Family
Pick Up Stories

Pro-Baseball Spring Training 2025 [Family Sports]
Okinawa is the southernmost prefecture in Japan, and that means it’s the warmest place in the country in the wintertime. Because of that, ma...Read More

The special products fair of Toyama pref… [Family Shopping]
OkiEvent! The special products fair of Toyama prefecture will happen at the Miaham boardwalk in Chatan town next weekend! Toyama prefecture ...Read More

Golden Week, Japan’s Mega Holiday [CULTURE Family Festival]
Spring is here. And in Japan that means warmer weather, cherry blossoms, and rainy season. But, before the rainy season takes hold and shrou...Read More

Pets have holiday season, too! [Family]
The holiday season is in full swing, and Coo & Riku, one of the largest and best known pet shop chains in Japan, has launched its Christmas Campaign. Pets and merchandise will ...

Ticks are scourge for pets and humans alike [Family]
Not very many people know that ticks spread various diseases to people besides sucking blood. 12 cases has been reported in Japan for infections from ticks. Ticks sucking blood, an...

Our aim for 2020 – No stray slaughter in Okinawa [Family]
As we had informed you in a previous column, there were a total of 6,604 unclaimed animals (2,501 dogs, 4,103 cats) put to death during the year 2012 in Okinawa, an average of 18 a...

Don’t forget to brush THEIR teeth! [Family]
Pets are usually considered family members in the modern world. But the question that keeps coming back is: Are they, FOR REAL? Seeing is “disbelieving.” Very many pet ...

File sharing and downloading laws in Japan [Family]
By David Higgins If you have been using the Internet since the mid 1990s, then you know that since the inception of the file-sharing company Napster that downloading copyrighted mu...

Pet owners beware of heatstroke! [Family]
Okinawa is a place where the summer season takes up majority of the year unlike mainland Japan where four seasons (spring, summer, fall, winter) are equally present. What pet owner...

Godzilla and friends celebrate at Tomarin exhibition [Family]
By Bill Charles Virtually everyone has encountered Godzilla, Ultraman, Evangelion or Hokuto-no-Ken, and now the company that created them is showing off their works at an Okinawa e...

Obon is largely spiritual experience [Family]
The three-day Obon celebration starts tomorrow, and with the exception of eisa, Obon is mostly concentrated inside homes and in front of home altars. For three days, from Friday th...

Spaying / neutering your pets [Family]
We would like to give you some pieces of advice on spaying and neutering your pet. As far as humans are concerned, spaying and neutering is not quite socially recognized as a good ...

Tips for keeping pets [Family]
We receive many questions from pet owners regarding matters other than treatments, especially those who just have started to own a pet. Because they have very little knowledge abou...

What are your options when facing divorce in Okinawa [Family]
By David Higgins If you and your spouse have irreconcilable differences, you may end up considering a divorce. Fortunately, you don’t have to feel out of place in Okinawa, because ...

Evolving Pet Environment [Family]
Ichiro Gushiken, a veterinarian and the owner of Animal Hospital 22 in Yogi, Okinawa City,will use this column, Pet Talk, to answer questions from pet-loving foreigners who often d...

Pay attention what your pet eats [Family]
Animal Hospital 22 Ichiro Gushiken, a veterinarian and the owner of Animal Hospital 22 in Yogi, Okinawa City,will use this column, Pet Talk, to answer questions from pet-loving for...

Papercraft is traditional way to entertain kids [Family]
Paper craft of various kinds are admired and valued forms of artistic traditions in Japan, the idea being to make objects of paper or cardboard by cutting, folding and joining pap...

Child daycare services on Okinawa [Family]
By David Higgins On Okinawa you have many options for childcare services, but not all childcare services are created equal, and you may be better off exploring your o...

Cat Exhibition showcases 50+ feline breeds [Family]
Ryubo Department Store’s come up with an unusual exhibition to start the new year; the downtown Naha department store is featuring a Cat Exhibition with more than 50 breeds of cats...

Animal Hospital 22 aids in pet adoption [Family]
Ichiro Gushiken, a veterinarian and the owner of Animal Hospital 22 in Yogi, Okinawa City,will use this column, Pet Talk, to answer questions from pet-loving foreigners who often d...

Celebrating 1st birthday is big deal in Okinawa [Family]
By Bill Charles The birth of a child is always special, yet local customs dictate an even more elaborate set of celebrations. In Okinawa, celebrate the first birthday of every chil...

A&W celebrates 50 years in Okinawa! [Family]
A&W was the first American-style hamburger shop chain to enter Okinawa. The brand is best known for its root beer and root beer floats. It was also the first successful food fr...

Getting Married on Okinawa is simple [Family]
For anyone thinking of tying the knot on Okinawa but are not sure how, look no further. Getting married in Japan is a little different than getting married in America. To become le...