Nature & Environment
Pick Up Stories
Yohena’s Ajisai-en, The Hydrangea Garden… [Nature & Environment]
As spring moves toward summer, the floral landscape of northern Okinawa is taking on new colors as hydrangea flowers, or ajisai’s in Japanes...Read More
International Orchid Show opens Nov. 12 … [Nature & Environment]
Orchids are one of the largest families of flowering plants with some 28,000 different species. They are also widely admired for their beaut...Read More
"Tankan" is taste of Okinawan winter [Nature & Environment]
“Tankan” is an Okinawan tangerines. They’re relatively small, and their orange-colored skin looks a bit rough and hard to peel o...Read More
2015.12.28
Okinawa to welcome first sunrise of 2016 at 7:17 a.m. [Nature & Environment]
Hatsumode on the New Year is a very popular custom with strong ties to Japan’s Buddhist and Shinto traditions, but since ancient times, the first sunrise of the year has had a spec...
2015.11.24
Ginoza Strawberry Farm offers strawberry potting experience [Nature & Environment]
Ginoza Strawberry Farm is known for its strawberry picking event that takes place from March through early May, but now the farm has started offering a novelty variation of the ser...
Rare beetle from Yambaru added to endangered list [Nature & Environment]
IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, announced Nov. 19th the new ‘Red List’ of threatened species. The Yanbaru long-armed scarab beetle (...
2015.09.17
How magical are Japanese mushrooms? [Nature & Environment]
By David Higgins Mushrooms have been an integral ingredient in Asian cuisine, particularly Japanese, and traditional Asian medicine for thousands of years. Shiitake mushrooms (lent...
2015.09.17
World’s largest volunteer beach cleanup and Okinawa’s 22nd Ryukyu Cleanup Challenge begins [Nature & Environment]
By E. Heinrich-Sanchez NPO Okinawa O.C.E.A.N. and volunteers in Okinawa join hundreds of thousands of people around world for the 30th annual International Coastal Cleanup. Go to S...
2015.08.21
Prefectural Museum hosts exhibit of stuffed mammals and skeletons [Nature & Environment]
A large collection of stuffed animals and animal skeletons is currently on display at the Okinawa Prefectural Museum. The collection, known as the Yoshimoto collection, consists of...
2015.08.10
How to prepare for typhoon – Okinawan style [Nature & Environment]
By David Higgins If you have lived on Okinawa for at least a year, then you have probably experienced living through a typhoon. In Japan, typhoons can occur anytime between Jun. 1s...
2015 Ryukyu Islands Coastal Cleanup: World O.C.E.A.N.’s 15 Clean Beach Challenge [Nature & Environment]
By E. Heinrich-Sanchez It’s time to start planning for the September-November coastal cleanup season part of the I Love Okinawa Campaign®. The main event is around the corner with ...
2015.07.10
“Weekend Dive & Boating Forecast” Continues! [Nature & Environment]
By E. Heinrich-Sanchez Motivated by this simple reason, “Try to keep just one person from making a dreadful mistake.” Yesterday we were saying goodbye to Ed, wondering ...
2015.06.18
Pope Francis takes lead in fight for sustainability [Nature & Environment]
By E. Heinrich-Sanchez From the Midwest International Energy Symposium in Iowa (Oct.2014) http://midwestenergy.wix.com/mwenergysymposium#!keynote/ to the Vatican and the Asia-Pacif...
2015.06.07
Cape Maeda is most popular diving spot on Okinawa [Nature & Environment]
By Jun Ikemura With the arrival of summer, scuba diving is moving to the forefront of the most popular activity on Okinawa. Scuba diving is more than popular, to say the least. Bec...
Coral spawn off Sesoko [Nature & Environment]
According to reports by local residents, coral has been observed spawning in the ocean areas off Sesoko Island in Motobu. The spawning turned the ocean pink over the night between ...
2015.06.01
Upcoming typhoon season may be more intense [Nature & Environment]
By Bill Charles After a couple deadly typhoon seasons, weather forecasters are bracing for an even more active time ahead. The weather prognosticators across the Pacific are concer...
2015.06.01
Sueyoshi Park is best place to observe fireflies [Nature & Environment]
By Tony Nakamoto When I was a child, fireflies were everywhere. I chased after blinking yellow lights in the evenings trying to catch one, but I rarely made it since I was too smal...
2015.05.21
Hydrangea beauty charms at Ajisai-en [Nature & Environment]
There are more than 9,000 hydrangea blooming at Ajisai-en, and most are the handiwork of an elderly Okinawan woman who’s been tending the gardens for nearly four decades. Motobu ha...
2015.05.20
Ocean conservation is more important than ever [Nature & Environment]
By E. Heinrich-Sanchez Our world oceans have a chance to recover resilience if we allow it. Every part of the ocean needs our protection. Present development plans on Okinawa, whic...
2015.04.15
Ishikawa-dake offers surprising challenge to trekkers [Nature & Environment]
Tony Nakamoto In Okinawa, there are no high mountains. This might make you feel bored on weekends if you’re a mountain lover, but it doesn’t mean we have no mountains w...
2015.04.05
Residents’ Forest is enchanting site to relax [Nature & Environment]
It’s been around for years and years in the hilly country near Onna Village on Okinawa’s northwest coast, and the Residents’ Forest is a site where people can commune with nature, ...
Turtle exports from Ishigaki to be banned [Nature & Environment]
According to officials at the Ministry of Environment, a large number of Yaeyama Ishigame (Mauremys mutica kami) or Asian brown pond turtles, which is an endemic and rare turtle sp...
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