JAWing On – Life on Okinawa

Saturday – June 4, 2005 [C (2/365) SR (2/365) LW (2/365) SH (2/365)]

C-cloudy; SR-scattered rain showers; LW-light winds; SH-slightly humid

If you can believe this, other business owners who are in the same business expect you to post ads for their business in your establishment (in the name of friendship at that). C’mon, does McDonald’s post fliers for KFC? Would you? This is the type of thing that one faces as a business owner on Okinawa, or maybe just a business person who has with a foreign wife! Or possibly it’s just the type of “friends” one has.

Friday – June 3, 2005 [C (1/365) SR (1/365) LW (1/365) SH (1/365)]

C-cloudy; SR-scattered rain showers; LW-light winds

Okinawa is classified as a subtropical island. The weather is one of the more unpredictable characteristics about the island. On the other hand Guam, a tropical island, has a fairly stable weather pattern. As with most things in life, there are good points and bad points to that stability. The consistent 85 degrees and almost constant sunny skies were conducive to barbecued lunches practically every day at Tumon Bay. Of course there were the super typhoons, such as Pamela, to deal with. And with a constant weather pattern there is a lack of seasons. So exactly what does �subtropical� mean? I�ve decided to keep a log of Okinawan weather for the next year to find out exactly how many pleasant days annually we actually have.

Well the blow hards (otherwise known as tropical cyclones) aren’t wasting any time this year. When I turned on the local American TV channel this morning sure enough TC-4 was posted on the station. Although it may be a few days premature, there is a tropical storm out there and once again the typhoon season begins.

Last night we had our 3rd Annual Unofficial Start of Summer Celebration. Although the bar got a little over crowded, it was worth it to be able to ignore the nasty weather that has been trying to dampen what should be a time for celebration. The start of summertime, there’s nothing else like it. Over here the summer season tends to be plagued with too much humidity, but the ability to spend breezy nights staring at the stars and munching down on an array of tempting barbequed edibles seems to create a balance.

When people find out that I have lived on Okinawa for just about forever, I often get asked if my household is American or Japanese style. I find the question a little perplexing since it is an indicator of someone who has probably never lived around a foreigner in America. When I was growing up it was very common to meet foreign spouses of service members that were friends of my parents. The one thing I found in common amongst the foreign wives was that their manner of maintaining household duties didn’t change much from the activities they would do in their native lands, such as cooking. The style of cooking was usually the same as what they grew up with. So when people ask if I cook Japanese or Okinawan style foods, I simply reply not really. The way I see it is that particular type of cooking is available at most of the local eateries, so if I’m looking to munch down on some tempura on any given night, I just go to a local eatery. But the types of eats that I grew up with are not so common over here, so that’s what I cook at home.

Many people believe that the philosophy of “no rules” governs people’s actions on Okinawa. Do you realize that this is a belief in perhaps what is the ultimate facade? If a person believes in the philosophy of ” no rules” to the point that it governs their behavior and actions, than aren’t they are following the “rule” of “no rules”?

(Click on image to view large size)

When one lives in one area for an extended period of time, the ability to objectively see the bad as well as the good characteristics of that area becomes more acute. One of the more pleasant aspects of Okinawan living is the handicrafts. This handcrafted cup (designed for awamori, but I use it for green tea) was created by a mainland Japanese artist, Soma Masakazu, who is enamored with Okinawa. The dragonfly design captured my imagination; and the art reminded me of the joy of watching the unique patterns of the creatures as they hunt down mosquitoes.

To me, being middle-aged has gotten a bad rap! I love being 50ish. By this time in one’s life, you’re old enough not to make many of the foolish mistakes that seem so prevalent in a person’s 20’s and 30’s. Yet one is still young and energetic enough to face new challenges, learn new things, and savor in new accomplishments. It is a time in life when a person seems to have the best of both worlds.