At a Christmas party held at Camp Schwab in 2019, a tall blue-eyed gentleman greeted the guests from the neighboring communities in fluent Japanese. His Japanese was so good that he needed no...
Ah! The aroma of fresh coffee in the early morning forest air. The first slow sip before my friends wake up. I take a deep breath while surveying our campsite surroundings – the trees, river and rolling hills. Nothing beats camping!
With the 2016 release of Mel Gibson’s Academy Award nominated “Hacksaw Ridge,” there has been increased interest in the Okinawa site where the movie takes place.
Kin Town, the host municipality of Camp Hansen, is sometimes talked about in the past tense. It is true that the town’s prosperity as a “military town” peaked in the 60s and 70s, during the time of the Vietnam War. Now, the shine of the town may no longer be what it once was.
You may not believe this, but I once saw a habu beat a mongoose in a cross-species duel when I was a kid. Back then, the death match between the venomous snake found on Okinawa and surrounding islands and the predator from India, was a famous attraction at Gyokusendo Park, now known as Okinawa World.
Nothing says fast food in the south of Japan like “tako-raisu!” And 2021 marks the 37th birthday of this signature Okinawan dish, according to local lore.
Although Torii Station may not stand out when comes to its size and the number of servicemembers it hosts, the small Army base is home to a beachside recreational area that will leave a big smile on your face: Torii Beach.
North, or south? That's the sort of question that can best be answered by the flip of a coin when you're considering a weekend road trip to explore Okinawa.
U.S. Marines with 3rd Landing Support Battalion, attach a Humvee to a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron (HMH) 465 during hoist operation training on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, March 17, 2021.
One of the great joys of living in Japan is experiencing the wide range of traditional Japanese pickles, or tsukemono, that are served with every meal.
If you head out on Route 330 near Camp Foster, the sight of chickens rotating in the orange glow of Bueno Chicken’s storefront may have already drawn you like a moth to a flame.
Unlike in South Korea or Bhutan, winter in Okinawa doesn’t take a lot of spicy hot-pot-type dishes to get through. That may be one reason why the subtropical island didn’t offer many spicy foods in the past.
Philip Troussier, the French coach who led Japan in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, blamed the weakness of young Japanese soccer players on convenience stores.
Since the arrival of COVID-19, we’ve had to change a lot of our usual pastimes and activities. Dining at restaurants in is not really a good option right now.
Turmeric, or “ukon” in Japanese, is a kind of ginger, known as a spice for Indian curry, and in Japan, it is mostly recognized as a food that can help avoid hangover.
