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The tomb of Shō Hashi, Sho Chu and Sho Shitatsu, three of the kings of the First Sho Dynasty I’ve been interested in tombs recently. This might sound a bit dark, but if you h ave ever visited Okinawa you will know that tombs are everywhere. Just on my morning drive to drop off my kids at school I see at least 10 separate tombs, including one of a former king, along with a sign advertising buying land for your family tomb. They are part of the landscape and culture and, in

A statue of John Manjiro at the John Manjiro Landing Place Monument in Itoman City, Okinawa I was first introduced to the historical figure John Manjiro through a presentation by a student nearly 20 years ago. Who knows why certain people and places remain in your mind? I honestly can’t tell you what any of the other students presented on that day or why he made such an impression. Perhaps it was because he was an unintentional immigrant and I could see parts of my own immig

Both of my children attend a local preschool (保育園, hoikuen) and overall, I am very pleased with the school and thankful for the service. The teachers are kind and truly seem to enjoy children. All the teachers know my children’s names and greet them at the door daily. The kids are presented with a day full of fun and stimulating activities and a well-balanced lunch, which apparently must also taste great, as my two get seconds every day. We are in a government approved presch

I try to read as much about Okinawa as possible, and while at the local library researching the history of goat fights, I came across the book A Daughter of Uminchu (ウミンチュの娘) by Tsuneko Imai, which I had never seen before. Originally written in Japanese in 2011, it was later translated into English and released in English in 2021. Most of my reading about Okinawa centers on the history, archelogy and culture of Okinawa, which, in all honesty, can be rather dry at times, so th

We were recently featured as a hidden gem for unique cultural experiences and local adventures in Japan on JapanKart's blog. You can...

While While watching the evening news a couple of Fridays ago, they had a segment about activities to do during the weekend. One of the...