by Candlebox.

These events are a lot of fun and allow something interesting for all walks of life. If you like it. . . . they most likely have it. For the kids there is a kids carnival area where they can take part in various activities, like any other festival food is abundant and don't forget the alcohol for those who want to drink the night away. If you want to take part in one of these festivals keep an eye out on the various web sites for the bases and local papers. The information is everywhere.

See the video by clicking here! 

Okinawa Summer Weather

Imagine for a moment you are on a plane. It's August.  For the past 2 hours you have been in your seat waiting anxiously to pull into your terminal at Naha International Airport. Finally you have arrived, gather your carryon luggage and move towards the door where you step out of your air conditioned capsule. Immediately you find yourself hot. . . . it's humid and the fact that you have been traveling for what is most likely longer than the 2 hour flight from Tokyo or Osaka and carrying your bags isn't helping. Finally you reach the actual building moments later and feel that relief of air conditioning again which quickly fades as everyone moves towards the luggage pickup area. You get your stuff and you walk towards the doors and you realize that you're hot. . . it's MORE humid than before and you've not going back now because you're already walking towards the vehicle which will be taking you into the city. Welcome to Okinawa!

Ok. . . Ok. . . .So yes above is a bit of a dramatization but the fact of the matter is that this is basically what I experienced on my way here. This being said I am from Boston and I traveled here in July which for me was hot when I left Boston and when I got here I experienced more heat and humidity than I have ever experienced. In fact to some I say I had not grown my gills yet and so I was unable to handle the humidity. I also give this as a comical explanation for why I passed out 3 times that summer.

This post is fueled by a comment left on our Facebook page which asked about traveling here during the summer months. 

The fact of the matter is that there really isn't anything to be worried about when traveling to Okinawa in the summertime if you are prepared. The good news is that because you are reading this post and watching my videos you have the upper hand right there. According to The Weather Channel the average temperature in August is a high of 87 and a low of 78 but the fact of the matter is that these numbers really do not do the weather here justice. During the summer it is hot but the main problem that people have with Okinawa is the humidity. This is something that you will need to get used to. Although (depending on where you are coming from) the first few summer months will seem unbearable over time you will find yourself more and more likely to not feel as if you are in an oven. There are some other people who do not feel this way because they come from a place with hot climate or grew up in the south. For me this was not the case and so my experience was different. What does this all mean? Basically what to expect here in Okinawa during the summer is relative to your past experience so to talk too much about it would be almost a waste of time.

Now that you understand a little bit more about the weather let's talk about a few things you can do to make your summer a more pleasant experience.

1) Spread on the sunscreen - Although you might only be going out for a little while you want to do what you can to prevent yourself from getting burnt. Many people say that over here in Okinawa we are "closer to the sun" and although I do not know the exact information on the science of it all I can tell you that the sun is much hotter. For someone who has never really burned until I got here I can tell you from experience that it is important to try and keep yourself covered.

2) Sports Drinks, Even Without The Sports - You might not be the type of person to like sports drinks but there are times when you will find yourself sweating just to get to your car so make sure that you are rehydrating not only with water but also sports drinks.

3) Don't go straight into physical activity until you have been acclimated to the location. Some people will say that it takes about 3 or 4 weeks to get to the point where you are acclimated to Okinawa's weather. Although different people will adjust differently there are times when it might be better to sit back and ensure you are ready to be outside for long periods of time before going for a run.

With this information I am going to close this post. I am hoping that this has offered enough information for you to have an idea of what it is to scratch the surface of coming to Okinawa in the summer time. If you have any further questions make a commend and let me know. Maybe you have had a different experience coming to Okinawa? Let me know about it and I will ensure to share it with those who might be interested.