I see this almost daily here. Someone will hold traffic at 10 to sometimes 20 under the speed limit, but that same slow driver will go through the red light without a care in the world. It’s like there’s a 4 second rule for the red lights here. /endrant

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some of these photos were taken on a Canon rebel 2000 35mm film forgot the lens name will update when I find it

hi
i want to ask how is living in Okinawa when you’re not american and not in military?
How is the work situation? I’ve seen the portals where places that are english friendly post recruitments, but i want to ask how it actually looks like.
Basically I would be starting from zero

i live near this part of the ocean , and just want to make sure it’s safe ? Do any of yall have any recommendations like don’t swim in this part of the ocean during certain months due to whatever , or it’s known for rough sea conditions ? Also if any of yall have any good spots to swim here let me know ! Thank you . 🙏

Coming to live in Okinawa. I have a bunch of t-shirts with the "Land of the rising sun" motif or theme. What's the vibe on that? Is it offensive or divisive?

今日は旧盆最終日、現世に参られた御先祖様がお帰りになられる日です

Looking for hotels to stay in Okinawa if we had a car vs if we didn’t. Also general opinions/advice. First time going there. Staying 5 days at the beginning of July.

Without a car:

- We would uber or public transportation to most places (we are sure to hit up the more popular/attractive places so hoping commuting is that bad)

- Staying in the Tsuboya area of Naha 15 min walk to Kokusai but not in the heart of traffic I assume. Also near port to zamami island (more convenient loco)

With a car: (NEED recs for area with good housing/parking/having a car. A bit farther from the crowd and small streets)

- looking for a cheaper but nicer area to stay to balance the cost of a car

- thinking about parking/difficult of driving

- farther areas to adventure with a car

I’m interested in starting a book club. I live in Chatan. I would like to meet once a month or so and discuss an agreed upon book. If you would like to join let’s discuss.

I was in a book club stateside and enjoyed it. The library facilitated getting the books and had a reading list for us. I would if the military bases have such a system?

Yesterday, I've been to a local Okinawa Festival here in my country. It was its 22nd edition and every year, it is organised by the local Okinawan immigrant community. That was my first time, but its tradition is far much bigger and older than me, of course. Yesterday, for the first time, I tried what I think was one of the highest points of all the Festival (Eisa Taiko, all sorts of local foods and dishes, Shisa Pottery Workshops, etc...): Hijya - ひじゃ - a soup, more of a rich, delicious broth - made out of goat meat, exquisitely seasoned, very delicious (the goat meat is cooked for 2 days in a slow, poetic, sensuous, almost erotic simmering!). At the end, it is topped with Fuchiba - ふちば - a slightly sour vegetable, also known as Artemisia Leaf - as if to balance the greasylicious texture of goat meat. Really, a memorable experience I'm already eager to repeat next year!

Hello. I come from the Philippines, where I have never thought twice about the creatures of the sea attacking me when i went to beaches in Batangas, Boracay, Bantayan Islands, and Palawan.

I've read that poisonous(?) sea snakes are rampant(?) in Okinawa waters? Should i be wearing rash guards and water shoes and goggles and be always on alert while swimming?

I'm planning on a solo visit for a few days mid October, and one of those was to spend in and by the beach. Just wanted to ask if i'll be regretting it if i dont come prepared with those gears as opposed to what I'm used to which is just swim with trunks and float until i get tired.

i'm getting a bit scared but im still leaning towards just enjoying and hope for the best- but this may just be blind optimism so I wanted to ask others for their experience on their beach trips around mid october!

朝から晩までノホホンとこういう1日も良いものです

I found this family savings passbook at an antique store in Oklahoma City yesterday and wanted to share it after learning how rare prewar documents from Okinawa are. The owner seems to be Taba Kōichi from Ikei. There are only two entries, an initial deposit from Jul 28 1939 (Showa 14), and a withdrawal from Nov 10 1942 (Showa 17).

If anyone could tell me more about this document I would be very grateful, thanks!

If you walk around Okinawa, you'll probably notice sago palms growing along the roadsides.　　

In the early 1900s, however, Okinawa suffered a severe famine, and people were driven to the point where they had to eat them to survive.

After the Satsuma invasion, sugarcane cultivation had been promoted as a cash crop, but falling sugar prices and a series of poor harvests left many people in extreme poverty. Desperate to survive, they turned to the sago palm, an emergency famine food. Although it can be eaten if its toxins are carefully removed, many people were unable to process it properly, leading to widespread poisoning and numerous deaths. This tragic episode is remembered as "Sotetsu Jigoku" ("Sago Palm Hell")in Okinawa

I have seen many new places open up in Okinawa and wanted to ask if anyone had any suggestions for food. I am opened to anything, and my girlfriend and I love trying new places. Appreciate the suggestions!

Hey there. I’m new to the island. I’m working on my Japanese but that may be a long haul. I’ve been here for a month. I’m married and my wife will visit but stay state side due to medical issues. What I say, here has been focused on trying to normalize my life, get moved into a place, and figure out everything from there. I literally just got to the American village for the first time since I’ve been here and as expected, it was not super impressed.

I guess I’m curious what other people are doing, what other things are out there that people are doing in groups or other circumstances? I’ve done some minor exploring since I’ve been here, always looking for ideas or other people to hang out with it or explore things with.

Hi everyone, I have a project I’ve been developing since 2023 for a manga called Cat Spirit. I wanted to do something different, so I decided the story would be set in the Amami Islands archipelago, in a fictional place.

Since then I’ve been studying and trying to gather as much information as possible about the islands to inspire me and build this setting in the most faithful and authentic way possible.

I came here to Reddit looking for people who can tell me about their experiences, lifestyle, culture, interesting facts, and important information about the islands.

Thank you in advance if there’s anyone who can help me ^^❤️

I think I messed up our Okinawa plan and I would like to ask for your advice.

Arrival May 12- 16:50 pm

Departure May 14 - 12 noon

So technically, we only have one full day (May 13). Our goal is to visit Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium for the kids and hopefully go to the beach as well. But it feels like we’ll be really rushed.

We can’t rebook anything since everything is already set, and it would cost more to change all the flights, hotel, etc.

Please help me plan our trip.

Is anybody else just absolutely and completely entranced with Zamami as I am?

I was in Japan for about six weeks earlier this year and enjoyed it a fair amount. But honestly it wasn’t until Okinawa that I ended up falling in love with the country. I can usually tell pretty quick if there’s a place that I’m going to return to in the future, and that was Okinawa for me like, a day into being there. 

During my week there in February, I also spent a couple days on Zamami and it ended up being  the highlight of my entire time in Japan. The kerama blue is no joke, and even though it was still winter, it felt like legitimate paradise. (The little restaurant directly across the street from the harbour was so good 🤤)

I did a full walking loop of the entire island and put on a lot of kms (everything is walkable if you try hard enough haha). It was absolutely dead quiet. Like, there can’t have been more than a handful of tourists on the island for those couple days.

Curious if it get much busier in peak season? I’d love to come back when it’s a bit warmer for swimming/snorkelling, but also kind of loved the emptiness of it.

I also put together a short video from the couple of days there if anyone’s considering going, or you feel like reliving the beauty of one of my favourite islands I’ve ever been to.

So I basically took a DNA test to find out where I am from. I already knew that I was half Japanese. But turns out I also have Ryukyuan heritage (5%). My family from Japan are from mainland Kyushu. Just curious if I can say that I am Japanese/ of Ryukyuan decent ? Because I know with other indeginous cultures it’s not about how much you are of that heritage it’s more of identity and kinship. Saying this if I can acknowledge and say that I am Ryukyuan/ of Ryukyuan decent I would learn about Ryukyuan culture and everything they have been through. Because clearly it was hidden in my family.

Btw I need to find ecology group :)

I went diving two days in Ishigaki. The dives themselves were pretty cool and I saw a lot of stuff I‘ve never seen before.

What I didn‘t like however is how the 2 diving schools I‘ve been with and almost every other diver I‘ve seen underwater just didn‘t care about the nature down there at all. Standing on corals, holding on to them (and even breaking some), lifting up rocks and picking up baby crabs hiding under it to show them around, shoving the flashlight into the fishe‘s faces, etc.

I really thought that japanese people respected nature a lot but now I have the feeling that that stops at 0 meters over sea level.

Maybe these 2 trips (and almost all other schools I‘ve seen down there) were just a bad example. What do you think?