CONTRIBUTED BY THE THIRSTY SHISA

Let’s say it’s Friday night and it’s time to unwind with a few friends and maybe have a beer or two. Oh, and you don’t want to cook. Where do you turn? Simple answer my friends: Kokopelli’s Pizza.

Mike and Etsuko Davison are making delicious wood fired pizza in the yard of their home which not too far off of Route 6 in Yomitan. Using only fresh local ingredients and high quality firewood, their pizzas are absolutely amazing and full of bright Okinawan flavor.

A typical business day starts early with the making of the pizza dough. It is made in the morning and is then frozen for just a little while to prevent it from rising too fast. This gives the crust its perfect texture.

A couple hours before opening, Mike fires up the oven to allow it to heat thoroughly and evenly. The cooking surface of the oven can exceed 750 degrees Fahrenheit while the outside stays cool to the touch because of the way the oven is insulated.

They have a wide-ranging menu with classics like the Margherita and Pepperoni as well as unique creations like their White Pizza, which features a homemade onion sauce, sausage, mushrooms, pesto and olives. The pizzas cook fast in the brick oven and you can smell the intoxicating aroma the closer you get to their location.

Not only are the pizzas delicious but they are also made in beautiful brick ovens decorated with hand blown glass. Mike builds and sells the ovens himself and recently built one for their mobile pizza truck. With their mobile pizza truck, Kokopelli’s is able to cater events and private parties on weekends all over the island.

So, next time you’re craving pizza head over to Yomitan and follow the signs to some fantastic food. Kokopelli’s is about to become your new pizza addiction. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Hours: 

Phone: 090-6892-4304 (you can text orders or call ahead)

Payment: Yen, Dollars, Credit

Address: 1467-1 Nagahama, Yomitan Okinawa, Japan 904-0324 (Follow signs off of Route 6)

Coordinates: 26.4133201, 127.7315969

Website: www.kokopellipizza.com

The 2015 calendar was available for purchase in November and December of 2014. This was November’s page.

Nago

Photo credit: Meredith Novario
Meredith Novario Photography Facebook Page

“A hot cup of tea
With sugar cane and kindness
Warms and calms my soul” –Marie Lewis

Tsuboya Pottery Village

Photo credit: Jamie Snider
Jamie Snider Photography

CONTRIBUTED BY HALEY MEAGHER

Almost out of hope, I sent an email to Rocky directly asking for his assistance, and he hooked us up with everything we could have asked for. He arranged our food, our hotel, and even all the gear we would need while fishing in mainland. He arranged local guides to fish with us and stayed with us for both days as a translator. My husband and I had such an incredible trip to Gero, Japan, that I knew I had to share our gem of an experience with others stationed here in Okinawa.

Rocky had arranged for us to stay at a bed and breakfast owned and operated by a world famous Japanese fisherman from the Gifu prefecture, Katsutoshi Amano. Amano spoke very little English, but welcomed us with a warm smile and some green tea on our arrival. Throughout our whole stay he was extremely hospitable and would bring us little gifts to our tableside at dinner. The most remarkable gift was our last night at the inn when brought us 5 hand made flies he had tied himself!

CONTRIBUTED BY KEVIN “ELVIS” KING

“Nagata-ya,” said the tiny female valet as she tapped the map she was marking for us. We were checking into the ANA Crowne Plaza in Hiroshima and were asking about where to get the savory Japanese pancake for which Hiroshima is so famous: Okonomiyaki.

Our appetites, however, were no match for the oversized okonomiyaki (お好み焼き, pronounced “Oh-kono-me-ya-key”) served in Hiroshima. Often called a Japanese pancake, they are really more of a crepe. In any case, the thinness of the dough simply serves as the foundation for oh so much more. “Okonomi” in Japanese means “as you like,” and refers to the many permutations of ingredients a diner can choose to pile onto their grilled (“yaki”) goodness. The delicacy is most popular in Kansai (Osaka, Kyoto) or Hiroshima areas of Japan, but can be found throughout, including in Okinawa. The biggest regional differences are in the toppings and the batter used, along with how they are arranged during cooking.

We passed Nagata-ya the day before, and decided to stop by on Saturday after enjoying Hiroshima’s Peace Park and Museum. There was no line late Friday afternoon, but when we returned on Saturday about 3 p.m., the line stretched all the way down the street. We decided to stick it out and ended up waiting about 20 minutes. The staff was happily and amazingly efficient, taking orders outside on electronic keypads, which were then transmitted wirelessly back to the kitchen. By the time we sat down at the grill-side counter, our okonomiyaki creation had already been started.

Okonomiyaki became very popular during WWII when rice was in very short supply. Due to the lack of other ingredients, a simpler version was made with more readily available fixings. Suffering harsh wartime conditions, the freshly grilled and hot wheat pancake was nutritious, filling and inexpensive, all at the same time.

The okonomiyaki style mixes all the constituent ingredients, including shredded cabbage, egg, green onion and usually some type of protein, into the batter before grilling. The okonomiyaki in Hiroshima uses very similar elements, the but rather than being mixed into the batter before grilling, they are layered on top of the batter on the grill. Okonomiyaki also includes a layer of noodles (soba or udon) and is often topped with a fried egg.

I am a huge fan of udon (my favorite soup in the whole wide world), so we elected for this starchy layer over the soba option. Looking up and down the grill, however, it seemed we had made a faux pas of sorts: ours was the only okonomiyaki served the pasta-like noodles. Nagata-ya also offers a “jumbo” coke, and for once, Japan finally served an American-worthy sized soda!

The resulting meal is about the size of a dinner plate, and the thickness of the deepest dish pizza you can imagine. It was impossible to imagine my wife and myself eating one each, so we ordered one to share, which seemed to surprise our waitress to some extent.

Part of the rather unique flavor of this Japanese culinary specialty comes from okonomi sauce that is brushed on during grilling. This glaze is best described as one part steak sauce, two parts BBQ, and one part tonkatsu sauce. Eating the okonomiyaki I was unsure that I really liked the sauce, and now weeks later, I still remain undecided. Although peculiar, it certainly didn’t stop me from devouring my portion of the savory pancake!

In Okinawa, okonomiyaki is called hirayachi (ヒラヤーチー) and is much simpler, and uses fewer ingredients. However, Okinawans enjoy this dish mostly at home, so there are very few okonomiyaki restaurants in Okinawa. We haven’t found a way or place to partake of the Ryukyuan version.

Yes, Japan is known for sushi, sashimi and even Kobe beef. But Okonomiyaki, too, is a uniquely, if much less known, distinctive Japanese dish, and should be included as part of any culinary adventure to this corner of the world. Seek it out, whether you find yourself in Tokyo, Osaka, or Kyoto. But in Hiroshima, seek out Nagata-ya’s. You (and your oversized American appetite) will not be disappointed.

Hours: 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. CLOSED TUESDAYS

Phone: 082-247-0787

Address: Chome-9-17 Ōtemachi, Naka-ku, Hiroshima-shi, Hiroshima-ken 730-0051, Japan

Website: http://nagataya-okonomi.com/en/shop.html

For More Information on Okonomiyaki

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okonomiyaki

http://japanesefood.about.com/od/holidaytraditionalfood/r/hirookonomiyaki.htm

CONTRIBUTED BY KELSEY HUGHES

I stumbled upon The Set Table accidentally when a friend of mine offered me her meal for the week. The meal she ordered: “Sesame Crusted Tuna with Ginger Lime Vinaigrette” sounded good so I readily agreed, even though I had no idea what to expect. I was in for a pleasant surprise. The meal was delicious and easy!

The Set Table is a meal service that provides a full recipe and pre-measured ingredients. All you need is salt, pepper, olive oil, and the most basic of kitchen skills and tools and you’ll be on your way to making a delicious gourmet dinner.

The Set Table offers four meals and a dessert option each week, with servings for two, four or six people. A pre-made freezer meal is available every other week as well. You can choose to order as many of the menu options as you like. A new menu is posted each Friday and ordering begins that day. You can order until midnight (local time) the following Thursday. Meals are ready for pickup or drop-off the Tuesday after that. Their pickup spots are conveniently located on Kadena AB and Camp Foster. They also deliver, (for an additional charge), to Kadena, Courtney, McT, Shields, Lester, Kinser, Foster and off base in the surrounding areas. Plus, they have spice and dip mixes available to order too. I haven’t tried any of them yet but they all sound great!

My husband and I have ordered a meal from them almost every week since we first tried it. Even though I am an advanced home cook and foodie, I run out of ideas for meals and am always on the lookout for something new. I love that all of the ingredients are bought locally. Plus, the prep time is decreased since a lot of the ingredients come pre-measured. If you’re a beginner chef, don’t worry! Most of the recipes just involve chopping, cutting, mixing and stirring. The instructions are easy to follow, even for the more complicated meals. We ordered a more involved meal, crab and potato hash with sautéed shrimp and lemon cream sauce (pictured), a couple weeks ago and it still took less than an hour to make.

A delicious, homemade dinner on the table in less than an hour? Yes, please! In my opinion, the prices are reasonable too. It’s $23 for two, $46 for four or $69 for six servings and the serving sizes are large. I don’t mind paying a little extra for most prep and the grocery shopping to be done for me, especially since local prices are a little higher. Everything comes in a cute, insulated, reusable shopping bag! If that’s not enough to convince you, go check out their website and drool at the pictures of the menu for next week. I promise you won’t be able to resist.

Website: www.thesettablemeals.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheSetTable

CONTRIBUTED BY MURIEL COLLINS

There are moments when I am so blown away by this island’s beauty that I say to myself, “I can’t believe I live here.” The Forest of Residence Trail led me to one such moment.

A sunny day with lower-than-usual humidity encouraged my husband and me to discover something other than Okinawa’s beaches. We found a trail network while exploring Onna’s Forest of Residence Park. An unassuming trailhead marked by a sign in Japanese (with no English translation) hides in the brush right off the main road through the park.

Unsure of where the trail led, and with nothing but time on our hands, we decided to venture out of the park’s main area and on to the canopy covered trail. Shaded by the lush forest, we were transported into pure peace: quite, cool, serene. A gentle creek accompanied the first few hundred feet of the trail and the wind serenaded us as it rustled the trees overhead. Steep inclines tapered off to allow us to catch our breath before the trail ascended again. Along the path, we played experimental botanists as many of the trees and plants were marked by barcodes. Simply scan the code with your smart phone to pull up the name and information on the foliage. Twenty-first century hiking at its finest…

As we hiked upwards, we passed maps that designated where we were along the trail. Yet, these signs did not hint to the view we were to come upon. The summit seemed to come out of nowhere about 1200 meters from the trailhead. A tunnel of trees opened to a clearing on top of the mountain and the vista before us was nothing short of spectacular. It was a glimpse of God, magnificent and awe inspiring. The rolling landscape of Okinawa stretches as far as the eye can see in both the North and South direction, the East China Sea glitters in the sunlight, and off in the distance you can glimpse Ie Jima. We stood at the summit taking in the view for some time before retreating back down the trail.

The hike was moderate in difficulty. The trail changes frequently from man-made steps, to rocky path, to ground breaking tree roots. Sneakers or hiking shoes are strongly recommended. It is about three quarters of a mile to the summit and should take between 20-30 minutes to climb. We found coming down to be trickier, especially on the steep steps.

The park itself is lovely; 450 acres of open grassy spaces, shaded picnic tables, playground equipment, tennis courts, camp grounds, restrooms and a small convenience store. We have come back to this park and trail several times since we first explored and each time the park is nearly empty and we have yet to see anyone else on the trail. Perhaps the summer heat kept visitors away or perhaps few people know about it. But I encourage you to check it out. Happy Hiking!

Hours: 9:00 a.m.-6:30 p.m. (April 1^st – August 31^st)

9:00 a.m.- 5:30 p.m. (September 1^st – March 31^st)

Location: Forest of Residence Park – 2028 Afuso, Onna, Kunigami District, Okinawa Prefecture 904-0402

Coordinates: 26.503734, 127.910936

Directions: Heading North on the Expressway take exit 7 towards 88. Turn left off the exit onto 88. Follow 88 for about 3.5 kilometers until you reach a traffic light that turns 88 into a forked 58. Turn right onto 58 at the light. You will pass through Onna Village and Afuso. After about 8 kilometers you will come to a traffic light. On your right hand side will be the entrance to the park marked by a sign that reads “Resident of Pref. Forest”. Turn into the park and follow the main road. You will pass a few buildings, parking areas, and open green spaces but you want to go deeper into the park to the main “Adventure Space”. It is about 1.7 kilometers from the entrance to the “Adventure Space” parking. Park your vehicle and proceed on foot. Walk down the main road back towards the entrance. About 300 meters from the parking area you will find the trailhead right off the main road.

CONTRIBUTED BY ANTHONY CAMINA

If you are an island adventurer like me, you probably have ventured northward along the scenic and lovely Highway 58. Just before you arrive in Nago proper, you will see a brightly lit restaurant off the side of the road with bright blue letters that spell “Colombin.” Now, I know that this stretch of the road has a plethora of touristy places to eat because of its beauty and the abundance of resorts, but Colombin is a bit different from the others in a few key ways.

The first thing you notice when you arrive is that there is a whole Spanish galleon/hunting lodge vibe going on with the décor. One could easily imagine themselves eating on the set of a Zorro picture. I get it though, it is the Japanese interpretation of rustic Americana so I just sat back in my ornately carved chair and took it all in.

Aside from the quirkiness of the interior I can say that the food is very western friendly. Here steak is king and there is no shortage of various offerings. There are Okinawa specialties and Japanese-style sets available for anyone who may be looking for local flavors. A favorite dish of ours, that my spouse orders, is the lobster with Agu pork chop. The garlic steak is also very good and most entrees can be ordered as a “set” which includes a delicious cup of corn soup and your choice of rice or focaccia bread.

Hours: 11:30 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Phone: 098-052-3895

Payment: Yen Only

Address: 〒905-0025 Okinawa-ken, Nago-shi, Kōki 国道58号線

Directions: Columbin is located just south of the 10 Expressway exit on Highway 58 adjacent to Kise beach.

Coordinates: 26.539223, 127.949322

CONTRIBUTED BY KACEY A.

Here you’ll find a variety of local events happening in the month of October. Events on the island are constantly being created and changed, so please make sure to use the contact info provided on each event to verify information. If you know of an additional event that you’d like to share with our readers, please add it to the comments below!

November 1st

Antaur Festival
Music, art, fusion cuisine, live performances, dance (djembe, samba, reggae, Okinawan rock).  Day long open-air festival.  Shintoshin Park, Naha City.  10am – 7pm (6pm on Sunday).  Free. 070-6469-9952

Urasoe Sweets Fair
20+ shops will show off their homemade sweets.  Urasoe Center Hall 1-9-3 Nakama, Urasoe-shi. 11am – 5:30pm. ¥1,000. Free parking on site. 098-877-4606

Crossoverz Season Final
Ultimate Street Basketball Tournament. ¥3,500. Music Town Sound Market 3F Hall, Okinawa City. Doors 2pm Start 3pm. Tickets in Advance at Family Mart Lawson, Music Town, or info@crossover.okinawa. Tickets can be purchased at the door.

Yomitan Village Festival
9am – 8:45pm.  The 41st Yomitan Festival filled with food, live music, performances, and fireworks. Yomitan Village Office Parks, Route 12, Yomitan.  Free

Zampa Jam
12pm – 10pm.  Last summer dance. All weekend music festival on the beach. ¥5,000 Advance. ¥7,000 at door.  Sumuida Salt Beach, Yagachito, Nago.

Ryukyu Kings vs. Rizing Fukuoka
Okinawa City Gym, Okinawa CIty.  Tickets vary from ¥900 to ¥4,000 per game. Season tickets available. Tickets can be purchased at Kadena ITT, MCCS Tours+, and box office.  5:30pm doors open, 7:00pm tip off.

November 1st – 2nd

Sakufu Ritual at Shuri Castle
11:40am – 11:55am Sakufu Matrix at Shuri Castle Gate. Free.
12:10pm – 1:10pm Sakufu Ritual at Shuri Castle Tadashi, ¥820 entrance to Shuri Castle Park.
4pm – 8pm Shuri Castle Music Festival, Free. Food & Drinks available for purchase.
5pm – 9pm Bankoku Beams of Light along Garden Road, Free.
1-2 Shurikinjo, Naha. 098-886-2022

November 2nd

Ryukyu Kings vs. Rizing Fukuoka
Okinawa City Gym, Okinawa CIty.  Tickets vary from ¥900 to ¥4,000 per game. Season tickets available. Tickets can be purchased at Kadena ITT, MCCS Tours+, and box office.  12:30pm doors open, 2:00pm tip off.

November 3rd

Ryukyu Dynasty Festival Ancient Rite Matrix
12:50pm – 3:30pm Reproduction of the San-ketera Pilgrimage Miyuki, for the king to pray for the nation’s well-being and good harvest.  ¥820 entrance to Shuri Castle Park. 1-2 Shurikinjo, Naha. 098-886-2022

Koza Motor Sports Festival
9am – 5pm.  Okinawa City Koza Sports Park.  Various motor sports demonstrations, exhibitions, talk show, live music, and more.  Limited parking on site. Free. 098-939-1212

Okinawa Performing Arts Festival
Watch traditional Okinawa dance, kumidori, instruments, narrators.  Experience eisa & lion dancing.  Fun for all ages.  11am – 6:30pm.  Okinawa Children’s World – Okinawa City Zoo, Okinawa City.  Free.  Limited on-site parking, Shuttles will run from Okinawa City Office.

November 7th- 8th

Tsuboya Yachumu Street Festival
Tsuboya pottery & events festival.  Saturday 10am – 6pm, Sunday 10:30am – 6pm.  Located on Tsuboya Yachimu N  Street. Public parking.  Event is free. 098-862-3761

Aloha Chatan
11am – 5:30pm Hula Tahitan dance and Hawaii product exhibition. “Buy-Eat-Look”.  Sunset Beach Chatan Park Baseball Field, near beach.  Free. 098-926-5678

C-1

Chatan gourmet battle.  11am – 5:30pm.  Tickets go on sale at 10am, you will need to purchase tickets, this tickets can then be redeemed for food of your choice.  Public voting.  Sunset Beach Chatan Park Baseball Field.  098-926-5678

November 8th

OIST Open House
10am – 5pm. Campus is open to the public to visit the state-of-the-art science university.  Events, lectures, tours, science & research introductions, and experiences for all ages.  OIST Campus, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son.

November 12th

Adopt Abroad
Providing information about adopting while living overseas.  Free. Kadena Air Base, Schilling Center. 1:30pm – 4:30pm.  *Must have base access to attend this event.

November 15th

Okinawa Bread Sweets Festa
3rd Semi-Annual bread & sweets festival.  11:30am – 4pm.  Nishihara-Yonabaru Marine Park.  17 Higashizaki Nishihara, Nakagami-gun. Free.  okinawabreadsweatsfesta@gmail.com

November 20th – 23rd

Tsuboya Pottery Festival
36th Annual Tsuboya Pottery Festival.  Tsuboya Elementary School, 3-14-12 Makishi, Naha. 098-86-3284

November 21st – 23rd

Okinawa Island Fair
Exhibition of 18 Okinawan islands and their specialty productions are on display for information, samples and display.  Traditional arts, performances, food, drink, and tourism information. 10am – 7pm Okinawa Cellular Park, 42-1 Onoyama-cho, Naha.  No parking on site. Free. 098-963-8191

November 23rd

Onoyama Handmade City
10am – 4pm.  Local handmade goods, clothes, accessories, plants, foliage, food & beverage.  Onoyama Park, 52 Onoyama-cho, Naha.  No parking on site. Free.

November 28th – 29th

Okinawa International Carnival
Okinawa City Tug of War, folk art parade, samba carnival, hula dancing, costumes, music & dancing to represent lots of different countries.  Koza Music Town.  Public Parking.  Free Event. 098-989-5566

November 29th

Okinawa Food Flea
Local food, local crafts, local entertainment.  Read about a previous Food Flea on OkiHai.  Free. Bring Yen for purchases. Ginowan Marina. 12pm – 6pm.

Illuminations

Zakimi Castle Ruins: 708-4 Zakimi, Yomitan.  Daily 6pm – 9pm. Free.  Weather dependant.

Stardust Fantasia: Kanucha Resort, 156-2 Abe, Nago.  Daily 6pm. ¥3,000 at event, ¥2000 in advance.

Other Holidays & Events

November 3rd – Culture Day (Bunka no hi)
November 15th – 7-5-3 Festival (Shichi-go-San)
November 23rd – Labor Thanksgiving Day (Kinro kansha no hi)

CONTRIBUTED BY MICHELLE BUDZIEN

Are you interested in seeing the Great Wall of China, but you don’t want to pay the hefty Chinese visa fee? There’s a way around it! Michelle, from SemperTravel.com, is sharing the secrets of the 72-hour visa in a five-part series. Today’s chapter: Hong Kong

Follow along with her trip here: Part 1, Part 2

Travel Dates:  30 Aug – 2 Sept 2014

It was a bit warm over Labor Day weekend, so you may want to consider traveling in Fall or Spring. We’re used to the humidity, but hiking Elephant’s Peak was a bit too sweaty!

Airline:  Hong Kong Airlines direct flight via Vayama.com

Our cost for 2 adults: $592 + $150.28 taxes = $742.28 roundtrip

Many budget airlines now fly to Hong Kong! Shortly after our trip, Peach added direct flights from Okinawa to Hong Kong for as little as $120! You can also look for flights to Osaka or Tokyo, and then to Hong Kong, if you want to save money and don’t mind a layover.

Visa:  Not required for Hong Kong!  Check with the embassy before traveling to make sure nothing has changed. However, if you want to stop in Mainland China before Hong Kong, check out this article on the 72-hour no fee visa for China!

Exchanging Money:  We exchanged at the airport and in the metro station.  There are plenty of exchange booths.  At the time of our trip, the rate was approx. 1 USD to 7.08 HKD (We found a place for 7.46 out in town).

Hotel:  The Garden View YWCA Hotel

Purchased on Orbitz:  $91.75/night – Orbitz rewards bucks = $255.47 for 3 nights

A 15 minutes walk from Pacific Palace (Admiralty), Central MTR Station (Subway) and Lan Kwai Fong & Soho area.  This was a great hotel for the money and pretty good location, but it is up a HUGE hill.  (It’s about one block past “The Peak” tram station.)  The hotel upgraded us to a suite.  There’s a grocery store next door, and the hotel has a fitness center and pool (but after sightseeing all day and climbing the hill you probably won’t need it).  The hill up to the hotel was not fun, so you could wait for bus 12A to the hotel from Central MTR station for only 4.60 HKD (about 59 cents).  Once you become familiar with the location, you’ll realize the hotel is close to many areas like Lan Kwai Fong, Hollywood Dr., Central, Admiralty and more, but the streets may confuse you at first. Grab a map and look at the signs…streets look far apart, but they’re not!

Transportation:

We bought the Octopus Metro (MTR) card.  There’s an option for 3 days unlimited including 2 one-way airport express passes for $35 each.  The 3 days unlimited starts when you first swipe the card, so it lasts 72 hours (not 3 calendar days).

Where to purchase? We bought them at the airport MTR ticket counter.  Ask for the 3 day unlimited with 2 airport express passes (300 HKD but you get a 50 HKD deposit returned when you bring the card back to the airport before you leave).

The MTR is very inexpensive, so you could also “pay as you go” with the Octopus card or with cash. Any money you put on the Octopus card you can get back when you bring it back to the airport before you leave.

Airport transportation: If you want to pay separately, you can still take the airport express. The Hong Kong Airport Express is a high-speed train to center of town, taking about 24 minutes, costing $13 one-way per person. It leaves every 12 minutes from about 0550 through 0048. Check ahead of time for the exact off-hours times in case it has changed. There are plenty of English signs around the airport to help you find it!

So what should you do in Hong Kong? Here was our itinerary and a few more suggestions!

Saturday, 30 Aug

• Arrived at about 1400. Traveled to hotel via Airport Express.
• Tim Ho Wan Restaurant (recommended by Anthony Bourdain and an online documentary)

Multiple locations! We went to the location inside of the Airport Express mall, because our hotel thought the other location might be closed. (Silly, we didn’t know that, so we had already gone to the hotel and went back. But the airport express mall is right next to central MTR which is close by) Try the Dim Sum, Gluh Rice (sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf with meat), and Baked BBQ Pork Bun.

• Temple Street Market (Anthony Bourdain)
  • MTR Yau Ma Tei Station, Exit C, turn onto Temple Street at Man Ming Lane.
  • MTR Jordan Station, Exit A. Turn right onto Jordan Road and then take another right onto Temple Street.

This is Hong Kong’s most famous night market. With a festive atmosphere and outdoor stalls, you can find everything from Chinese souvenirs to clothing and accessories, plus fortunetellers and street opera singers. The market opens daily at 4pm, but it is better to go around 7pm.

• Ladies’ Market
  • MTR Mong Kok Station, Exit E2. Walk along Nelson Street for two blocks.

You can easily walk from the Temple Street Market to the Ladies’ Market in a few minutes.  They both sell similar items.  The Ladies Market was next to a busy area with street performers and lots of shops.

• Hong Kong Skyline – This was very impressive! I enjoyed looking at it more than I thought.

Definitely visit the skyline for the evening light show. There are 1,251 skyscrapers, more than double that of New York City! A great place to view the light show is from the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade also known as the Avenue of Stars. Take the MTR East Tsim Sha Tsui Station, Exit J. Follow signs to the Avenue of Stars. The Symphony of Lights show is every evening at 8pm. You can listen to the show’s music and English narration along the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront between the Avenue of Stars and Cultural Center (on MWF nights). It is in the Guinness World Records for the “World’s Largest Permanent Light & Sound Show.” I also heard that on Monday, Wednesday, or Friday you may be able join a free 1-hour lesson in tai chi, conducted at 8am in the Hong Kong Museum of Art’s Sculpture Court near the promenade.

Sunday, 31 Aug

• The Peak – The Peak has great views of the city! It is the highest point on Hong Kong island.

The Peak Tram, which began operations in 1888, takes 8-minutes to climb up Victoria Peak, where you’ll be rewarded with fantastic views from Hong Kong Island’s tallest hill if the weather is clear. Peak Tower has an observation platform with 360-degree panoramic views. There are many walking paths at the top so I recommend wearing fitness clothes and taking a jog around the peak.  There were many runners and fitness stations. The Peak Tram is at the Peak Tram Lower Terminus on Garden Road (you can it take bus 15C from the lay-by outside the Star Ferry pier in Central, or walk from MTR Central Station, Exit J2). Bus 15 from Exchange Square bus terminus (near MTR Hong Kong Station, Exit D) will also take you there, as well as Minibus 1 from MTR Hong Kong Station public transport interchange.

• Ferry to Lantau from Central Ferry Piers (You can add $ to your Octopus MTR card so that you

don’t have to buy tickets.  It was about 42 HKD for the express ferry (30 minutes).  We didn’t realize that the metro also takes you there.  We took that home.  If you don’t care about the ferry ride, just take the metro to Tung Chung station. You can also take the bus or cable car to Ngong Ping Plateau. Bus no. 2 from Silvermine Bay (Mui Wo in Chinese) hurtles around hair-raising curves through lush countryside on its 45-minute trip to Ngong Ping.

• Giant Buddha: Open 10am-6pm, last admission at 5:30pm

Built in 1993, this is the world’s largest seated outdoor bronze Buddha. Climb 260-some steps to the viewing platform for sweeping views from Ngong Ping Plateau, 738m (2,420 ft.) above sea level.

• Wisdom Path

Large wooden pillars, placed in the form of a figure eight to symbolize infinity, display the Heart Sutra, a centuries-old prayer revered by Confucians, Buddhists, and Taoists alike.

• Po Lin Monastery (open daily 9am-6pm)

Located right next to the Giant Buddha and Wisdom Path.  We tried some food at the vegetarian cafe too.

• Ngong Ping Village

A little tourist village where the bus drops you off, right next to the Giant Buddha.

• One Dim Sum was a delicious restaurant for dinner (recommended by Bourdain). Try the dim sum and steamed custard buns. It is located just 1 block away from the Prince Edward MTR station at 15 Playing Field Road.

• After that, you can easily walk through Ladies Market and Temple Street Market.  (We probably could have skipped doing this twice, but the first night we were just getting a feel for the city.)

Monday, 1 Sept

• Breakfast at Tsui Wah (recommended by Bourdain)

A diner that felt like George Webbs.  In Lan Kwai Fong (bar district) so we could imagine it being good for both late night food and breakfast.  Many businessmen were eating with us.

Located at 15-19 Wellington St., Central MTR  (close walk from the YWCA hotel).

• The Monastery of the 10,000 Buddhas

An uphill path lined with thousands of Buddha statues.  When you arrive, there is a large complex that looks like it would be this, but it’s not.  Just before entering the parking lot for a different monastery, turn right down an alley.  There was a small red sign on the ground saying “10,000 Buddhas.”  It looks almost like a trash path.  1 block in you’ll start seeing the path up with the Buddha’s. The Monastery is open 9am to 5-30pm daily. The monastery may close during heavy rain or when typhoon signal 8 or above is issued. Take the MTR East Rail to Sha Tin Station. From station exit B take the ramp alongside the bus terminus, down to street level and past Pai Tau Village on the left. Turn left, Homesquare/Ikea should be on the corner.  It’s 1 block behind the Homesquare/Ikea.

• Chi Lin Nunnery

Located at MTR Diamond Hill Station Exit C2, follow the signs and walk for around 5 minutes. It was on the way back from the 10,000 Buddhas, so stop here for a quick look at a peaceful nunnery tucked away in the heart of the city.

• Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple

Located at MTR Wong Tai Sin Station Exit B2, it’s right there.

On the way back from the Chi Lin Nunnery, stop at this temple for a quick visit.  It’s right outside of the MTR station.

• Mak An Kee Restaurant (recommended by Bourdain)

We enjoyed shrimp-filled wonton egg-noodle soup  (it wasn’t our favorite but it was still fun experiencing different cultural foods). Located at 77 Wellington St. Central MTR.

• Hollywood Drive (“Antique street”)

Also known as Cat Street, this area has lots of Chinese souvenirs. Take Hollywood Dr. to the Man Mo Temple. This is 1 block in front of the temple.

• Stanley Market

Take bus #6X from Central MTR (8.40 HKD per person one-way), about a 45 minute ride to the other side of Hong Kong island. It feels more like a small Chinese town (relaxed with beaches, hills, and coves). I recommend only if you have time.  There are restaurants and some shopping.  If you want to make it a beach day, Repulse Bay is on the way.  Or, if you have kids, maybe check out Ocean Park (an amusement park).

• Joy Hing Restaurant (recommended by Bourdain)

This was a nice, small, family-owned Cantonese restaurant. We tried the goose and BBQ pork.  It was good, but bring napkins!  You’ll get meat piled on top of rice.  The sauces on the table added lots of flavor to the rice.  It was only about $5, but you don’t get a lot of meat so you might want to order 2. The location is 265-267 Hennessy Rd., Wan Chai MTR  (We got off of bus 6X on the way home from Stanley market.  It stops nearby.) It’s actually around the corner from Hennessy Rd. on Steward Street.  It’s a small place with meat hanging in the window.  Joy Hing is written very small on the sidewall.  It is very easy to miss!

• We walked through Lan Kwai Fong district on the way back to the hotel.  We were too tired to hang out at a bar, but it was fun to see the nightlife starting to come out.

Tuesday, 2 Sept

We woke up early (not on purpose) so we decided to take a walk along the Avenue of Stars

before heading to the airport via the Airport Express.  It only took 45 minutes, but we couldn’t remember exactly how long it took so better safe than sorry!

At the airport, make sure to get a refund for the MTR Octopus Card! Ours said non-refundable, but I had read that if you buy the multi-day pass that you can get the deposit back, and I was right!

Traveling Tips:

• We were out from about 8-8:30am to 8:30-10:30pm every day.  Our feet were tired, and there are lots of hills, so we recommend tennis shoes!
• Carry some toilet paper and wipes.  Many public restrooms were out.  Also, the food can be messy, so wipes would be nice to clean your fingers.
• Even if your Octopus Card says “no deposit on this card,” you should still be able to return it for the 50 HKD refund deposit.
• The buses do not give change.  Either have exact cash or add money to your MTR card.  The MTR unlimited pass is only good for metros, not buses, but you can still swipe the card on the buses if you add cash.
• Save time & money getting to Lantau Island (Giant Buddha) by taking the metro instead of the ferry.
• If you have kids, you may enjoy Ocean Park (amusement park) or Disney World.

CONTRIBUTED BY CAPTAIN IAN

If you are an adventure seeker, but not exactly a full fledge dare devil, this rock wall is for you! I discovered it while shooting surfing photos on top of a cliff on Miyagi Island.

The best part of this story is my dogs. I needed to somehow scale this 40-foot monster of a wall in front of me, in order to get the position over the surf break I wanted. As I began pondering the best route up the vertical, coral created rock wall, I thought about life and death. I’ve never rock climbed before. I thought about my dogs. Would they go get help like Lassie if I fell? Or would they just lay next to me until I expired… As it turns out, I climbed a vein in the rock on a 25-foot section. And I didn’t die! As I posed triumphantly for a photo, lo and behold, there were my dogs!! They were standing right next to me as if I was a dumb human who took the difficult way to the top! Obviously they don’t have the required digits and dexterity to scale a wall 21 times their height. I was perplexed. How did they get up?

Standing in the perfect position for the photos I wanted, thinking about my dog’s achievement and framing my shot, it suddenly dawned on my inexperienced mind, “Uh oh, how do I get down?” This is where to dogs come through in a big way. When it was time to leave I simply told my dogs “Ok, let’s go!” and they took off. I followed them down through trees, over a dirt pile and shazam! I was at the bottom of the wall. Such a relief…

Since getting a taste of how fun the thrill of rock climbing is, I have since free climbed the highest sections and taken many friends to climb with me. To make it easier, there is a heavy duty rope anchored surely to a few rocks and trees at the top of the wall. If you take the low trail on the far right, back edge of the wall, you can walk to the top and drop the ropes down to the bottom for assistance in free climbing. Be careful! There are still loose rocks. Make sure you get a sure grip.

Directions: From Kadena gate 2, go left on 23 for about 1.5 kilometer. Pass 85 and under the bridge, then make a right on 75 (turns into highway 16). Follow 16 for a good 30 minutes. You will soon arrive at the popular red bridge and turquoise ocean on both sides. Keep on straight until you pass the fuel tanks on Henza Island. Miyagi Island is next. Keep an eye out for the Miyagi Salt Factory (Red and white signs). 400 meters after you pass the road for the salt factory, immediately after a few tombs on your right, Make a right on the small dirt farm road. Follow the farm road, keep left until you reach a semi T. The wall is a 200 meter walk from the chained off road on your right of the T.

Parking for the wall is easy. Park anywhere you can fit, and walk there! But locating the small road for the wall is most difficult. Please be careful and respectful.

CONTRIBUTED BY KACEY ARNTZ

The name Ayurveda comes from one of the world’s oldest natural whole-body healing systems; it translates to “life-knowledge”. The system is based on a few main points: a healthy mind, body and spirit. Food & herbs are considered a medicine for a healthy life balance.

Ayurveda is located at the Route 330 & Route 20 Goya intersection (outside Kadena Gate 2). With its orange signage and new mural, it’s hard to miss; as well you shouldn’t, the food is delicious. On August 1st, Ayurveda opened it’s doors to share homemade Indian cuisine. It’s served by the friendly & hospitable owner, Kamath Vaman, better known as V.K.

V.K. has worked in hospitality and restaurants his whole life and has been in Japan for nearly 30 years. You might even be familiar with his first Okinawan restaurant, Indira, which is named after his mother. After developing & managing Indira for a couple of years, he relocated back to mainland with his wife, but he couldn’t stay away. Okinawa called him back, and our stomachs are grateful he returned.

While the current menu features mostly North Indian items, V.K. plans to introduce dishes that reflect the Mumbai region of India, where he is from. Ingredients are carefully chosen to accommodate seasonal foods, high quality, and a healthy balance. During my first visit with a friend, we spent so long eating and chatting, we didn’t notice V.K. had left to go to the market. When he came back, he whipped up Dudhi Halwa, a sweet dessert made of bottle gourd, just for us! What a treat! V.K. and his small staff are always experimenting with new dishes. In fact, if you’d like to try something that isn’t on the menu, just ask!

A signature dish that V.K. introduced years ago to Okinawa is bacon naan! Yes, I said bacon naan. Bacon and naan, together, in a glorious pairing. Do I even need to tell you to order it?   Another recommendation I have for you is the Mutton Goat Curry currently offered as a dinner special. I hope that enough people ask for it, it will find a permanent spot on the menu. It’s tender, spicy, and hearty. The flavors are complex without being overwhelming, and the goat is some of the best I’ve had.

I’m always happy after leaving Ayurveda. Something that I appreciate is the manageable menu size and that each dish is carefully selected to stand out on it’s own with different vegetables, different spices, and different textures. One of my favorites is the chicken palak, but so is the mutton masala and the keema curry. Okay, so I might just love them all. Don’t forget to order a lassi, and save room for the shrikhand, a yogurt saffron dessert.

Hours: Open Daily. Lunch 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Dinner 5:00 p.m. -10:00 p.m.

Phone: 098-939-1558

Payment: Yen & Credit Card

Address: 1-1-4 Goya, Okinawa City, 904-0021

GPS: 26.335745, 127.800634

Parking: Behind building in paid lot. (See Image) Upon checking out at the restaurant, you’ll receive a 1 hour free parking ticket.

CONTRIBUTED BY INORI HAYASHI

Before I married my husband, my father said, “It is already a miracle when two people from different families live under one roof. Can you imagine how difficult it will be to marry someone from a different country?” he asked me. I am Japanese, and my husband is American. I did not know what I was getting myself into then.

I was not aware that our cultural differences would later be a major obstacle in the marriage. It is true – dating someone is much easier than marrying someone; especially when I am used to eating rice and fish for breakfast, and he wants bacon and eggs! That was just the tip of the iceberg. Cultures sometimes include differences in values and beliefs, which are deeply held. These may include ideas of traditional gender roles, preferred methods of conflict resolution, and the importance of individuality in light of the larger social unit. When East meets West, many of these are completely different.

Kim Zimmermann, a Live Science contributor, defined a culture as, “the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, defined by everything from language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts.” How my husband and I think, how we behave, what we like to eat, how we shop, and mostly, how we express our feelings are completely different. In the beginning, there was no common ground we could have come to. Our backgrounds are so different: gender, religions, family structures, native languages, ages, financial classes, careers, educations, diet, traditions, and other primary elements that compose a person’s life.

My husband’s native language is French, and mine is Japanese. To make things more complicated, we are not from one particular culture: he grew up in France, Dominican Republic, and the United States, and I grew up with foreign influences in Japan and spent a few years in the United States. We are both multicultural people. It often feels like we are from different dimensions.

So, how are we still together instead of having a war every single day? Paulo Coelho, the writer of The Alchemist, said, “Culture makes people understand each other better. And if they understand each other better in their soul, it is easier to overcome the economic and political barriers. But first they have to understand that their neighbor is, in the end, just like them, with the same problems, the same questions.” It is easy to blame everything on culture. “Oh, you are such an American,” or “You can’t be direct because you are Japanese.” We often use this “You behave this way because of your culture” card even outside of marriage – to coworkers, neighbors, friends, bosses, or even strangers.

As Paulo Coelho suggested, it is always important to remember that before we share different cultures, we are the same human beings. Cultures do exist, and it is a powerful social force; however, emotions are universal – even while the factors that set them off may not be. Learning to see the world as someone else sees it, and recognizing and respecting someone’s emotion even when you do not understand the cause – is a central approach to any personal conflicts.

I am still far away from being well culturally integrated. It sometimes feels like my husband and I are opposing countries ready to start a war, but I have to remember that we are a married couple; we are on the same team. My father was right; I had no clue how difficult my international marriage was going to be. We have had a rough journey so far, but I have never been this challenged to understand someone this hard before. This marriage has widened my cultural perception and my capability of understanding and accepting. We still have many years together ahead, and I am excited for what is to come.

CONTRIBUTED BY MONETTE EAMES

As I write this out, it is a scorching, hot Okinawan day. The armpits are sweating, there is no breeze whatsoever and when you go out, it feels like you’re in an oven. But today, I’m thinking of a snowier time. Before I go on, let me say: if you’re even thinking of going to Sapporo in February for the Snow Festival, BOOK YOUR ROOMS NOW!!! Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let me share what my family of five did last February in Sapporo and the neighboring towns.

I knew it would probably be our first and last time experiencing Hokkaido, so I wanted us to experience everything. When I found out how steep the prices were for hotel rooms during the week of the ice festival, I decided to do the last three days of the festival and explore other cities for the rest of the trip. We had a newly turned one-year-old, a six-year-old, and a nine-year-old in tow. Thankfully, I’m married to a Marine with a gung-ho attitude that matches my “We’re doing everything!” travelling attitude perfectly.

There are three sites for the Sapporo Ice Festival. There is the Odori Site, which is right smack in the middle of downtown Sapporo. This is where the huge ice sculptures are. In addition to all the sculptures, there will be vendors galore, selling food, souvenirs, giving free stuff away, etc.   There will also be a lot of entertainment—music, dance performances, and ski jump competitions, to name a few. The second site is the Tsudome site, this is where you can go down snow slides, snow tubing, and other snow activities. The third site is the Susukino Site, where you’ll see more ice sculptures, but on a smaller scale. Details are what really matter here. Don’t let the smaller scale keep you away, though. This is where you can play on ice sculptures, sit in an ice bar, and even go in an igloo. You can easily spend a few days visiting these sites. However, do not plan on visiting after the last day, because the day after the festival ends, all the sculptures are destroyed for safety reasons.

We also visited Mount Okura and Mount Moiwa. Mount Okura is where the 1972 Winter Olympics were hosted. There is also a Winter Sports Museum on site that our kids loved. The ski lift brings you to the top of the mountain and is worth it for the experience of riding and to have a full view of the ski jump. Mount Moiwa is in the middle of Sapporo City where you can see the beautiful view of the city, the Sea of Japan, and Shokanbetsu Peak. Our family loved the views, but loved the very deep, soft, untouched snow around the peak area even more. We spent about an hour playing in the snow and taking pictures there with the kids because it was so pristine. Everywhere else in the city the snow is piled, shoveled, etc., but on top of Mount Moiwa, we had a couple feet of untouched snow to enjoy for as long as we could take the cold!

Shiroi Koibito Chocolate Factory was also a great stop. My children called this place Willy Wonka’s Factory, and it did indeed look similar. This place is known for the Shiroi Koibito cookie, which is two butter cookies with chocolate in between. There was a lot to see and do at the factory. Inside the factory, in addition to seeing how the cookies were made, there was a museum with a variety of things from the history of different types of chocolate, to antiques, to a collection of old record players and music from the heyday of the chocolate production and much more.   If you need a break from it all, they have a restaurant that serves you all the yummy sweetness you desire. You can also decorate cookies and cakes here for a fee. Outside the buildings, in the center courtyard of the factory, is a genuine winter wonderland, where we went tubing and played in dozens and dozens of miniature houses. The kids decided to have a snowball fight here and it looked like so much fun, that mom and dad joined in, going house to house and on the roofs and over and under the little bridges bombing each other and the occasional laughing Japanese tourist with snowballs. This was one of the best memories of our trip! At the top of the hour, there is a musical demonstration with figurines that pop out of the top of the buildings – very cool.

We also visited Ramen Alley on one of the nights. We were going to try to figure out which Ramen shop was ‘the best,’ but given that we were a family of five, freezing and hungry, we decided to just go to the first shop that had seats available for us all. Note that the shops here don’t have much wiggle room as they try to pack everyone in. I can’t say it was the best ramen ever, but it wasn’t bad and I think just being able to say we went to Ramen Alley does it for me. If you have time to find the ‘best’ place, please reply with the location to this post!

We took a tour to Asahiyama Zoo in Asahikawa, which is the northernmost zoo in the country, and it was snowing the whole time we were there. It’s a great zoo where many of the animal enclosures enable visitors to really get close. Imagine sticking your head into a huge tube and having a wolf walk around your head or standing right under a giraffe as he eats his lunch. The highlight for the zoo was the March of the Penguins where a bunch of penguins took a walk in the snow right beside the gathered crowds. It was amazing that none of the penguins walked into the crowds or strayed away.

Since we also wanted to visit Otaru (a nearby town) for their Ice Festival, we switched hotels after four days of being in downtown Sapporo. The train ride to Otaru was full of spectacular views of Ishikari Bay. Otaru is a town full of glass shops, restaurants, malls, brick warehouses, cobbled streets and so much more. Add the snow drifts and icicles to the scene, and you feel like you are walking through the movie set of “Frozen.”

The festival at the Otaru Canal really put me in a nostalgic mood. Unlike the busyness and craziness of Sapporo, the Otaru Festival is peaceful with ice candles and lights everywhere, placed in the snowbanks and dangling over a spectacular canal covered in ice. Even the crowds seem to be at peace. This was also the place where my family and I decided to make our own snow sculpture. Of all the sculptures we saw, none of them resembled a real American snowman, so we made one right there beside the walk amongst all the other snow sculptures. Upon creation, we stood back and photographed it, and lo and behold other visitors and passersby ooohed and aaaahed over it and also took pictures. We were proud to have contributed!

One interesting place we visited in Otaru was the Bank of Japan Museum. One of the highlights was a demonstration area where you can try to lift 100 million yen. There was also a vault with huge stainless steel doors that you could look into. They have great displays showing the history of printing money, explaining how they secure shipments of cash, and how they distribute bank notes across Japan. Very cool stuff, and we didn’t have nearly enough time here with only an hour.

Another place worth visiting was the Otaru Orgel Museum. This is not a museum, but instead a huge red brick building full of tens of thousands of intricate, detailed music boxes of every possible size and shape. We even saw music boxes that looked like sushi. There are two or three levels, and the inside of the place must be what Gepetto’s factory looked like, because it is straight out of a fairytale. Be sure to visit the very top level for some less expensive items. You can also design your own music box with different materials.

The final and farthest ice festival we went to was in Lake Shikotsu. There were huge pillars of colored ice, tunnels that extended for hundreds of feet, huge house and hotel-sized ice structures that you climb and walk around, ice skating rink, horse rides, ice slides, fireworks, onsens (hot baths), and lots of yummy food. All the sculptures are made from spraying water from Lake Shikotsu and freezing it, before putting colorful lights everywhere. This was a spectacular place and if you can afford the time to go, please do not miss it. The park looked very extensive, with paths leading off into many other parts, and there may be more to see here that we missed in our short time.

We attempted to go skiing with the older kids and even had classes planned. But when we got to the reserved ski school, they only accepted yen. We didn’t have enough, so we went to another spot. Unfortunately, the second place didn’t have skis small enough for the kids. Oh, well. We tried! Maybe it was a good thing they didn’t get to do it. It saved us a lot of money! We ended up renting tubes and going up to the slopes anyway.  We made our own ice slides, snow angels, snowmen, and had another snowball fight. We all still had a blast.

There were two things I really wanted to do that we didn’t get to because of time and because we had a baby. I really wanted us to go to Abashiri to go on an icebreaker cruise. It would have been a four-hour train ride to Abashiri and even when we got there, it wasn’t a guarantee that the weather would cooperate. The other was to go to the Hokkaido Coca-Cola Bottling Factory, but we spent the time playing in the snow instead.

Wait. There is one more thing: I wish I ate more seafood. We ate a lot, but there is so much and it is so good that you can’t miss the chance for huge scallops, crablegs, fish or any of the food from hundreds of seafood shops throughout the area. So those are the three things I wish we’d done while in Hokkaido. Hokkaido is stunningly beautiful in the winter and we enjoyed this trip of a lifetime.

CONTRIBUTED BY HANNAH  CURTIS

You don’t have to look very far in Okinawa for gorgeous pottery; you can take a trip to the Yomitan Pottery village, head to Naha to Tsuboya Pottery Street and I am forever seeing beautiful ceramics at cafes.

It’s no wonder that many people collect pottery while living in Okinawa, I know I do!

I, like the next person, love a good bargain! There are a few pottery fairs/festivals held throughout the year but I have a particular fondness for the annual Tsuboya Pottery Festival. Usually held in November (this year: Nov. 20-23, 2015) this is a great place to buy pottery at a discount, usually 20% off, sometimes more. The festival, held at Tsuboya Elementary School, lasts 4 days and has more than just pottery for sale.

One year they had goats you could take for a walk…I think this alone is why I continue to head to this particular pottery festival, although last year I didn’t see the goat!

If you do buy some products and spend over a certain amount at the same shop you receive a ticket, which you can then take to the raffle tent for a chance to win some free stuff. I am not 100% sure of what the limit is and it could quite possibly vary at each stall, because I am sure we have spent the same amount at two different stores before but only received a ticket at one of them.

Unfortunately I have yet to win from this raffle but I am determined to do it!

Apparently they hold an auction, although I have never actually been there for that but I have been there for the pottery games/competition they hold; of course I don’t understand what is going on but it is a fun to watch.

Soba and a few snacks are available on site for purchase and there is ample seating available.

If you are interested in attending this year’s festival here are the details, I believe Kadena ITT also puts on a bus if you would prefer not to drive yourself.

Location: Tsuboya Elementary School

Address:  3 Chome-14-12 Makishi, Naha-shi, Okinawa-ken 900-0013

Date: November 20th – 23rd, 2015

Time: 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. (I assume this is the time for all 4 days, but I guess the last day it could finish earlier)

Cost: Entry is free (food, pottery, drinks, activities : prices vary)

Coordinates: 26.2163032, 127.6897976

CONTRIBUTED BY CAPTAIN IAN

Oasis… My my what a gem! My day started normal – On a quest for unique items at secondhand stores. I was looking for a corner desk and wasn’t having any luck, so I ended up at Yellow Box, which led me to Oasis. Oasis is where the Yellow Box too… discounted items find their final price-slashed home. They have everything a home needs at Oasis, including top of the line Ashley furniture goods for dirt cheap.

While perusing the aisles under a mega discount trance, I finally stumbled across the perfect corner table. I called my wife over in a rather obnoxious, non-indoor voice kind of way, which got the employees attention. She joined my club of confused women. With excitement in my voice I began praising the desk, and said, “She’s perfect!” To my surprise, my wife said “No, I don’t think so.” I was shocked! We began to argue pros and cons of the desk, when we were stopped by an employee who offered a “$50 discount right now!” Boom! Settled. We left with the desk and my wife and I are still together.

Oasis has much more than inexpensive Ashley furniture. They have unique items I’ve never seen on Okinawa before, such as cool mirrors, art pieces, outdoor goods, and some things so unique I don’t believe the English language could give them a name. If you are looking for something special, Oasis is your destination.

Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Daily

Phone: 098-923-0058

Payment: USD or Yen

Address: 〒904-2143 Okinawa-ken, Okinawa-shi, Chibana, 6 Chome−30−15

Directions:  Out Kadena gate 2, go left on 23. Take 23 past the clown statue car dealership and go right on 85, under the bridge. Stay on that road until you see Yellow Box on your left, prepare to turn left. Turn left on 224 immediately before Main City Mall. Oasis is on 224 about 2 miles up. Once you see a purple building on your left you’re close. Once you see Family Mart, Oasis will be on your left.

Coordinates: 26.3635864, 127.8199397

Email: YellowBoxTooTeak@gmail.com

PRE-ORDERING AVAILABLE NOW! ($4 discount until the calendar arrives on island)

To skip the fun details and just ORDER NOW, click here:  2016 Calendar Ordering

This is my favorite time of the year!  I love looking through all of your amazing photographs, getting a glimpse into the Okinawa that you know and love, sifting through and coming up with a gorgeous set of photos for our new calendar…

This year, our local manager, Mindy Arnholt, designed the calendar for us.  She’s gone for a fresh look and emphasis on large beautiful photographs.  This back page gives you a glimpse of the photos featured this year.

There are plenty of beautiful landscapes and tropical views in the calendar that would be enjoyed by “tourists” or our families in the States, but what really makes our calendar special is that it tells of the secret stories that only those of us who’ve done some time on our tropical island paradise really know about…

That is what our calendar is all about.

We hope it tells part of the story of your time in Okinawa.  We hope you find it in a box in 10 years and smile remembering our temporary home.

To order, please check out our 2016 Calendar Ordering. A limited number of calendars will also available for purchase at the Marine Gift Shop on Camp Foster.

To see pictures from previous calendars click HERE.

CONTRIBUTED BY THE WANDERING WAFFLE HEADS

One of things that we love doing in Okinawa is exploring. It might be a new beach on a different island or new local store down the street, but what excites us the most is finding a new place to eat. It gives us great pleasure to find secret places that offers something new and refreshing. The other day my husband was driving around Henza Island when he noticed a small café filled with parked cars outside and out of curiosity we went back to check the place out. So glad we did.

Ippukuya Café has tons of nautical décor. You’ll find seashells, old maps, a hammock– there is even a boat on the balcony that was refashioned into a table. The place is very cozy and quiet and it probably has the most amazing view of the landscape on Henza Island.

The menu consists of noodles, rice balls, a variety of drinks and shaved ice for dessert. Food is not really the main attraction of Ippukuya as this place actually follows the sense of the word “cafe” more so than many cafes in Okinawa. Drinks and dessert are the big attraction, preceded only by the peaceful view and laid back atmosphere.

The waiter gave us a menu in Japanese and we chose to order the noodles according to the pictures in the menu. (Quick tip: It would help to ask if they have an English menu.) We are not really big fans of cold noodles, but they weren’t bad. The cold dish had half a boiled egg, bitter melon slices, cow tail and cold wheat noodles in pork stock, paired with a side of kimchi. The hot noodles in our opinion were much better than the cold. The hot noodles consisted of ginger, leek, pork intestines, and warm wheat noodles in pork stock. When it was time for dessert, we finally found the English menu. They have special shaved ice with beans on it, but we chose the mango shaved ice instead. The shaved ice was a really nice treat for us.

Ippukuya Café is open every day from 11 am until sunset. Prices vary from 1000 to 1500 yen. If your on your way to Hamahiga Island, Ikei Island or just out and about on Henza Island, we recommend stopping here for a quick snack, maybe just before the sunset, to appreciate the view.

Hours: 11:00 a.m. till sunset,  Daily

Phone: 098-983-1600

Payment: Cash only

Address: 115-2 Kaneyama, Mogami-gun, Kaneyama-machi 999-5402, Yamagata Prefecture

Directions: From the Legion gate of Camp Foster drive straight on 81 which become 227 straight again which then becomes 85 still going straight. 85 will become 33 still going straight where you make your first turn at a fork in the road and take a right on 37. Follow 37 until you get to the red Kaichu bridge and make a left on 10. Follow the Kaichu bridge to Henza Island. Keep follow route 10 until you are a little bit passed the right turn for Hamahiga Island. You will make a left when you see a small sign with a picture of a coffee mug follow the narrow pathway until you find the café.

Coordinates: 26.341452, 127.956630

Parking: Yes (side of the road)

CONTRIBUTED BY MICHELLE BUDZIEN

Are you interested in seeing the Great Wall of China, but you don’t want to pay the hefty Chinese visa fee? There’s a way around it! Michelle, from SemperTravel.com, is sharing the secrets of the 72-hour visa in a five-part series. Today’s chapter: Seoul

Follow along with her trip here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

We loved our trip to Seoul! Despite the DMZ being closed due to MERS, we had a great time and we were still able to see North Korea from another border area. Here’s what we did:

Seoul Travel Dates:  16-21 June, 2015

Airline:  Since we utilized the “72 hour no fee visa” visiting China prior to coming from Seoul, so we flew Air China from Okinawa to Beijing, and Asiana Air from Beijing to Seoul ($1,091.80 for 2 people).  To fly home from Seoul, we flew Peach for $241.98 for 2 people.

Just our luck, similar to our vacation to Hong Kong, right after we booked it, Peach announced it will start a direct flight to Seoul in Sept 2015!  We had to book 2 separate Peach flights, with a layover in Osaka, but it was okay since we have access to the lounges and could enjoy some snacks and beverages between flights.

Peach has strict luggage requirements (22 pounds max per person unless you pay for checked luggage).  We used backpacks, but since our first two flights allowed more, we shipped a box home from the base in Seoul.  APO to FPO is free shipping!

Visa:  No visa is needed in Seoul at this time, but check the embassy website to make sure nothing has changed!

Hotel:  Dragon Hill Lodge (on Yongsan military base)

The hotel is in a great location, even though it is on base, it is only a moderate walk to the metro and very close to the war museum.  My favorite part of the hotel was the fitness center, with a pool and hot tub.  There are also many restaurants located within the hotel, including a PX (but dependents need ration cards, I’ll mention more later).  It’s only a 10-minute walk to Itaewon, which is a lively area with plenty of restaurants.

Room rates are based on rank, but we did the 5 night/6 day special which included the DMZ tour, Seoul Tower, Palace/city tour, and Nanta show for $299/person = $598 total.  (We were not going to do this, because we wanted to do the USO DMZ/JSA tour; however, while in flight to Korea we learned all tours to the DMZ were cancelled due to MERS.  The hotel’s DMZ tour had an alternative to go visit the Northern Limit Line and look into North Korea from an observatory, so we switched to that.)

Transportation:  If you’re military, use the Dragon Hill Lodge free airport shuttle bus!  It’s free and takes only 45 minutes. After baggage claim, just walk all the way to the left end of the building, it’s the very last booth. We missed the bus by 10 minutes, but there’s free Wi-Fi and after debating the other options (which take longer and cost money) we decided to wait 1.5 hours for the next bus. You can find the schedule on the Dragon Hill Lodge website.

There is an airport express train that takes you downtown, where you can connect to the normal subway system. It looked fairly simple. Or there are other bus shuttles that go downtown. A taxi is expensive. Someone we met accidentally took a local taxi instead of an AAFES taxi that can go on base. Apparently it was over $125; while the AAFES taxi is apparently $65.

The metro system is very easy to use. It’s vast, but most of the sights are within a few stops from the hotel. The hotel is close to the Noksapyeong and Samgakji subway stations.

Itinerary:

Tuesday night:  Since our flight landed a bit late, we didn’t get to the hotel until 10:00 p.m.

Wednesday:  We stopped at the Discover Seoul tour desk in the hotel to figure out our new plan since the USO DMZ tour was cancelled. Thankfully they had openings on their tours today and tomorrow.

9:00 – 12:15:  Gyeongbokgung Palace and Jogyesa Temple Guided Tour
The palace was very pretty.  It was nice have a guide to explain different aspects.  We also saw the changing of the guard’s ceremony.  The only downside to the tour was stopping at an amethyst store.  Obvious sales pitch.

Note on Ration Cards:  We wanted to stop at the Commissary on base quickly for some groceries. We found out it was 1 to 1.5 miles from the hotel, but decided to walk.  Once we got there, the lady didn’t let us in because we didn’t have ration cards. I had read about it, but thought it was only for dependents, so my husband should have been able to get in. (I was right, but the lady didn’t know that.) We took a taxi to the ID center to get ration cards, where they told us my husband doesn’t need one! The base has a “post run” (shuttle bus), so we took the bus back to the commissary (it takes about 15 minutes) and showed the lady the policy. I was extremely frustrated to have wasted so much time. (If you are a dependent, you need a ration card though, so ask the hotel for information. Active Duty does NOT need a ration card. The ID center is right across the parking lot from the hotel.) After getting groceries, we enjoyed working out in the hotel’s huge fitness center!

Evening: We headed to Myeong Dong for the Nanta Cooking Show. This district was very fun, with plenty of restaurants, street food, and vendors. We enjoyed trying some local dishes for dinner. The Nanta Cooking Show was also unique. It’s located in the middle of Myeong Dong. The hotel can give you directions, but they might tell you to take a taxi, and you don’t need to, the subway was easy!

Thursday:  Northern Limit Line Tour (replacing the DMZ tour):  From 7:40-1:20, we took this tour that headed to Gangwha Island.  Our tour guide emphasized how special this itinerary was and that it was actually the closest point to North Korea (1.8 km vs. 2 km). We were still disappointed not to go to the DMZ/JSA, but it was better than nothing. There is a large observatory on a hill where you can look over a river into North Korea. They have binoculars, but bring your own if you have them. We were able to see a fake village and some buildings and farms in North Korea. On the way home from the NLL Tour, we stopped at a war sight on Gangwha Island, and another amethyst store.

In the afternoon we visited the War Museum, and it was awesome! I don’t like reading everything in museums, but this one was very entertaining. The documentary videos inside are worth it; they are interactive (3D, seats, move, etc.). There are also free English guided tours at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. The guide was very nice and knowledgeable. You could easily spend 3 hours here, or more! There is an outside exhibit with planes and tanks and a children’s park too.

In the evening we headed to Seoul tower, which took much longer than expected. The #3 shuttle bus (only $1) leaves from Itaewon, but we thought it came every 15 minutes, and it definitely took 40 minutes (we started waiting at 5:15 p.m.). We got to Seoul Tower a bit early for sunset though (6:30 p.m.), so we ended up hanging out at the top, enjoying the view, for about 2 hours so we could see the city in daylight and at night.  If you can, time to get to the top just before sunset and you’ll get the best of both worlds!  Waiting for the bus home was just as slow, so we didn’t get back until 9:30 p.m.

We enjoyed a late dinner in Itaewon at Vatos Mexican. I liked my tacos and my husband’s burrito was delicious, but it was a little overpriced for Mexican. We wanted to find a Korean BBQ, but it was already 10:00 p.m. and we couldn’t find it, so I had heard of Vatos and figured we’d try it.

Friday:  Today we set out on our own!

Changdeokgung Palace – (3,000 KRW) Very similar to the other palace…could skip it if you’re tight on time. It’s known for it’s secret gardens (5,000 KRW), but we weren’t that impressed. There was a guided tour of the gardens, but we left after 45 minutes (it was 1.5 hours for the full tour).

Bukchon Hanok Village – Just around the corner from the palace, you can explore this traditional village portion of the city. The sights are built into the actual city, so we just walked through it and looked at a few buildings.

Ice Gallery – I had read about the world’s first indoor ice gallery, and it was in Bukchon, so I figured we’d stop by. It was quite hilarious. Not at all what I expected.  I was thinking ice sculptures in a museum setting…it was more like a kid’s haunted house in their basement, but instead it was ice. For $5, it was amusing…

Dongdaemun Market – We headed over to the market for lunch, but this market didn’t have as much food. It was primarily cloth items. It’s huge, but from what we saw it was mainly socks, underwear, scarves, hats, some purses, buttons, etc. Maybe we missed the main place? (But we did walk through it for quite some time…)  It’s right by an art museum if you’re interested in stopping there too.

National Museum of Korea – It’s on the backside of base, so we figured we’d stop by.  It wasn’t that interesting to us, mainly pottery and paintings. It’s free, but if there’s a special exhibit on the other half that might cost money. Walking home took some time because we had to get to the base entrance, so once we got inside base we waited for the base “post run” shuttle bus to get back to the hotel.

Gangnam – Very fun district!  We were looking for a Korean BBQ restaurant for dinner, and many nice people helped us try to find it, but we found out it was closed!  (No wonder it wasn’t where we thought it was.) Instead, we ate where one of the couples were waiting that had helped us look for it. It was a trendy Korean BBQ place, so just what we wanted! It was delicious. For about $28 we both had a variety of meat and veggies. There are tons of restaurants, so if we go back we’d definitely have dinner in this area again!

Saturday:  Rainy day! Thankfully we did most of our sightseeing already. After a work out, we opted to go to one of the world’s largest indoor theme parks, Lotte World. I wish there were more roller coasters, there was really only one, but my husband really enjoyed the three different shooting games.  There’s an ice rink in the middle, and plenty of 3D rides, kid rides, etc. We purchased discounted tickets at the hotel ($39 instead of $48). It wasn’t quite worth it, but it was still something to see, especially on a rainy day. Maybe if we had kids…!

We had lunch in the mall by Lotte World, at TGI Fridays. Overpriced, but it sounded so good. Had we known we weren’t going back into Lotte World, we would have found a different restaurant on the way home. When we got back into Lotte World, we didn’t feel like waiting in any lines so we headed out.

If you want to stop at the Olympic Park, it’s in this area. We were going to if it wasn’t still raining…

We got back to the hotel, worked out, enjoyed the hot tub, and had some food. We hadn’t checked out the hotel restaurants until now, and we regretted eating at TGI Fridays because the food looked good, but we were full.

Here are a few other things you could do that I heard about but we didn’t make a priority:

• Korea Furniture Museum
• um
• Cheonggyecheon Stream – A 3.6 mile walk with very serene small waterfalls and bridges
• King Sejong statue
• Insadong district
• Namdaemun market
• Seoul City Tour Bus
• Myeongdong Cathedral
• Banpo Bridge
• Deoksugung Palace
• Namsangol Hanok Village

Traveling Tips:

• Are you military stationed overseas? Remember that APO/FPO to APO/FPO shipping is free! Why is this useful? If you book a budget airline home, you can go to the base post office before you leave and ship the majority of your stuff home!
• The ATM actually had a worse exchange rate than the hotel, but the best rates were in the exchange booths in the popular parts of town (like Itaewon and Myeong Dong).
• If you’re on base, spouses/dependents need a ration card to buy things at the PX or commissary!
• Schedule the USO DMZ/JSA tour in advance! It books up fast.
• Take the free Dragon Hill Lodge Shuttle Bus from the airport to the hotel.
• Taxis on base are actually fairly inexpensive. $3.30 to get to the commissary from the hotel. $3 to the metro station.  (We usually walked, but in the rain we gave in.)

We highly recommend visiting Seoul! It was the perfect amount of time to see everything we wanted to without feeling rushed!

Our 2016 Okinawa Hai Wall Calendar has a fresh new look – with most months featuring just one stunning photo, our Oki photographers’ works really stand out! Take a peek below:

For TODAY ONLY, as a part of Cyber Monday (November 30th) we’re offering an even deeper pre-order discount sale: $15 each for Okinawa delivery and $19 each for U.S. delivery when you order online. That’s a total of 25% off its regular price! (Sale ends at midnight EST on December 1st.)

On Tuesday, the prices will go up to the regular prices — $20 Okinawa delivery and $24 for US delivery.

Click here to order your 2016 calendar before the prices go up!

The Marine Gift Shop on Camp Foster will also have a limited supply of calendars to purchase for $20 each once they have arrived on island.

To see pictures from our previous years’ calendars, click HERE.

CONTRIBUTED BY MARIE PROPES

If you’re looking for great sushi, look no longer.  Yoshi’s is the place to be. The restaurant was opened by Mr. Yoshi Mayekawa back in 1992. Mr. Yoshi started his cooking career in Okinawa before moving to the United States where he would learn to make sushi “American Style”. He lived in the U.S. for 12 years, working in large cities such as Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago and New Orleans. Although he loves to cook, his greater passion is golf. The walls are covered with pictures of some of the famous golfers and celebrities Mr. Yoshi has met along his path. Today he enjoys serving not only Japanese and American alike, but also US military commanders, overseas actors, Japanese comedians, and top athletes.

Get to YoshiHachi early because it gets packed. The restaurant is kid-friendly and accommodates people with disabilities. There are regular tables as well as kotatsu tables with room below for legs. Party rooms are available for 15, 25 or 40 people. The hours are Wednesday – Monday 4:30 pm and last order at 10 pm. (Closed Tuesdays) Free parking is available 1 meter beyond the restaurant.

The menu consists of both Japanese and Okinawan food. Food is obtained every day, so dishes are always fresh. If you don’t enjoy sushi or raw fish, you can order other great items such as chicken teriyaki, gyoza, or tempura. Popular items include the Kamikaze Combo or the Teriyaki Combo with miso soup. Mr. Yoshi created a trademark sushi in 1982 called tempura sushi. He also created and copyrighted another local favorite called the Beni-Imo (sweet potato) roll. Other favorites are tuna teriyaki roll, young yellowtail roll, soft shell crab roll, blowfish roll, and shrimp tempura roll.  You can order traditional Japanese sushi (Nigiri) or American sushi rolls.

Hours: Dinner only, 4:30-10 p.m. (last order); Closed on Tuesdays

Phone: 098-936-2359

Payment: Dollars or Yen (no credit card)

Address: 587-2 Kuwae, Chatan-chō, Nakagami-gun, Okinawa-ken 904-0103, Japan

Directions:

From Kadena Gate 1, exit gate and turn left onto 58. Turn left at light onto 23 and go uphill. At the second light you will see a pedestrian overpass, take a right there. Drive about 3-4 blocks until you see the small restaurant on your right. There are two red lanterns hanging outside. Pass the restaurant until you see the designated parking lot on your right.

From Camp Lester or Camp Foster, get onto 58 heading North towards Kadena. Turn right onto 23 and go uphill. At the second light you will see a pedestrian overpass, take a right there. Drive about 3-4 blocks until you see the small restaurant on your right. There are two red lanterns hanging outside. Pass the restaurant until you see the designated parking lot on your right.

From Kadena Gate 2, exit base and get onto 85 (it turns into 23) heading west towards Sunabe area. Drive approximately 3 km. When you see the pedestrian overpass, make a left there. Drive about 3-4 blocks until you see the small restaurant on your right. There are two red lanterns hanging outside. Pass the restaurant until you see the designated parking lot on your right.

Coordinates: 26.3250426874, 127.76954761399998