LIFE
Pick Up Stories
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
Special Money Collection from all of the… [Family Living]
OkiEvent! The exhibition of the Special Money Collection all of the world! @ Ginowan city museum. You can watch and enjoy very rare and spec...Read More
Pro-Baseball Spring Training 2024 [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
C-1 Gourmet Battle and Aloha Chatan fill American Village weekend [Gourmet]
The C-1 Chatan Gourmet Battle is already an annual tradition that pits about 20 local restaurants from Chatan against each other to compete for the bragging rights as the best in t...
Kinoko no butter shoyu itame – Mushrooms with butter and soy sauce [Cooking Recipe]
Butter and soy sauce?! Does this sound crazy to you? Well, it might, but it tastes great. You know Japanese cooking uses many different kinds of mushrooms, such as エリンギeringi, 椎茸sh...
Kimonomino-ichi is place to buy kimono at bargain price [Shopping]
A kimono shop in Aragusuku, Ginowan City, called Kimonobana, specializes in antique and second-hand kimonos and kimono-related accessories. The shop stages a popular occasional sal...
OIST Open Campus invites public to learn of aspects of science [Education]
The Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology is the crown jewel of education in Okinawa, and once a year the school throws its doors open to invite the public to come and see wh...
Living large in Japan [Living]
By David Higgins Although life in Okinawa has been pretty convenient, there is one experience that has become a bit of an annoyance over the years, and that is trying to find cloth...
Japanese energy drinks give you pocket-size boost on spot [Living]
By David Higgins Have you ever experienced that sluggish feeling around 3 p.m. at the office when your eyelids and head become so heavy that you are tempted to curl up under the de...
Shigira Resort has it all in one location [Living]
By far the largest resort complex in Okinawa Prefecture is located on Miyako Island, about a 45-minute flight southwest from Naha, or a three-hour flight from Tokyo. With its first...
Kabocha mochi – Pumpkin Rice Cake [Cooking Recipe]
Mochi is basically a rice cake, which is made using sticky rice. My participants often ask me if the rice I use for daily cooking is sticky rice. For Japanese people, we just use n...
One-year-old Noa needs new heart, fundraising effort is on [Family]
One-year-old girl, Noa Onaga suffers from severe dilated cardiomyopathy, which was diagnosed when she was just 15 days old and still in a hospital in Kumamoto, which is her mother’...
Tougan to buta no nimono – Stewed winter melon and pork [Cooking Recipe]
Here is another recipe with winter melon. Winter melon itself doesn’t have a strong flavour but as you cook it with soy sauce and mirin (sweet sake), winter melon becomes really te...
Alcohol – friend and foe [Health & Beauty]
By David Higgins Alcohol is one of the sneakiest, slipperiest slopes of addictions that has ever crept up on me. It is with a sigh of relief that I can honestly say I was able to s...
Art Aquarium exhibition in Ryubo shows plenty of “Wa” [Living]
A fantasy aquarium art exhibition is currently being held on the 6th floor of Palette Kumoji Ryubo department store in Naha. The exhibition is scheduled to run through Nov. 15th. T...
Treasures await at Yomitan Yachimun Pottery Market [Shopping]
For the 10th year pottery and glass artisans from the Yomitan area gather their wares on display and for sale at the annual Yomitan Yachimun Pottery Market this weekend at Gala Aoi...
Somen champuru – Fried somen noodles [Cooking Recipe]
Somen are a thin, white wheat noodles and very in Okinawa. In mainland Japan, people eat somen noodles with a dipping sauce but in Okinawa, it’s more common to make fried noodles o...
Okinawa Satsang 2015 invites people interested in yoga and meditation [Health & Beauty]
Okinawa is famous for being an island with strong spiritual aura and strong connections to its great nature. That is a natural reason for organizers of the biggest yoga event in th...
Ultimate kimono bargain sale presented by Takikawa Kimono [Shopping]
Kimono is a Japanese icon that is admired by people the world over for its beauty and elegance. However, buying a new one is an expensive proposition. However, there’s an inexpensi...
E. coli O121 infection outbreak identified in Naha [Health & Beauty]
The Okinawa Prefectural Health and Longevity Division announced on Oct. 2nd an outbreak of a group infection caused by enterohemorrhagic escherichia coli O121 bacteria at an offici...
Tonyu kanten – Soymilk kanten [Cooking Recipe]
Have you heard of or used Kanten? Kanten is a natural vegetable gelatine and approximately 80% of it is fiber. Compared to gelatine, kanten is set firmly and it’s suitable for vege...
Short history of drug called ‘Spice’ [Health & Beauty]
By David Higgins In the USA and Japan, there has recently been a crackdown on a drug called ‘Spice’ or ‘K2.’ This innocuous sounding substance is actually a desig...
Japan Update introduces smart phone browsing option [Technology]
Now it’s easier than ever to keep up with the news about Okinawa, as Japan Update web page has been powered up and optimized for smart phones and tablets. Current Okinawa news, art...