okinawa hai!

Shuri Area Urban Hike

Daniela took a break from the beach visits to do this urban hike. Sure are a lot of sights in a relatively short distance!! Thanks, Daniela!

I first saw this hike described last year in the 6th issue of Okinawa Outdoors and immediately knew this was something I wanted to do. I also want to make sure that all the credit goes to them; thank you!

Well, just to show you how time flies, forward 1 year and here we finally are, gearing up to it. This hike will take you past some great "must see sights" on Okinawa, including Shuri Castle. It will take you about 2-3 hours, depending on how long you spend at each site.

You will start at Kinjo Dam. Once you get to the dam park in P1 or P2. Follow the road down the hill until you come to a traffic light. Look to your right and you just discovered a treasure; Kinjo-cho. It's a 400 year old cobblestone street. This is where the work begins. Follow it up hill and I am not kidding when I say up hill. Don't fret, the work is worth it as it takes you past some nice mansions, a 300 year old tree, and allows amazing views of Naha. You will come to fork in the road, take the right and follow it uphill.

All this work will pay off.....right about now! You have come out at Shuri Castle. Cross the road, continue up the road just a very short while and take a break at the Shuri Castle vendors to your left. We stocked up on ice cream and soda, which changed a certain 13 year old girl's attitude in an instant!

Now, if you haven't been to Shuri castle this is the time to go! Go back up to the road, veer right and just follow the signs. If you have been and don't care to go again, take the first stairs down to your left after Sonohyan Utaki. Do not go through the castle gate on your left. Follow the road and look for stairs!. This was the only time I got confused by the directions.

You are now at Bezaitendo and Tennyo-bashi an ancient temple and bridge. Take a left when you hit the pavement again. Follow the road and take a left on 29 and stop at 31 Daily Bagel. I missed out on it, because it seems to be a daily bagel, except Sundays. Please report back to me on how the bagels are as the owner went all the way to NYC to learn how to make them. The shop will be on the right side of the road, not too far from the light with a striped blue/white awning.

If you didn't stop at the vendors at Shuri or are just plain ready for a break; continue on 29,go to the next light and take a right the street right after it. You have come to Buku Buku Cha Cafe. We didn't stop to eat, but we took a peek in there and it looks like an eclectic mixture of glass and what not's.

Continue on 29 and take a left at Yamagawa intersection. Walk up the hill as there are two "left". On the top of the hill you will find one of the foremost Bingata studios on island; Shuri Ryusen. Their work is truly beautiful and the ladies in there are very gracious. Stop by, even if you don't plan to buy. Let me tell you; I would love one of those 800,- purses!

Step out of Shuri Ryusen and make a left. Continue up the road until you get to Tamaudun on your right. This will cost you about 200 yen a person, but I felt is was worth it. The park is truly beautiful and peaceful.There is also a small museum in the bottom of the ticket house. If you walk around the gate house you can truly see an original Okinawan house. It was rebuilt some time after excavations in 2000.

Get back on the road up the hill. You will get to Shurimon the entrance to Shuri Castle. Take a right and you are back at Kinjo-cho. It's all down hill from here. Enjoy the views of Naha and the Kerama's.

If you fell like a longer hike, take a right at the bottom of Kinjo-cho. It will take you to Awamori-Kan. This store carries awamori that dates back to the '70s and some sell for as much as 2000,-. We didn't go there as we were exhausted at this point.

I feel you can do this even with smaller children, just at a slower pace.

It is amazing what you see when you are walking!

Directions to Kinjo Dam:
Take the expressway south all the way to the end. Do NOT exit to the airport.
Take a left at the light and an immediate right at the next light. The are signs to Kinjo Dam and Kinjo-cho.
The toll from #4 to the end is 600 yen.

If you have tried other interesting urban hikes and are willing to share, please email me at todoinokinawa@yahoo.com. Thanks!

Happy Birthday to You ... Let's eat cake!

Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday Dear Okinawa Hai Reader ... Happy Birthday to You! Yippee, let's eat some cake! Oh, it's not your birthday? Oh well, let's eat some cake anyway. Yummy!

Speaking of cakes (was that segue too cheesy, maybe too cream cheesy?), where do you get a nice birthday cake on Okinawa?

Let's see, you could make your own. Like the cake I made for my daughter's cat-themed birthday party: View this photo  But if you're like me, that kind of thing only happens once in a blue moon. Even I surprised myself with that one.

You could also go to your local commissary, which have produced some pretty decent cakes for me a few birthdays, like for my daughter's pirate-themed party a year ago. See: View this photo

Here's one not too many people know about though, and it's a pretty awesome place--the Banyan Tree Club on Kadena. There are three reasons why I prefer the Banyan Tree Club over other options:

1) They can print any image you want. Yes, that's right. Any image. The image has to be on a cake at least 12X16. It can be a photo, clip art, or whatever. They can scan the image in for you or you can send it to them via email.

2) They taste way better than any cake I've purchased here (or made for that matter). You can choose from butter cream topping or whipped. The butter cream is the more popular choice because not only is it yummy to my tummy, but according to the nice ladies there, it holds up to the heat better. The cake flavors they offer are chocolate, marble, white, and yellow.

3) The prices are better (meaning, more affordable so that you don't have to mortgage your right leg just to have some cake) than the commissary.

Here are their prices:

8X16 cake (no digital images for this kind, just regular design)
single layer ~ feeds 16-18 ~ $25.00
double layer ~ feeds 32-36 ~ $30.00

12X16 cake
single layer ~ feeds 24-26 ~ $35.00
double layer ~ feeds 48-52 ~ $40.00

16X16 cake
single layer ~ feeds 34-36 ~ $45.00
double layer ~ feeds 68-72 ~ $50.00

24X16 cake
single layer ~ feeds 60-62 ~ $55.00
double layer ~ feeds 120-124 ~ $60.00

When you go in to order, they have a huge chart they will show you samples of cakes and their sizes (Because if you're like me, you'll think ... hmmm, how big is 12x16??? Yes, I'm a visual learner, show me the actual size so I don't have to figure it out in my head). Here is the picture of my son's 12X16 Star Wars-themed cake from there:

To order a cake, you'll need to stop by the Banyan Tree Club and go straight to the manager's office which is to the right when you first walk in the door. You'll see the cashier's cage first, go into the open door on the left side of the cage. This is the lounge area. The manager's office is on the right side once you're in the lounge.

Contact Bobbi Jo at 634-0644 or bobbi.strader@kadena.af.mil for more information. You can also send your image via email to them.  And of course, you don't have to wait for a birthday to order a cake from here, any occasion will do! Happy eating!!

Tanabata- The star festival- July 7th

Your mission. Head to Jusco, check the second floor for a bamboo tree that is adorned with slips of paper called tanzaku. Tanabata is celebrated July 7th, and is somewhat of a Japanese version of Romeo and Juliet. According to the legend, a king of the heavens separated his daughter from her husband because their intense love kept them from their duties. They only meet once a year- on the eve of July 7th- by crossing the milky way. If it rains, the star crossed lovers will have to put off their reunion for another year. Sort of a Punxsutawney Phil kind of weather prediction.

To celebrate the love story, people write poems and special wishes on colorful strips of paper called tankaku, and hang them from the limbs of bamboo trees.

Two tasks for you dear readers, if you want to get in the spirit of things:

* If you want to stop the dreary rain, so the ill'-fated lovers can meet, make a teru-teru-bozu (Rainy day boy). You can make these little dolls from tissues and hang them in the window to stop the dreary rain. I used a garlic head, Kleenex, and a hair thingey. Here's Sebastian creating his:

Lovers united, thanks to Sebastian!

* Next, make your own colorful strips and hang them from your artificial rhododendron. This guy went all out on his blog. Check out his groovy printable strips.

* Better yet, post below and we can all share in the plethora of goodness:

What is your tanabata wish for this year?

Government furniture Part I

When I got the call from my husband who was TDY that we were PCSing to Okinawa, I couldn't have been more excited.   As some of you know, my mother was raised here, so for me, hearing that I'm about to live in her hometown for three years is like a kid heading to Disneyland. 

Fast forward to the phone call about what to ship to Okinawa.  I researched the  limited information that consisted of only weight restrictions and that Kadena has all of the government loaner furniture that we'll ever need.  So with this knowledge, I tell my husband NOT to send any furniture except a  recliner, and a crib.  Wow!  How easy is this?

Fast forward again past the plane ride, to finding a two story house off base, and immediately picking out the furniture items to be delivered to said house.  In the back of my head, I could hear my father's voice saying something about  measuring twice and...Ooh look two kinds of dressers!

We could borrow a couch, two overstuffed chairs, desks, a dining table and six chairs, a buffet, dressers, chest of drawers, full size and twin beds, bookshelves, coffee and end tables.  The showroom was filled with pristine furniture.  Wow, the government seems so generous.  The anticipation to finally make this island my home feels like I'm at the top of a roller coaster

Slow motion through the delivery phase.  The delivery man is telling me that 1/2 of the furniture cannot go up my staircase

and I will have to use up my "one-time pick up service" now, or they leave dressers and beds in my living room.   What?  This is suppose to be smooth sailing from here. We conquered the plane ride without permanent mental scars.   But I'm a military brat, was active duty and now a supportive dependent!

But this was supposed to be my Disneyland.

Why didn't I at least bring my kids' dressers and beds?  Why couldn't I have brought all of my stuff? 

Well, now, if you are Air Force, you can.  This is current news regarding the Air Force's lift on weight restrictions when PCSing to Okinawa.  Government Furniture Warehouse 632-4311

Do you have any furniture nightmares which newcomers should avoid?  Have you heard any information or news about upcoming changes for the Marine Corps/Navy's weight restriction? Please let us know.

This Government Furniture post is part I of II.   Please send me more pictures of government furniture.  Thank you Abbey for the dresser pics!

Schools near Courtney

Questions about school are understandably common among parents on their way to Okinawa. This week, Holly would like to discuss Courtney area schools. Who can help?

My name is Holly and my husband is soon to be stationed at Camp Courtney (report 1 Aug).  I have a few questions with regard to schools that I cannot seem to find answers to and am hopeful you can provide some insight. 

We were stationed on the island years ago during the period of our marriage we refer to as b.c. (before children).  7 years and 4 wee people later we have a few questions about schools in the Courtney/Gushikawa area.  First and foremost how does Bechtel Elementary fair in among the primary schools?  (We are unsure where we may be able to lobby for housing and which schools are preferred among parents.  Well, ok, we are really interested in which schools to avoid -- our oldest will be in the 1st grade this fall). Secondly, preschools - were are the popular choices and since the Japanese school year begins in April are we hopelessly stuck for the upcoming year with our 4 year old?

I can help with the preschool question. I think most of the Japanese schools will accept new students mid-year assuming they still have space. August is usually a long summer break before the second term starts in September. We have quite a few preschools listed already, but if there is one you know about contact me at toparentinokinawa@gmail.com!

Flush before you fly.

If you travel with small children or only on long flights then please TOTALLY ignore the following...

When flying, the fuel used for every flush of the toilet could run a car for SIX miles!!! And each flush emits 5.6 lbs of CO2 as it's powered by a vacuum rather than using gravity as toilets on the ground do. So, if taking a short flight, pee before you get on the plane and avoid the use of all those lovely resources.

I laughed as I read that, so had to share! (I subscribe to an e-newsletter from idealbite.com -- they send fun "green" suggestions and I just received that one.)

So anyway, that's not really the purpose of this post. I actually wanted to let you all know that we've put together a travel template much like the one we use in the TO LIVE category for housing. We want to hear about your travels, so if you've been somewhere interesting -- especially just short trips to outer Ryukyu islands -- email me and I'll forward the template to you.

Selfishly, I'm hoping to copy your travel. I've actually found it a little difficult to get information for my family on long weekend type-travel. So can't wait to hear from you all.

Please email me at: todoinokinawa@yahoo.com

Thanks!

Japanese Corner - Sayonara/Mata or Ja, mata/Mata-ne

I completely forgot to post an article on Wednesday.  Oops.  I barely keep my head up on my shoulders lately while I prepare to move during my husband's absense for his TDY up in Hokkaido. I also flew to Tokyo yesterday, on Thursday, for a week stay to see my family for the last time before we will move back to the D.C. area.  My mind was occupied with number of things I had to do before the trip.  I believe that you know how it is like before you move away from your home country.  Anyways, "sumimasen" for being late. 

This is not going to be my last time to post since I would like to post about this hair salon that I went recently.  This, however, is going to be my last official post, I think.  I'm writing to say "sayonara" (sa-yo-nah-la) to you all.  Sayonara means "Good bye" or "farewell".  It can be used to say good-bye to someone you see the next day or good-bye to someone that you might not see again.  Japanese people also say "bai bai" (bye-bye), and it's the same as sayonara.  Sayonara is formal. I prefer saying "Ja mata" or "matane" even when I move away from one place.  Mata (mah-ta)orJa, mata (jar without "r"-mah-ta) is like "see you" or "so long".  It's gender neutral, so both women and men use it.  Mata-ne means the same as mata/ja, mata, but it sounds soft and I am not sure if Japanese men use it often. 

I like ja, mata because you never know when our paths will cross again.  I would like to believe that I will see all these wonderful friends that I made during our time in Okinawa.  I loved my time in Okinawa largely thanks to my friends.  Arigato---!!

My husband and I arrived in Okinawa in March 2006, a little over 2 years ago, with our daughter, who was only a year and 4 months old.  Now she's 3 and a half years old.  Next month we will leave Okinawa with two daughters.  The younger one was made and born in Okinawa.  This island became special for our family.

I will leave you with "matane".  I hope to come back to this beautiful coral island. 

Arigato gozaimashita (past tense for arigato) for reading!

Any place for spray tan and hair extensions?

Hi there- do you know or could you find out somehow if
there are any places on the island that do the spray
tan and also hair extensions... I know I sound like a
barbie but I have my wedding coming up and I am not
going back to the states before hand so I need to do
these things here in Oki... I appreciate any help!!!!

Okay, so you might be thinking "why is Kaho posting all these questions all of the sudden?"   Those who sent me questions at the toshopinokinawa@yahoo.com, I apologize for my tardiness!  I'm basically cleaning my house before I hand over the job to Diana.  I am sure she would be much better about returning your questions. 

Questions about Cake Decoration

Hello - I'm hoping you can help me.  I'm trying to find out if there's anywhere on island to buy cake decoration stuff - i.e.: icing color gels, decorating tips.  I've checked the BX and Crafty Things, and they have some things, but basically nothing I need.  I know they do cake decorating classes on base all the time, so it seems to me there must be somewhere for people to get everything they need.
Thanks in advance.

Anyone out there who can help?

Do you know any tailor?

I am a little stumped on this one.  I am in need of a formal/cocktail/social occasions dress, but I'd like to have the dress made.  I am looking to incorporate a little kimono fabric into my dress.  Can anyone recommend a dressmaker on island?

Could anyone recommend a good place?  Thanks!!

Sparklin' Fun

Meredith is gone.

I had considered staying in my pajamas all day and lying on the floor sobbing. But I know she just wouldn't want that. She'd want me to go on with my life. To find meaning in each new day. To at least take a shower.

And to get out there and have me some fun!

So since we're in the countdown to the 4th of July celebrations I thought we'd lay out some of the options here (btw, did you noticed I used lying & lay in the same post?? I actually had to google it to remind myself which one gets used when... freshman English was sooooo long ago...)

Kadena is having a big bash (America Fest) starting on the 4th for SOFA status personnel. All are invited to the shindig on the 5th. It's on the flightline, but I admit that I don't really know what that means in terms of where to park. Do you know?

I'm pretty excited about this one cuz they finally are having a band that I actually KNOW. If the following lyrics ring a bell then you know them, too:

I would swallow my pride,
I would choke on the rinds,
But the lack thereof would leave me empty inside,
Swallow my doubt, turn it inside out
Find nothing but faith in nothing.

Want to put my tender heart in a blender,
Watch it spin 'round into a beautiful oblivion.
Rendezvous, then I'm through with you...

Anyone, anyone??

Eve 6!! They'll be playing both nights from 7:30-8:45pm.

Fireworks begin at 8:45pm both nights, but last for 5 minutes less on the 5th (is this what we get for our tax dollars? 5 more minutes of sparkin' fun?? YIPEE!!).

Now, I've been trying to get on the MCCS website for DAYS and it won't load for me, so if someone out there could fill us in on what's happening at Foster, I'd be eternally (or least monthly) grateful.

Lauren wrote in to remind us about the happenings at Torii Beach on July 5th. There will be a Jazz & Wine Festival held from 4pm to midnight. The Jazz concerts are FREE but tickets to the wine tasting & hors d'oeuvres are $25 at the door ($20 purchased before at Torii MWR or Kadena USO). Fireworks accompanied by live jazz will be at 10pm.

Go out and have some fun -- with sunscreen, of course.