Roast Chicken

If you’re looking for fresh whole or half roast chicken there’s a great little shop close to Camp Foster which just does rotisserie chicken, that’s it! If you exit Camp Foster’s Legion gate then take a right at the crossroads it’s located on the left before the next major intersection. Map at : http://tiny.cc/rotisserie

Bagels

You’re welcome to prove us wrong but the best bagels we’ve found in Okinawa so far, are at Cactus Eatrip on Highway 58. Available to eat in or take out and baked fresh daily with natural yeast, they’re worth the trip.
They’re located close to Camp Foster. Visit or click here for a map:  www.okinawabagel.com

Apple Pie

For fresh whole apple pies, the best choice we’ve found so far are the Jimmy’s chain of supermarkets. The biggest branch in the area is on Highway 58 on the left heading towards Naha after Futenma. Apart from the freshly baked pies, they’ve also got a great variety of imported foods and other baked goods, chicken and salads.

Coffee

Lookout for a full review of this great coffee shop coming soon, but if you’re looking for a selection of over 25 fresh coffee beans then check out Churamame located in Aja, Naha. There’s a map here : http://tiny.cc/churamame

Import Grocery

We mentioned Jimmy’s above which stocks a good range of imported foods you might not find in the commissary. Another good choice is Kiraku Oshiro which is close to the coffee beans shop. They’ve got a large variety of dried goods from all over the world including America and Canada. Great for sweet tooths as they’ve got an entire wall of candy delights! http://tiny.cc/kiraku

Soba

Okinawa soba is something you just have to try if you visit or live here. What makes Okinawa soba different to mainland dishes is that the noodles in Okinawa are made from wheat flour. In mainland Japan, they are normally made from buckwheat, as well as being normally thicker than other noodles as well.

There’s a variety of soba toppings but by far the most common in Okinawa are thick slices of pork, normally quite fatty. That’s topped off with diffferent vegetables, with sliced spring onions and red ginger also very common. Quite often you’ll also find an egg in your bowl.

As we’ve mentioned before in our etiquette guides, slurping is ok! Apart from slurping being easier, it also helps to cool the food and gives you the maximum flavour. Once you’ve eaten all the meat, vegetables and noodles, it’s perfectly acceptable to pick the bowl up and drink the broth that’s left.

Goya Chanpuru

For a long time this dish was found only in Okinawa, but it’s also now reached mainland Japan. Chanpuru in Okinawan means “something mixed” and apart from relating to the dish we’re talking about here, can also refer to the Okinawan culture.

Goya chanpuru normally consists of goya, which if you haven’t heard of it before, is a type of bitter melon as well as egg, tofu and normally pork meat. Due to the high level of consumption of goya in Okinawa it’s thought to be partly responsible for Okinawan longevity. It’s also thought to have a variety of other medicinal benefits including protection against diabetes as well as antiviral and anticancer properties.

If you feel like being adventurous and want to cook goya chanpuru yourself there’s a great video on YouTube that we’ve added to the Totalokinawa TV page that shows you how to make it.(www.totalokinawa.com/tv.php)

Taco rice

Taco rice is one of those dishes that sounds slightly crazy, hot rice with lettuce, until you try it. There are almost as many stories of how it came into being as places selling it. One story describes how a local chef invented the dish by combining tacos, popular amongst the military in Okinawa, with rice back in the ‘60s. Another story is that it was created specifically to attract Americans, by mixing rice popular in Okinawa with ground beef. Whatever the truth, taco rice is definitely a popular Okinawan dish.

Taco rice traditionally combines rice with lettuce, tomatoes, ground beef and cheese. If rice isn’t your thing, then you can often find a taco rice pizza minus the rice. If you’ve never had a pizza with lettuce, then you have to try it at least once as they taste a lot better than they sound!

Drinks – Orion Beer

If you like beer then Japan has some great choices. Okinawa’s local brew is Orion. They’ve been making beer since 1959 switching from at first a German style beer to the American style you can buy today. The best choice is a can or bottle of Orion’s draft beer.

Awamori

Awamori is a rice liquor like sake, but that’s where the similarity stops. Sake is produced by brewing, whereas awamori is produced by distallation, the process originating from Thailand. Most is 60-86 proof and is served with water and ice, though you can get up to 120 proof!

Sweets – Sweet Potato – Imo

Sweet potatoes are common in many cuisines but the Okinawan sweet potato is particularly distinctive because of it’s purple color.

Ice Cream

Okinawa has some brands you will be used to from back home, but for a local choice try Blue Seal. There’s a large shop opposite Camp Foster in Chatan, that apart from the ice cream also has some great food options.
What makes this a must visit, are the Okinawan flavours of ice cream. When we visited they had Okinawan salt cookie as well as shiquasa and of course Okinawan sweet potato!

This month we’ve got some more cut out and keep tips & tricks on how to behave in Japan.

Visiting A Home
The first thing to remember when visiting somebody’s home is to remove your shoes! Normally your host will provide slippers to wear in their house after you’ve removed your shoes at the door.
If your host has a tatami floor, then don’t forget to remove your slippers before stepping onto the tatami. Only bare feet or socks should be worn when walking on the mat.
While we’re talking about slippers, don’t forget to change them when visiting the washroom. There are normally toilet slippers just outside the door which you should use instead.

Bathing
If you’re lucky enough to be invited to someone’s home and want to take a bath, then as usual in Japan there’s a few rules to follow.
First, you should wash your body using the shower outside the bath, then you enter the tub, which in Japan is for soaking only and not washing.
After your relaxing soak, get out of the bath and wash again with soap, making sure none gets into the bath water, then soak once more.Although it may be unlikely being a guest, in Japan it’s customary to re-use the bath water for other members of the household, so you don’t cleanse yourself in the bath water, that’s done before you get in!

Sitting
If you’re dining on a tatami mat then you may have to kneel on the floor. The formal way is called “seiza” and is basically kneeling with your legs behind. Foreigners aren’t normally expected to do this for a long time as it can be uncomfortable.
In more casual situations, men normally sit cross legged and women sit with both legs on one side. These are considered to be the correct casual way to sit for men and women respectively.

Valentine’s day and White day are coming up in February & March.

What’s White Day?
If you’re new to Okinawa or Japan then you will of course heard of Valentine’s day, but what, you may be asking yourself, is White Day?

Traditionally in Japan, Valentine’s day is for women to give gifts to men and White day is when men give gifts to women.

Like most countries though, Valentine’s day has become increasingly commercialised in Japan, and now it’s common for women to be expected to give chocolate to male friends, work colleagues and even female friends in recent years. Like other gift giving times in Japan, chocolate given to friends or work colleagues is usually something of low value, that can easily be reciprocated one month later on White Day by men.

What To Buy
As we mentioned, Valentine’s day is for men in Japan. Chocolate is by far the most common gift. If you’re looking for something special most of the local department stores sell exclusive chocolate sets made by famous chocolatiers or hotels in mainland Japan. If you are feeling truly adventurous then you can grab some cake or chocolate making equipment in most supermarkets and bake the man in your life something special!

When White day come’s around, it’s time for men to reciprocate. If the lady in your life is bored of chocolate then why not visit one of the silver shops in Depot Island, Chatan for some jewelry hand made in Okinawa. Depot Island also has a hand made leather accessories shop and to complete your gift a great wine shop located close to the main entrance.

For the traditional flowers, as it’s not common in Japan to give roses or bouquets for a gift, then we recommend flowerdrop.net that delivers both on and off base and is used to American tastes in flowers.

Where To Go
If you want to take your other half out somewhere special then why not try out these ideas:

On a budget:
Nothing’s more romantic than watching the sun set. If the weather’s good, head out to Cape Zanpa and watch the sun set then enjoy a drink at the Royal Hotel just across the road from the beach. There’s also the Alivila hotel close by with several restaurants & bars and views of the East China Sea.

Splashing out:
Okinawa has no shortage of high end dining experiences for an amazing night out. Why not try Yoshida Asian Fusion, from our December magazine, or alternately the Naha Terrace hotel provides a luxurious dining experience at their restaurant “Fanuan”. For a truly luxurious break you can even stay over! Whatever you do enjoy Valentine’s & White Day!

Continuing from last month, here’s some more etiquette advice for making living in Japan a bit easier!

Eating
In the last issue we showed you some of the do’s and dont’s of chopsticks. Here’s some more help on eating in Japan:
- It’s polite to say “Itadakimasu” before starting to eat. It’s said to express gratitude not only for the preparation of the food but also any living animals that made up the meal.
- Unlike some Asian cultures, it is considered polite to clear your plate in Japan. It’s not polite to pick out certain foods and leave the rest.
- Instead of pouring soy sauce directly onto rice or other food, pour a small amount into the provided dish.
- When dipping sushi into the soy sauce, it’s considered polite to do it sushi side down, to prevent grains of rice falling into the soy sauce.
- You can lift rice and soup bowls to your mouth to avoid spilling food. It’s also acceptable to slurp certain foods such as ramen or soba noodles. However, that’s not an excuse to slurp when in the Italian restaurant as slurping pasta is not normal!

- Lower down the scale on ways to offend is eating or drinking while walking. It’s not a big problem, but some Japanese do consider it impolite to eat while walking or on public transport.
- When you visit a restaurant you’ll often receive a wet paper towel called an oshibori. Don’t wipe your face or neck with the towel as it’s considered rude in the majority of places.
- When using a toothpick you should cover your mouth with one hand.

While on the subject of covering your mouth whatever you do don’t blow your nose at the table especially with a cloth handkerchief! Blowing your nose in public let alone in a restaurant is very rude. However, sniffing to prevent blowing is ok!

Lights, Camera, Action!
Back home you may have spent days if not weeks decorating your house with lights or admiring your neighbour’s handywork. Here in Okinawa you won’t find too many decorated houses, but there’s some great lightshows to entertain the family.
One of the most popular, organised events is the “Christmas Fantasy Show” at Okinawa Zoo Park. This year it’s taking place from Friday 23 December to Wednesday 28 December and includes a laser show, lights everywhere, fireworks and snow. Ticket prices range from 1000-2000 yen. Visit www.xmas-fantasy.com for more information.
If you live further North the Kanucha Resort has a massive display of over 1,000,000 lights from the beginning of November through to February. It’s a great location for a romantic stroll and maybe dinner in one of the restaurants. Call for details as they close to the public over the main christmas holiday.
If you want to combine some shopping with illuminations then check out the Ashibina Outlet Mall near Naha. You can view the lights and get a great deal on your christmas presents at the same time.

Yum…
No christmas celebration would be complete without some festive food. As we discussed last year KFC is often the party food of choice for both Okinawans and Japanese at christmas. If you don’t fancy KFC or have had enough turkey after thanksgiving then the great thing about living in Japan is that because it’s not a national holiday you can dine out on whatever choice of food you prefer. If you love sushi, most of the major supermarkets prepare party platters at this time of year which make a great alternative to the traditional turkey!

End of Year Traditions
The end of the year and the new year that follows are a season for more celebration in Japan than the Western import of Christmas. Traditionally New Year in Japan is the time for family to get together.
If you work for a Japanese company or are out over the festive period, you may be involved in or see “bonenkai” which means “forget the old year parties”. It’s not uncommon during the party season to regularly see groups of totally intoxicated workers out for the night, and in true customary fashion any indiscretions are forgotten at work the next day!

Final Ideas
Why not do something you couldn’t do back home over Christmas? Go diving, walk on the beach or how about reflect on the year at the Peace Memorial Park. Whatever you do have a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Living in Japan can be tough, but learn a few basic rules and life becomes a lot easier! Here’s our rundown of what to do and not to do in Japan.

Bowing
A lot more complicated than it seems, with rules including the depth and direction of the bow. Most Japanese are happy to shake hands with non-Japanese but if you want to get it right, then a semi-formal bow would be about 30 degrees from the waist.

Paying
When in shops or restaurants, if there’s a small tray next to the register then place your money there. It’s a breach of etiquette to hand the money when there’s a tray present.

Wedding Gifts
If invited to a wedding it’s normal to give a gift of money in a special sealed envelope. The amount may depend on the group of people, their status or it may be a set amount. It’s considered inappropriate to give an even amount of notes or to give 40,000 yen as 4 (shi) sound phoentically like death in Japanese.

Eating in Restaurants
There’s a variety of rules associated with dining in Japan. Here’s some of the most important (most relating to Chopsticks!)
- Unlike China it’s considered polite to clear your plate.
- Never rub chopsticks together
- Don’t pass food from chopstick to chopstick
- Don’t stick your chopsticks upright in your rice
- Don’t spear food with one chopstick
- Don’t leave chopsticks in your mouth while doing something else
- Don’t use your chopsticks as toys, putting them up your nose may make a funny photo but it’s not polite!
- Don’t point at people with your chopsticks

As you can see there are a lot of rules relating to restaurants especially chopsticks and this doesn’t cover all of them! Most of the reasons these rules apply is because certain acts such as putting the chopsticks vertically in rice relate to death and funeral traditions. More etiquette in the next issue!

Marriage

If you’re thinking about getting married in Japan, then here’s what you need to know.

Paperwork
Before you can get married in Japan as a foreigner then you need a sworn affadavit of competency to marry. This is normally obtained from your country’s embassy or consulate. If you’re in the military then you need to go through military channels to obtain the certificate.

What’s Legal?
You may think, like back home, you go have the fancy ceremony, then that’s it you’re married. Nope.
The ceremony in Japan, whether you chose a Western or Japanese style occasion means nothing legally.
Until you submit a “Notification of Marriage” at city hall you’re not legally married. So in theory, you could get married in just a few minutes at the city office. Not very romantic though!

Age
The legal age to get married in Japan is 18 years old for men and 16 years old for women, though if you’re under 20 years old you need parental permission. After divorce though, a woman must wait 6 months to re-marry in case she may be pregnant. Though if she happens to be divorcing and re-marrying the same man, then that can be done in the same day! It probably wouldn’t make the city office too happy though!

Japanese & Foreign Marriage
One of the big criticisms about mixed marriage in Japan is that foreigners are not fully recognised on the family register. As it’s such an important document and literally contains the identity of a family it’s come in for increasing attack in recent years for not being reformed. Whether foreign or Japanese, most parents chose to get married due to the father of a child born outside marriage not being legallly recognised.

Am I Legally Married?
Most countries including the US, recognise that a foreign legal and valid marriage, which includes Japan of course, is also valid in the US.

Divorce

In recent years terms like “Narita Divorce” and “Kansai Divorce” have become common with couples going off on honeymoon then divorcing as soon as they get back! Much like marriage, if both parties agree, then divorce can be accomplished quickly by simply filing the paperwork.
However, if one party doesn’t agree then it’s off to adjudication then if that fails, district court. The problem is that even at district court there still has to be an overwhelming reason for divorce to be approved against one person’s wishes.

1. Book A Great Rental Car
Tired of the same old car or want to get the roof down? Why not book a luxury car for a few days? What about a Hummer, Porsche or BMW Z4, you can rent all these great cars right here in Okinawa. There’s plenty of selection and shops close to the airport. “Direx” http://direx-rent.com/okinawa provide amazing rental cars as well as a limousine service.

2. Resort Luxury
Okinawa has too many luxury resorts to mention but there’s something for every budget. Rather than flying off to a resort, save the airfare and in a short drive you’ll be relaxing by the pool.
In the South of the island there’s the Southern Beach Hotel Resort close to Itoman. A new resort hotel with everything  you could want including five interlinked pools. Perfect for sipping cocktails under an umbrella. http://tiny.cc/okisouthern

In the center of the island check out Seaside Hotel The Beach. Perfect for escaping right in the center of Chatan, close to the seawall. The new building has luxurious rooms and there’s a hot tub on the roof with amazing views at affordable prices. http://tiny.cc/seasidebeach

Finally, our top luxury pick is the Busena Terrace near Nago. If you really want to spoil yourself then you’re sure to find it here. Includes amazing rooms, private beach, underwater observatory and several great restaurants. http://tiny.cc/busena

3. Beach & Sightseeing
After you’ve tired of sitting on your private beach at your hotel get away from the more developed center of the island and check out more isolated natural areas of Okinawa. Hamahiga Island is great for some peace and quiet and is also close to Ikei and Miyagi islands. http://tiny.cc/hamahiga
Alternatively why not visit the Motobu area of Okinawa. You can be a tourist at the Churaumi Aquarium and Ocean Expo Park then either drive over the bridge to Sesoko Island or take the 15 minute ferry to Minna-jima island.

4. Eat
No vacation is complete without enjoying food you wouldn’t normally eat at home.
A great way to treat yourself is to check out the lunchtime buffets at most of the resort hotels. Hotels such as the Busena, Marriott and Alivila amongst others offer a taste of luxury at affordable prices at lunch and you don’t need to be a guest!