My Okinawan Mother-in-Law

After nit-picking my wife for more details I was able to jot down a rough outline about a few of 

the things regarding my mother-in-law. I posted it on HubPages with a link here to read it.

Survived the Battle of Okinawa, survived WW2 Japanese military occupation, 
helped to rebuild Okinawa, 1st born child taken from her, dialysis, 
meeting her granddaughter from her missing daughter 
minutes before she passed away.

Halloween in Okinawa

Halloween contest in Okinawa

Taken at American Village located near Naha, Okinawa

From Okinawa With Love

Time flies when you’re having fun. Over two weeks while Mika was visiting her family in Okinawa it has been like a summer camp here. While our two boys were still out of school for the holidays we all slept late, played video games all day long while eating fast foods, microwave foods and assorted junk foods as potato chips, candies and ice cream. Then Mika called saying she was boarding the plane to come home. Party’s over.

To be more honest, we did clean up the house and took care of a few errands such as getting the boys a haircut. Which by the way their hair grows means that I have a couple of months before they need another one. The boys were looking fun for their mother coming home. I rented a car to pick her up at Dulles Airport due to the fact that I didn’t want to use my car.

The way the boys kept asking everyday on when Mommy was coming home, I decided to take them out of school for the day so they could be at the airport with me when she came home. We had a really great time. They played with the Nintendo DS games while I listened to Classic Rock. We drank and ate junk foods while the boys from time to time counted down the miles we had to drive by monitoring the mile markers by the roadway.

Getting to Washington DC was easier this time. Still lots of traffic but this time it was moving at a decent speed. The roadways are amazing. While the roads were jam packed with cars and trucks, the toll roads were nice and empty. And seeing that Washington DC area is technically in the South, nobody really paid any attention to the speed limit signs.  

Once at the airport, the boys had a field day. Free Wi-Fi so they could use their DS’s and a front row seat to watch their mother come out of customs.  That is until an army of other people waiting for their love ones started to stand along the walkway. It looked like a Hollywood premiere with movie stars walking the red carpet as fans loved them on. In this case it was more magical.

When Mika came out of customs I got the boys attention and we quickly met up with her. Our youngest boy didn't waste time in wanting to hug his mother.  Didn't matter she was holding two carry-ons while pulling her suitcase. But I grabbed the suitcase while she held onto her son. Everyone around us just watched them hug as he kept saying ‘I missed you mommy’. Over and over he kept saying this. Finally we had to leave and so our five hour trip began.

One of the biggest things I learned while driving south of 95 highway through Richmond, Virginia was to stay in the far left lane. I came upon an on-ramp where two lanes of traffic was merging into one lane as they exited onto 95 highway and then took the very next exit off of 95 highway along with other cars on 95 highway wanting to exit off that same ramp. Richmond, Virginia is a NASCAR training ground for learning how to avoid accidents and crazy drivers who do not know how to use turn signals when charging over two lanes of traffic.

Two bathroom breaks, a traffic jam and a food stop later and we were finally home again. Mika opened her suitcase and produced lots of candies for the boys and me to eat. The next day we picked up the packages Mika mailed to us more of her personnel belonging from Okinawa plus more Okinawan foods and Go-Buster toys.  I got a t-shirt plus lots of pictures and video’s. But most importantly was that I got my wife back.

Crossing Sign

My wife is still in Okinawa and taking lots of pictures. She shared this one with me. 

How Goya Your Christmas

Goya is Okinawa’s very popular, but very bitter vegetable and a significant ingredient in the Okinawan cuisine. It’s popularly is credited with Okinawan life expectancies being higher than the already long Japanese ones.

Goya has always traveled with claims of ‘healthy’ and ‘promotes longevity’, but now many advocates are saying the cucumber-like melon is good for nearly whatever ails you. It is being used in processed foods, mixed in salads and champura dishes, and is now finding a niche in new food products.

The goya is stated as having three times more vitamin C than lemon fruits, and five times as much as the tomato, and it protects against heat. Advocates claim it even battles fat, providing nutrition while keeping fat from forming. Medical researchers are also discovering the goya reduces blood sugar levels, a boon for diabetics and works in lowering high blood pressure.

Goya’s are expanding to new products such as goya chips, which are not quite so bitter and have a good taste. It's used in the process of making beer as a substitution of the hops. It is even mixed with chocolate as these taste goya sweets are available in many Okinawan supermarkets.

Death In The Family

Kazuko Fukuhara 

Saturday night was a long night for us. My wife’s mother Kazuko, who lives in Okinawa, has been going to the hospital for Dialysis treatment. Recently the Doctor found blood in her stool and urine. In order to fix that problem she would have to stop her dialysis treatment. The Doctor was doing his best but with her age and health, it was only a matter of time.

She slept a lot. Her hearing was starting to go. Family, Doctor and Nurses had to talk real loud so she could hear them. She would barely eat anything. My sister-in-law Sonoko and a few other relatives were constantly by her side.

On Saturday night, our time, she woke up very suddenly. She wanted to talk to my wife Mika and so Sonoko called us from her cell phone. With both phones on speaker mode we were giving words of encouragements to her. Due to Kazuko’s hearing problem my two boys were yelling “I Love You” into the phone. The entire room at the hospital was filled with the sound of two boys cheering up their grandmother.

She was very weak but she acknowledged that she heard us. We said goodbye to Sonoko thinking that Kazuko would rest for the rest of the day. We were wrong. Two minutes later Sonoko called again. Seconds after Sonoko got off the phone with us, Kazuko smiled and passed away on August 18, 2012 11:31 AM Japan Time.  (August 17, 2012 10:31 PM Eastern Standard Time) She was 81 years old.

She lived through the Battle of Okinawa during World War Two. As all forms of records and identification were destroyed in the war, she was mistakenly giving a different date of birth as many forms were quickly being filled out after the war. She remembers Okinawa being transformed from a barren wasteland, due to the war, to having huge metropolitan cities all over the island. 

Mega Long Venomous Snake in Okinawa

The habu was found along a road in an area of Okinawa not far from Camp Hansen. It was apparently alive at the time, but died shortly afterwards. It was 242 cm long (7 feet 11 inches), making it the longest habu ever found in the Okinawa area.

Grows to an average length of 4-5 feet (122-152 cm). With a maximum of 7.5 feet (229 cm), it is the largest member of its genus. Slenderly built and gracefully proportioned with a large head. The tail, however, is not prehensile.

Scalation includes 35 (sometimes 31, 33, 37 or 39) rows of dorsal scales at midbody, 217-239 ventral scales, 72-95 subcaudal scales and 7-10 supralabial scales.[2] The crown is covered with small scales.

The color pattern consists of a light olive of brown ground color overlaid with elongated dark green or brownish blotches. The blotches have yellow edges, sometimes contain yellow spots, and frequently fuse to produce wavy stripes. The belly is whitish with dark coloring along the edges.

Found in Japan in the Ryukyu Islands, including Okinawa and the Amami Islands. The type locality given is "Amakarima Island (one of the Loo-Choo group)" (= Keramashima, Ryukyu Islands).

Common on the larger volcanic islands, but not present on the smaller coral islands. Often reported in the transition zone between palm forest and cultivated fields. Found on rock walls and in old tombs and caves

Terrestrial and mostly nocturnal, it often enters homes and other structures in search of rats and mice. Bold and irritable, it can strike quickly and has a long reach.

Oviparous, it is one of the few pitvipers that lays eggs. Mating takes place in early spring and up to 18 eggs are laid in mid-summer. The hatchlings, which emerge after an incubation period of 5-6 weeks, are 10 inches (25 cm) in length and look the same as the adults.

To reduce the population on the island of Okinawa, the small Indian mongoose, Herpestes javanicus, was introduced in 1910. Although the effects of this introduction have not been studied, in other such cases the negative effects on species of native birds, mammals, and herpetofauna have been a source of concern for wildlife managers.

The incidence of snakebite in the Amami Islands is 2 per 1,000 people, which is very high. The venom of this species is of high toxicity, yet the fatality rate is only 3%. If a bite victim receives medical care promptly, bites are not life-threatening. However, 6-8% do suffer permanent disability.

On the island of Okinawa, this species is heavily collected, primarily for use in habu sake. Actually not sake, but a stronger liquor called awamori, it is alleged to have medicinal properties. The production includes the snakes in the fermentation process and it is sold in bottles that may or may not contain the body of a snake.

Okinawan Gekijoban Tempest Movie

Original article here or here

Yukie Nakama

“Gekijoban Tempest 3D” is scheduled to open in theaters on January 28, 2012


The NHK historical drama “Tempest” is going to get a 3-D movie in theaters next year. Nakama Yukie will remain in the starring role, along with fellow cast members such as Tanihara Shosuke, Tsukamoto Takashi, Takaoka Saki, GACKT, and Okuda Eiji. Amuro Namie’s song “Tempest” will be the theme song.

The Tempest, based on a 2008 best-seller novel with the same title authored by Ikegami Eiichi. The Tempest sets in the period towards the end of Ryukyu Kingdom dynasty (a kingdom that ruled most Okinawa islands from the 15th to 19th century). Nakama Yukie will be playing the leading character, Mazuru, a common young girl in the kingdom who feels unfairness treatment towards women. She feel it is unfair that woman cannot complete their study. 

Gackt

And so, taking advantage of the disappearance of her step brother, she disguises as man named Son Neion, and passed the exam to be the royal govenrment's official. Yamamoto Koji will be playing the role of Mazuru's love interest, whom Mazuru will have a forbidden romance with. Namase Katsuhisa will be playing the role of Son Neion's enemy in the royal palace. The drama series currently airs on NHK BS-Premium and will end on September 18. The movie is reported to be a two-and-a-half-hour edit of the drama series, with no plans for new footage to be shot. 

Son of SPAM

My son is an Okinawan.

His mother is an Okinawan. His father, that’s me, is an American with my lineage going back to Scottish, Irish and Portuguese descent. But with our oldest son, he has clearly shown his connection to his Okinawan (Ryukyu) heritage.

A little back story. After WW2 there was no food for the Okinawans to eat mainly because the entire islands had been destroyed by Americans and Japanese forces. All food supplies coming into Okinawa were from the American side. Being wartime, the Okinawans were eating the same foods that the American military were eating. And the meat was Spam. And now more SPAM is sold more in Okinawa than probable anywhere else in the world. It’s the main food dish after pork and fish.

And my son has taken to eating Spam like it was a gift from God himself. Just tell him that he’ll be eating Spam for dinner, his eyes get all big as a huge smile covers his face as he squeals in excitement. He even love eating Okinawan noodles rather than the Japanese style noodle. Luckily the only Japanese store in the Raleigh, North Carolina area is operated by an Okinawan family that makes sure that many Okinawan foods are sold there.

He also loves practicing Karate on his little brother which is a martial art that was developed in Okinawa. If he’s not drop kicking his brother or trying to break boards they are both sword fighting with their replica swords.  He loves talking about going to Okinawa to enjoy the beaches and seeing his much older female cousins. In time after saving up for the trip, as with winning the lottery, we may be able to afford to take the whole family to Okinawa for a family reunion. Until then we keep sending and receiving care packages from home.

Until then we’ll keep buying Spam in large bulk quantity.

Proud Okinawan

Okinawan Lunar Eclipse

In this photo taken by Kenji Tabata, the moon turns red during a total lunar eclipse as seen from Naha, Okinawa early Thursday, June 16, 2011. The total lunar eclipse was also visible in most parts of Asia but the Okinawan people were truly blessed to witness the full effect of the lunar eclipse.

Taco Raisu

I had an Okinawan dish “taco raisu” last tonight. It was as I expected. If you have a craving for this dish, I offer the following original recipe for a reasonable facsimile:

• Go to your closest Taco Bell and order a Taco Supreme
• Take it home and prepare a plate of cooked white rice
• Scrape the fillings out of the Taco Supreme and onto the bed of rice
• Throw the taco shell away
• Add salsa and hot sauce to taste
• Enjoy 

Home Sweet Home

The location of this image is in Naha City, Okinawa.The apartment circled in red is located in Yamashita-cho. Located a couple of minutes from the main airport and walking distance to the famous Tree House restaurant. Of all the many places I have been too around the world, this is by far my favorite place. From the balcony on the 4^th floor apartment I could easily see a baseball game. There use to be a convenient store on the ground floor when I was last there, back in 1999, which was great for I didn’t have to go far to do grocery shopping. The elevator opened right next to the store leaving me to do my major grocery shopping time to within 15 minutes. Perfect during the 7th inning stretch.

Christmas Message to Family

This is for our family back home in Okinawa.

A few Okinawan pictures

It has been a while sense we have been back to visit my wifes birth place of Okinawa (Ryukyu). So I looked through a few web sites and collected several pictures of Naha and the surrounding areas. A special thanks to all the web sites I visited.

Super Bowl in Japan

Super Monday much like Super Sunday in States

Despite time difference, lack of commercials, Super Bowl still a big event in
By Dave Ornauer, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Saturday, January 31, 2009

KADENA AIR BASE, Okinawa — Folks new to being stationed overseas will notice two major differences when they view the Super Bowl on Monday.

For one, AFN’s Super Bowl telecasts come without commercials — considered a staple and a major attraction for the game’s TV viewers.

"Each year [we] get asked by our audience to include the stateside commercials" in Super Bowl telecasts, AFN affiliate relations chief Larry Sichter said.

But AFN acquires rights to events such as the Super Bowl at no cost, and producers and talent forgo their residuals, simply because AFN is not a commercial network, Sichter said.

"This is a long-standing tradition and the future of AFN is directly related to its ability to honor" its agreements with broadcast rights holders not to air commercials, he said.

Super Bowl commercials aren’t licensed for overseas distribution, Sichter said. "However, all the commercials … are always available immediately after the game on many Internet sites" such as YouTube.

As a DOD instrumentality, AFN uses the commercial breaks to broadcast "command and international information from and for the commanders and commands downrange," Sichter said.

Because the Super Bowl is AFN’s biggest draw, "it’s a perfect place to schedule the messages our audience has come to rely on," he said.

The other notable change for folks watching overseas is the time difference — 8:20 a.m. kickoff Monday, nominally a duty day, in Japan and South Korea, with bacon, eggs and java serving as suitable substitutes for ribs, brats and beer.

Because of the game’s stature in the States, even on a Monday, allowances are made by commands and duty sections to allow GIs and civilians to watch. Off time varies from command to command — some troops get the day off, others a half-day.

"It’s become an American tradition," said Maj. John S. Hutcheson, public affairs officer for Kadena’s 18th Wing, which has given its personnel Monday morning off to watch the game.

"Just because folks are a long way from home, we still want them to take part in that tradition and have fun doing it," he said.

There’s no shortage of venues to see the game and enjoy a filling breakfast. Morale, Welfare and Recreation components do their part to provide the feel of a sports bar in Peoria, Ill., or a tailgate party in Green Bay, Wis.

Clubs and community centers generally give GIs, civilians and families much more than the game on a wide-screen TV.

Lavish buffets — some free, others at nominal prices — will be available, as will contests with prizes ranging from jerseys to free air passage and tickets to the NFL Pro Bowl on Feb. 8 in Honolulu.

Minnesota Vikings and San Diego Chargers cheerleaders will perform at some of the parties. It’s the sixth year NFL cheerleaders have visited to the Pacific; before that, retired NFL stars made the trip.