Shoji Kudaka

2 weeks ago | japan.stripes.com | Shoji Kudaka

The rain is finally over on sunny, subtropical Okinawa, officials announced on June 8. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the prefecture’s “tsuyu” season ends less than three weeks after it began on May 22. The abrupt end is the earliest time the rain season has ended since the JMA started tracking in 1951, the agency said. The end of Okinawa’s rain season ended 13 days earlier than average and 12 earlier than last year, the JMA added.

3 weeks ago | okinawa.stripes.com | Shoji Kudaka

Ie Beach (Photo by Shoji Kudaka) On a day in mid-May I headed to north to visit Ie Island for the first time in more than a decade. A remote island that can easily be accessed from Okinawa’s main island by ferry, Ie is a popular destination for tourists and locals alike. After seeing a news report on flowers blooming at the Lily Filed Park on Ie’s north shore, I decided to go back.

3 weeks ago | okinawa.stripes.com | Shoji Kudaka

Bike Race Series Kinser will take place Sunday, June 8, at the Marine Corps Installation on the west coast of Urasoe City. This will be the second stage of the annual bike race series that MCCS Okinawa hosts. The first stage concluded in May on Camp Hansen, with the third stage being slated for MCAS Futenma on Sunday, July 20. The Kinser stage will be 37 kilometers long over 5 laps on a course with several twists and turns.

1 month ago | okinawa.stripes.com | Shoji Kudaka

Next time you make instant noodle, try this phrase – “Oyu wo sosoide san-pun machimasho.” Japanese instant noodles are awesome. If you get a craving for the guilty pleasure, this is a phrase for you. “Oyu wo sosoide san-pun machimasho,” means “Pour hot water and wait three minutes.” Repeat after me.

1 month ago | japan.stripes.com | Shoji Kudaka |Takahiro Takiguchi

Constant gray skies and gloomy showers can only mean one thing in the so-called Land of the Rising Sun: The rainy season. It starts to fall on Okinawa in mid-May followed by mainland Japan and Kyushu Island in early June. Cold northerly and warm southerly air masses collide to create 45 to 50 days of a continuous dreary weather front of clouds dropping anything from drizzle to torrential downpours. But there’s no reason to let the bad weather get you down. Look on the bright side.