JAWing On – Life on Okinawa

Former One Wish singer, Nancy , stopped by Live Music Bar JET this past weekend to announce the release of her new solo CD. While there, she belted out her rendition of Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain”.

Well it’s official. Although the destruction of the sector of Gate 2 Street that is to house the new music Town project was rescheduled for later this year, rumor had it that Hideaway was to have its grand finale on Saturday and Sunday April, 9 and 10, 2005. Bill, house band O’Rock’s lead singer, stopped over at Live Music Bar JET on Saturday, April 16, to let us know that indeed Hideaway closed its doors for good as of Monday 11 April 2005. And so another chapter in the local music scene begins.

Every year at this time we are caught in the Julian and lunar calendar battle of when spring will actually be upon us. And every year there is a little, but significant, indicator of the actual beginning of springtime. Luckily for the past fifteen years we have been able to reserve a little patch of the true island naturalness in the suburbs of Okinawa City. Despite the constant construction, our own yard still possesses the micro ecology that allows fireflies, dragonflies, baby frogs, lizards, fruit bats, local species of birds, and even a mongoose occasionally frequented our little haven of Okinawan nature. In November each year, as the weather chills, the local birds of prey head south. And every year there are a few stragglers that grace our home with their awesome presence. This year there was a new falcon or hawk, I’m not sure of the exact breed, that provided a daily moment of pleasure as it landed on the electric wiring right outside our front door. The bird was a magnificent specimen of grandeur. As I glazed up with glee at the striking markings and ever-alert eyes, the bird would look down at me as if to say “What do we have here?” It is when these birds no longer visit us daily that I know that the weather has warmed enough to announce the true beginning of spring. To me this is one of the true beauties of life on the island we call Okinawa.

In college I majored in Asian Studies. One of the things we learned is that the local culture tends to adopt systems that meet their needs better than existing systems. In religion that seems to be the adoption of Christianity for many of the locals. However, when one adopts a system to meet needs are they really a true follower or just using the program to get what they want? Given that thought, for people who are raised with the theology does Christianity mean being naive?

Although I have only been using the internet for a few years, one thing I have noticed that occurs frequently is the large number of outdated or unmaintained web pages. This type of information might be great when one is doing a research project. However, only finding information that is six or seven years old in the top returns of the search doesn’t do very much in expediting the process if one is hunting for current information Shouldn’t there be an archive section on search engines for web pages that are older than six months old? That way people who are not looking for current info can hunt the advanced search section. And whose responsibility is it to make sure the info being provided is as current as possible? Is it the search engine’s or the webpage author/master’s? Doesn’t providing an outdated search result increase the possibility of unscrupulous persons or organizations of using false information as a means of projecting a false image of current events to unwitting viewers? Shouldn’t there be a penalty for web pages that fail to provide a “last updated” statement in the ranking system no matter how many links are connected to the site. After all is there a current system that proves when the links were last utilized? The bottom line is most people are looking for the most current and accurate information when they do web searches. By failing to provide a system that ensures the links being provided in the top results of a search meet the requirement of an active site, the engines are falling short of the goal.

This year the pros are predicting this hay fever season to be one of the more drastic seasons for those of us who get congested. And even though April showers may bring May flowers stateside, on Okinawa the flowers are in full bloom already. One can view bright purples, reds, blues, yellows, pinks, and just about every combination of the colors on all over the island. Yes, the season does lead to tissue companies making extra profits, but just being able to enjoy all those blossoms and the wide array of coloration is well worth it.

It was about thirty-two years ago when my father told us we were coming to a place I had ever even heard of. When he first said Japan, I thought about the “Godzilla” movies and the Olympics. I never expected the long-haired youths of the ’70s. Another aspect of Okinawa that I never realized was how international it is. Anyone who knows the history of the Ryukyu Islands is familiar with the trade industry of the area due to its key location. In modern times there are little pockets of internationality spread throughout the island. The most visibly westernized area is probably the popular tourist spot of Mihama. But to really get an idea of the mixture of cultures on the island all one has to do is walk down Gate 2 Street in Koza (now known as Okinawa City). The businesses on the street provide a glimpse of an international cornucopia of cultures including Okinawa, India, Taiwan, Indonesia, America, the Philippines, and mainland Japan. The side streets off of and parallel to Gate 2 Street boast businesses of additional cultural backgrounds as well. Mihama may be the “American Village,” but the Gate 2 Street area in Koza is still “International Ville.”

Okay here is the latest official news on the Music Town project. According to a local newspaper release, those of you who have a favorite eatery or watering hole in the area scheduled for destruction in order to make room for the new Music Town have until July before the demolition of current facilities begins. Of course the project has been delayed and postponed several times, so this may not be the final start date for the project. Who knows, by July there may be another delay!

Although being married to a musician has many ups and downs, one of the enjoyable things about the life is being able to help write songs with your spouse. Many of you have been waiting since 2000 for the next JET CD to come out. Although we began working on the project in the summer of ’03, for various reasons it just wasn’t in the cards until now. The band is currently in the preproduction stage of recording a new CD. Like the last CD, this one will have several songs co-written by Taki and myself, as well as tunes written exclusively by Taki. I don’t know if there are plans to include a strictly Japanese language song on this CD as they did with the first JET CD. Hopefully, the new CD will be available sometime in the late spring or early summer and include songs such as a remade “Rock ‘Till the Morning Sun” (known to some of you as “Shout at the Moon”), “My Angel”, and “Ryukyu Island Rock ‘n’ Roll”.