LIFE
Pick Up Stories

Why don’t you try a special éclair that … [Gourmet Shopping]
It has been a long super-hot Okinawa summer and it looks like it will continue a while longer. So much so that it might make you feel exhaus...Read More

OkiEvents this Week!! [ENTERTAINMENT Family Festival]
・9/8 – 9/10 All Okinawa Eisa Festival @ Okinawa city (9/8: Goya crossing, 9/9&9/10: Koza Athletic Field) For more information: htt...Read More

Awamori "Ku-su" Day [CURRENT ISSUE LIFE]
September 4th is the “Ku-su Day”, with September = ‘9’ which is pronounced ‘kyu’ or ‘ku’ in Japanese, and ‘4’ being pronounced ‘...Read More

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...

Frenchwoman hosting first Okinawa photo exhibition [Living]
A French woman who’s long been in Japan studying martial arts and Buddhism is bringing her hobby passion to light in Yomitan for ten days, exhibiting her photographic talents. Evel...
University of Ryukyus to add three new courses of study [Education]
Hajime Oshiro, the president of the University of the Ryukyus held a press conference, May 27th to announce that the university is planning to launch three new academic disciplines...

Hiyashi Somen – Chilled somen [Cooking Recipe]
So now we’re in the middle of rainy season and after this, hot and humid summer is waiting for us. Somen are very thin Japanese noodles and this is one of the most popular dish dur...

June 1st is day dedicated to Okinawa’s Kariyushi Wear [Living]
Monday’s Kariyushi Day, and promoters of Kariyushi wear are organizing a unique event at the open space ‘Kenmin Hiroba’ in front of the Okinawa Prefectural Government Building in N...

Local markets set to revitalize old Yonabaru Town [Shopping]
Champuru Ichi & Keibin Ichi have their sights set on drawing attention to old Yonabaru Town with a pair of simultaneous market events. Yonabaru Town, the smallest town on the i...

Japanese mayonnaise is good on everything [Gourmet]
By David Higgins Growing up in North America, Mayonnaise was not something I relished and craved but definitely was a third tier specialty for sandwiches, losing out only to the be...

OIST hosting Kitagama pottery exhibition [Living]
Kitagama x OIST ~ Tradition and Science is the theme of a pottery exhibition is now running at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology. The pottery exhibition features pott...

Karabezi is Yaese Trademark [Living]
Karabezi is the Japanese name for colorful vegetables, and the word is on the lips of virtually everyone in Yaese Town, a producer of various kinds of agricultural products like ve...

Yagiya serves soba in historic cultural setting [Gourmet]
Yagiya is an old folk house Okinawa Soba restaurant so important to the island’s history that it is registered as a national cultural property. The honor came in November 2011 in O...

Yumekoubou cakes are based on very special miso [Gourmet]
Youko Henna learned her craft from her mother, and that the best way to have happy customers in her shop is to serve delicious and healthy products made with local ingredients. Tha...

Kyurino Tsukemono – Cucumber with spicy vinegar [Cooking Recipe]
When you order a set meal at Japanese restaurants, you often find this kind of small dish. We call these pickled dishes sunomono and also hashiyasume. Hashiyasume means “a dish to ...

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...

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...
Lester Middle School scores big in science competition [Education]
Lester Middle School eighth-grade student Chris Elliott’s essay “Reducing Heat-Related Illnesses” has earned runner-up national honors for the junior division in the 2015 DuPont Ch...

Sakura Komachi features 40,000+ products [Shopping]
A Japanese Modern Souvenir Shop is now open in AEON Mall Okinawa Rycom, offering customers a wide range of Japanese Kawaii selections. Sakura Komachi boasts the best selections on ...

Beniimo Mushian – Steamed purple sweet potato bun [Cooking Recipe]
This is a cute and quick snack for everyone. I make this sweet more often than bake muffins because it is quicker to cook and leaves less equipment to wash up. You can make this wi...

Zazen gives new perspective on meditation [Living]
By Tony Nakamoto In these hectic days, people are really busy. Work, family, friends and even your smart phone keep on calling, and all that make it hard to listen to the voice dee...

Cowboy Family restaurants are on frontline of U.S. Angus beef [Gourmet]
Steak lovers on Okinawa have a new place to go for a juicy piece of beef; Cowboy Family has arrived in Okinawa from Royal Holdings on the Japanese mainland. Cowboy Family, which al...
Ryudai, Meio and University of Hawaii sign consortium agreement [Education]
The University of the Ryukyus, Meio Universit of Nago and the University of Hawaii concluded a consortium agreement at the Hawaii State Government Office on May 13th. According to ...