Things We See Often in Okinawa

As many of you know, Russ and I (and the kids) spent three years in Iwakuni, Japan (on the mainland) in the early 90's. We vacationed in Okinawa once and even then noticed quite a few differences between the mainland and Okinawa. Okinawa became a US territory after WWII but was returned to Japan in 1972. There are at least 12 or more US bases located here and the US has been a strong influence here since the war. Because of the number of Americans located here, we've found Okinawa to be more Americanized than mainland Japan. Okinawans like to think of themselves as separate from the mainland Japanese. They have their own language and many customs that are different.

We've almost been here for six months now and I've found that the more I drive around the island that there are things that I see just about everywhere. Many of these are unique to Okinawa and some were also common on the mainland. So here are a few items I've been photographing for the blog because they are very much a part of Okinawa.

SHISA DOGS - You can't go very far in Okinawa without being greeted by Shisa dogs. We see them placed on rooftops and at entrances to stores, offices, parks and homes. They are believed to protect them  from the evil spirits. Shisa usually come in pairs - one with their mouth open to ward off evil spirits and one with a closed mouth to keep the good spirits in. Everywhere we go we meet a new set of Shisa making their meanest ugly face.   Russ gave me a small set of Shisas for Christmas. I'm not usually one to criticize a gift but when I opened them I reacted before I even had time to think.  I wrinkled my nose and said. "I really dislike Shisa dogs. They're so ugly". He laughed and said, "but you're always taking pictures of them". I shook my head and said that's just for the blog not because I love them. So I now have shisa dogs which magically appeared on Russ's shelf in the new apartment because they didn't really fit with my decor. I'm trying to make sure he's safe from all those evil spirits hiding out there.  I've been hoping that someone will kidnap them but so far they are warding off those evil kidnapping spirits so I guess they are doing their job. I was a little worried when we moved to the new apartment because in Ishikawa they have Shisa Dogs about every ten feet on the sidewalks. I told Russ there must be a lot of evil spirits in Ishikawa for them to have that many Shisa along the sidewalks. So far we haven't met any yet so I think we'll be ok. Here's a few pictures of Shisa's from around the nearby towns. You can read more about them here.

This hotel isn't taking any chances of bad spirits
coming their way.

My Shisa Dogs that arrived at Christmastime

VENDING MACHINES are a big business in Japan. I'm not sure who is employed to keep them all filled but whoever it is has their work cut out for them. On just about every street corner, even in the more remote areas you will always find vending machines. There are probably 30 or more varieties of beverages to choose from in each one. You will usually find cokes, teas, coffees, fruit drinks/juices, mineral waters plain and carbonated in just about every one. If you've got yen in your pocket for drinks, you never have to worry about being dehydrated. I don't worry about carrying a water with me when I go walking because I can always find a vending machine to buy it from cold whenever I need it. Many areas also have ice cream vending machines if you need a little something to cool down with and cigarette machines are also very common for the many smokers on the island.

BLUE SEAL ICE CREAM - Blue Seal Ice Cream had it's beginnings in Okinawa in 1948 when a factory called Foremost Ltd was started on one of the military bases after the war. In 1963, Blue Seal moved out of the base and to it's new home in Urasoe City, Maki Port. It's name was changed to Blue Seal in 1976 and has become one of the most loved ice cream places on the island. Russ and I had our first taste of Blue Seal this winter and loved it. One of my favorites is Foremost Chocolate. It's a deep dark chocolate ice cream with a rich and creamy taste and it's coconut ice cream is a close second for me. I love the atmosphere of the restaurants. It's decorated like a 60's diner. Gives us a little feel of America in the middle of Okinawa. Since our first visit to Blue Seal we've seen many branches of the ice cream shop all over the island. You can read more about Blue Seal Ice Cream here . Here's a few pictures from our visits there.

That's Foremost Chocolate in the right corner.

Me and my Foremost Chocolate

Love the 60's diner decor

FAMILY MARTS AND LAWSONS STATIONS - On just about every corner in Okinawa you will find either a Family Mart or Lawsons Station store. They are very similar to our 7/11 stores. They offer your basic groceries and snacks for the students after school and travelers needing a quick bite to eat. I grew up with Lawson's stores in my hometown (same logo) but they had long since closed them all. I remember stopping many times at our local Lawsons stores after school for snacks as we walked home from school so it's kind of comforting for me to see them still going strong here. After looking it up on Wikipedia I found that Lawson's opened its first store in Japan in 1974 and it now has more than 12,276 Lawsons stores throughout the country of Japan. Mitsubishi is its parent company since it is it's largest shareholder. Family Mart began in Taiwan in 1973 and made its way to Japan as well. It now has over 11,328 throughout the country. In the main towns you will literally see either a Family Mart or Lawson's store about every 2-3 miles. They both seem to be popular stops for the school kids as they walk home from school.

DAISO & 100 YEN STORES - Daiso is a popular 100 yen store here on the islands. You will find one in just about every neighborhood. They all carry similar items but each one has things you won't find at other Daiso stores so it's fun to stop at each one and see what they have that is different. It's one of my favorite places to go for washi tape (a popular scrapbooking embellishment). It's basically a sheer, decorative masking tape. They also carry useful things like batteries and kitchen items and decorative items. Everything in the store is 100 yen + tax. (less than a dollar).  Some of the other stores also have sections in their stores that they call their 100 yen areas. It's always fun to see what you can find when perusing some of these stores. There are usually several items I question "this is only 100 yen?" and somehow think they will charge more when I get to the register but I'm always pleasantly surprised when they just count the number of items I have (big or small) and multiply it times 100 yen.

BANYAN TREES - These trees caught my eye the first few days we were here and I've been fascinated with them ever since. They are huge and have such elaborate root systems on them. Each one is a little different but for me they seem like they would be great trees to have a reading chair under in the summertime. I can also picture my son climbing in these trees. It comes from the fig family and in most Asian countries it is considered to be a sacred tree. You can read more about them here . I love seeing them all over the island and it is probably my favorite tree here. Here's a few pictures of some on base.

HAPPINESS ABOUNDS IN OKINAWA - Another thing I've noticed since arriving here is that "Happiness" is found everywhere so I started taking pictures of all the many "happy things" I've found so far.

You can rent happiness and choose to live here.

You can fill your house with happiness furniture

Write about your day in your happy journal

Or tell your super happy diary your deepest
thoughts.

The bags from the Happiness store were
personalized for me...Happiness & D?

Do your laundry at the Good Smile laundry mat

You can put on a "happy deo" body sheet

Shop for Happy Goods at this store

Drive around town in a Joypop mini-van

Bring Joy to your dog at the Wagging Tail

I got my hair done at the Joy Beauty Salon

You can buy a new purse at the
Happiness Store (which I did)

Make your face feel younger with
Pure Smile face masks (I enjoyed mine)

There are so many many ways to find happiness in Okinawa. I'm so "happy" I get to live here for awhile and experience all this joy. Come and visit us and you, too, can find happiness in Okinawa.