Blogs from Okinawa, Japan, Asia - page 5

The eye of the typhoon really is still and silent. Roaring, pounding 65-knot (120km/h) winds just stop. The continuous rain stops and the place goes quiet. Eerie quiet. The dogs eventually find the courage to bark to each other, as people climb into cars or walk quickly to the convenience stores. Colleagues correctly warned me to resist the temptation to venture outside, because this is a short lived quiet before the wind begins again. This is the halfway point, wedged between the strongest winds and heaviest rain, as the typhoon progresses over Okinawa and on towards the mainland. Typhoons are hurricanes and are also cyclones. The name depends on which ocean the winds of 119 km/hour are blowing over. When the wind gusts pass 241 km/hour then the honorific of “super typhoon” is applied. Three or ... read more

Okinawa is an interesting champru (Okinawan language) of cultures. For 450 years it was an independent sea trading state called the Ryukyu Kingdom, with a royal family. I teach a “13th from the throne” princess. In 1879 the Meiji Government annexed Okinawa to Japan, and after WW2 it was under American military rule for 27 years. There is an amazing mix of “much beautiful nature” and bustling American and Japanese culture here. It is home to about 20 American military bases with 30,000 military personelle. It is a Japanese tourist haven, with resorts along much of the west coast. It also has distinctly Okinawan culture, holidays and architecture. In Midori machi, my home town, I ride daily past the Agena Castle Ruins and the Gushikawa Bull Fighting Arena. Friday nights, I go to the American Village ... read more

Okinawa AMICUS International Grade Fours went on a Field Trip to visit Uruma City Fire Brigade on the third Friday of the school year. The trip was part of the Social Studies Curriculum. The six teachers and three classes hopped into the gold and silver school buses (two of a fleet of thirteen) and were delivered to the door. The Fire Station Chief formally greeted us, thank you gifts were presented and then the tour began. The students visited the Emergency Call Centre and the fire fighters day quarters. The children also climbed into the ambulances, fire trucks, and sea recue vehicles. The highlights included putting on the emergency breathing apparatus and watching four lucky individuals being decked out in the fire fighters full kit. A good time was had by all. Two Grade Four Classes ... read more

Okinawa Honto (沖縄本島) is the main island in the 1000km long Ryukyu Islands stretching from southern Japan to Taipei. It is a tiny scrap of subtropical green in a huge vastness of ocean. It is small - one third the size of Kangaroo Island and one sixty-fifth the size of Tasmania, with a population of 1.4 million. The skyline is low jagged mountains floating above calm azure seas, punctuated with industrial chimneys, monster cranes and military paraphernalia. Lawsons, kanji, vending machines and calls of "irashi masu" make it clear that this is part of Japan. The vividly coloured buildings, shisa シーサー (pairs of lion dogs that guard every house), and military presence suggest that it might not be. The influence of the Ryukyu Kingdom (琉球王国), a maritime trading nation from the 14th century, can still be ... read more

I went to a veriety of gardens in okinawa. I love the zen gardens and strolling gardens. i was supprized that you could have a garden without any plants. img=https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTcGFDLoVf3p1ZZXmzX7zD9aLRlHSwG7EQCpN8DVlgYv90TQ9JP... read more