February 22, 2018 · mccsokinawa.com
Become a PADI Open Water Instructor
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oodies, it’s your time to shine at Camp Foster’s first ever food truck festival! The fair will host 16 local trucks, along with Bulldogs Burgers and Hickory House All American BBQ from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the field adjacent to Gunners Fitness Center. Come by and stuff your face with all kinds of tasty nom noms, ranging from kabobs and jerk chicken to puff sandwiches, burgers, pizza and much, much more. Kids can work up an appetite at the mini Fun Land, which will include bounce houses and up to six rides, while adults browse the many options. Adults, make sure to check out the beer garden as well to wash down your first few plates of food! Once you grab some grub, find a seat and chill while listening to local jazz bands. There will be an appearance from Yugo Sato, Yuika & Galaxy, Tropical Express, Stella and Peralta Shudoruks. Also making an appearance is the electrifying Kamada Band playing all your favorite contemporary hits!
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Here’s the food truck lineup: Bulldogs Burgers, Old Spices (kabobs), Triple A (noodles), WMD BBQ, Blue Café (jerk chicken), Kokopelli (brick oven pizza), Sakae Company (jumbo fries), Guacamole Burrito Truck (which has vegetarian and vegan options), Ponama Genjin (Yakitori BBQ), Island Rock Café (grilled chicken), Shiyu-de-Pokko (puff sandwiches), La Sambita (Japanese BBQ), Gordies (burgers), Captain Kangaroo (burgers), Yakitori Food Truck (grilled chicken), Hickory House All American BBQ, Smokin Slabz BBQ and Café Foresta (coffee and juices). Hashtag your yummy finds on Instagram with #okinomnoms and follow us @okilivingmag! This event is open to everyone island-wide. Blankets, chairs and strollers are welcome. Pets, glass bottles, outside alcohol and coolers are not allowed. Payment will be accepted in yen or dollars. For more information, visit mccsokinawa.com/festivals.
Become a PADI Instructor | 1 & 3 Taiyo Spring Scramble | 3 A "Whale" of a Good Time | 5 Japanese Phrase of the Week | 5
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o you like people, have a passion for diving and wish to pass down your knowledge and skills to upcoming generations? Would you enjoy having a job that transforms lives and allows you to dive every day? If so, turn your passion into a career and consider becoming a PADI Open Water Instructor. Not only will you be able to share your love for the aquatic world, but you’ll enter a profession that’s highly sought-after by employers at exotic locales throughout the world. Also, as a PADI Open Water Instructor, you’d be able to teach all levels up to Divemaster and acquire specialty instructor ratings (which will look great on your professional portfolio), such as Digital Underwater Photography, Wreck, Dry Suit and more. (cont. on page 3)
FTF: Meet Us on the Lawn | 7 Make "JCI'ing" Your Car a Breeze | 9 MCCS Tours+ | 11 Semper Fit Events | 11
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livingatlarge
Become a PADI Instructor
(cont. from page 1)
Tsunami Scuba on Camp Foster will be offering a PADI Open Water Instructor course on March 2. The class will introduce you to the entire PADI system and teach you a set of skills that’ll allow you to educate your future students according to PADI standards with confidence. You’ll
also learn PADI procedures, risk management, diver safety, your role as an instructor, proper skill demonstrations, sales counseling and more. Register today and begin your journey to teaching the most renowned and progressive scuba diver education program!
The course will be held from 6 to 10 p.m. The price is $495 and registration is available at any Tsunami Scuba location. To take this class, you must be certified as an Assistant Instructor. For more information, visit mccsokinawa. com/tsunamiscuba.
events&happenings
ingimage.com, Roderica Mathis
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CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER | Jim Kassebaum MANAGING EDITOR | Mike Daley ART DIRECTOR | Catherine Newquist CULTURAL RESEARCH SPECIALIST | Ayako Kawamitsu GRAPHIC ARTS MANAGER | Henry Ortega GRAPHIC DESIGNERS | Margie Shimabukuro, Lisa Miyagi, Hector Nieves, Jongeun Spencer WRITERS/EDITORS | Amanda Carrasquillo, Ashley Sablan DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER | Thomas Alan Smilie SOCIAL MEDIA | Shelbie Thilmony PHOTOGRAPHER | Roderica Mathis AD/SPONSORSHIP MANAGER | Roy Forster AD SALES | Yoshihiro Shinzato, Yoriko Yamashiro, Angela Neal, Athena Garcia DISTRIBUTION | Kelli Kreider, Desiree Adams MARKETING ACCOUNTS MANAGER | Andrew Menges ACCOUNTS & RESEARCH | Ashley Herring, Kristen Wong, Secoya Holmes, Ashley Snipes, Erin Hotson BROADCAST | Kathlene Millette, Gabriel Archer, Emi Komiya INTERNS | Koby Karl, Bailey McLauren
To advertise in Okinawa Spotlight, call 645-2245, fax 645-0975 or email sales@okinawa.usmc-mccs.org. MCCS is not responsible for designing and editing outside ads. No Department of Defense, U.S. Marine Corps or Marine Corps Community Services endorsement of commercial advertisers or sponsors implied.
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Taiyo Spring Scramble
pringtime is upon us! On Saturday, March 17, venture outdoors to catch some fresh air and a light-hearted game of golf at the Taiyo Spring Scramble! Beginners are welcome. As the name states, this tournament will be a scramble format event with no handicaps needed. The entry fee is $20 per player (green and cart fees not included) with a post-match lunch to follow. All fees are due at sign-up. The match will have a shotgun start beginning at 6:30 a.m. Sign-up and pay individually or as a group by March 14. Groups of less than 4 will be paired by the committee. Prizes will be awarded in Gross and Peoria categories. The Taiyo Spring Scramble is open to SOFA status personnel island-wide. For more information on this event, call DSN 622-2004/2006 or 098-9542004/2006. Visit Taiyo Golf Club online at mccsokinawa.com/golf.
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japanese phrase of the week
Kujira no nakigoe Whalesong
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For details about FREE Japanese language classes, please call Marine & Family Programs-Resources at 645-2104/2106.
islandadventure
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A “Whale” of a Good Time!
id you know that February brings some of nature’s most impressive (and largest) mammals to the seas surrounding the island? Ferry to the nearby Kerama Islands for the chance to see a pod of humpback whales as they migrate from Alaska’s Aleutian Islands to the warmer waters surrounding Okinawa. Humpbacks, known in Japanese as zatôkujira, can weigh 25 or 30 tons and typically give birth in subtropical waters in the winter after feasting in polar waters all summer. March brings warmer breezes and calmer seas, making the experience much more pleasant than in February. The second reason to take a whale watching tour in March are the baby whales! Whales oftentimes bear calves in the warm (for them, at least), safe waters surrounding Okinawa. Mother whales with their calves stay near the surface
and are easily spotted—and are an adorable delight to behold. MCCS Tours+ will be offering whale watching excursions February 24, March 3 and 18 with the final tour of the season on March 24
(these dates are subject to change). The tours run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and are $51 for adults and $35 for children 4–11. For more information on these tours and more, visit mccsokinawa.com/tours.
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pickoftheweek
nomnom nom!
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FTF: Meet Us on the Lawn
n Sunday, February 25, ditch your diets at the door and head over to Camp Foster’s first ever Food Truck Fair! Enjoy live entertainment and a beer garden while indulging in your wildest food fantasies. Sixteen local food trucks and two MCCS restaurants-on-wheels will be on site serving up burgers, BBQ, pizza, noodles and more! Who doesn’t love a classic burger? Bulldogs will be there churning out their Original Bulldogs Burgers.
Make it a juicy double stack or go for a Devil Dog hotdog. If you long for the sultry, smoky flavors of the barbecue, hit up Blue Café as they fire up the grill. Try their ever popular jerk chicken, served on a bed of white rice, or if you like spice, Jamaican rice and peas. Also on their menu that day will be their flavor-packed goat curry, a tender, fall-off-the-bone local favorite. Fancy a good sandwich? Check out Shiyu-de-Pokko’s puff sandwich
Don’t forget to hashtag your food truck finds with #okinomnoms!
Roderica Mathis
photooftheweek
Get some serious eats at the Blue Café food truck! #okinomnoms
truck! Imagine a cross between a cream puff and a warm flaky croissant filled with succulent cuts of meat, fresh veggies and a savory sauce. Explore their options of roast beef, shrimp and avocado, salmon or roast chicken. They’ll also be serving curry and loaded hotdogs. Find all of this and more at the Food Truck Fair from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the field adjacent to Gunners Fitness Center! For more information, visit mccsokinawa.com/festivals.
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didyou know?
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For details on these offerings and more, contact your nearest Typhoon Motors. They have locations on Camps Foster (645-7169), Kinser (6372191), Courtney (622-9546) and Hansen (623-7743). Visit Typhoon Motors online at mccsokinawa.com/typhoonmotors.
indepth
Make “JCI’ing” Your Car a Breeze
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full car inspection for possible safety hazards is an integral (and sometimes time-consuming) part of renewing your vehicle’s Japanese Compulsory Insurance. The process—which covers a car from bumper to bumper—is collectively known as “JCI’ing” your car, and can take hours and sometimes even days. However, the pain of going through the JCI process is nothing compared to the consequences of letting it expire. Driving with an out-of-date JCI can result in a suspended license for 30 days, a ¥500,000 ($4,500) fine and up to a year of prison. Sound daunting? It doesn’t have to be. On March 17, Typhoon Motors on Camp Kinser will be offering a Car Care Workshop covering JCI preparation and tips. A trained technician will assist you as you ready your vehicle for JCI. The $20 dollar
hour session covers work stall rental and all tools needed to complete any repairs—including a lathe machine to work on brake rotors. This is a steal, considering the amount of labor fees you would be paying a mechanic to do the same thing. Call 637-2191 to RSVP—space is limited. Once you’re ready, head over to any Typhoon Motors island-wide as
they will be offering 20% off vehicle inspections throughout the month of March. The pros at Typhoon Motors will check your vehicle from head to toe to ensure that it’s up to JCI snuff. Vehicle inspections are also great for those who are either planning to or are in the process of buying or selling a vehicle.
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tours+
adventure begins here Whale Watching Tours* March 3, 18 & 24, 8 a.m.–3 p.m. Adults $51; Children (4–11) $35 Watch these mammoth-sized aquatic mammals surface around the Kerama Islands as you enjoy the beautiful scenery and ocean breezes. This is an experience of a lifetime! After a morning on the seas, we will head to Kokusai Street for lunch and shopping.
Polynesian Dinner Show* March 16, 4:30–8:30 p.m. Adults $73; Children (6–11) $40, (3–5) $28, (0–2) FREE Enjoy flavorful Pan Pacific foods and the World Dinner Buffet at the opulent Renaissance Okinawa Resort’s Sailfish Café while watching the dancers showcase unique Polynesian cultural dances.
Azalea Festival* March 4, 9:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Adults $24; Children (3–15) $14, (0–2) FREE Enjoy a beautiful day in Higashi Village located in northern Okinawa. View different colors of over 50,000 azalea trees in bloom and have a picnic inside the spacious park.
Battle Sites Tour* March 25, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Adults $28; Children (3–11) $18, (0–2) FREE Visit Hacksaw Ridge and the Battle of Okinawa Historical Society Museum on Camp Kinser. Afterwards, explore the Japanese Naval Underground Headquarters and end the day at Peace Memorial Park. Bring dollars for lunch and yen for admissions.
*Bring yen for additional food, drinks and/or purchases. For more information, contact MCCS Tours+: Camp Foster 646-3502 | Camp Hansen 623-6344 | Camp Kinser 637-2744
upcoming semperfitevents
ingimage, Roderica Mathis
Northern CC Cup Basketball Tournament March 2, 6 p.m. March 3–4, 9 a.m. Camp Hansen House of Pain Fitness Center Register by March 26 (1 p.m.) at any MCCS athletic facility for FREE. This event is open to all units aboard Camps Courtney, Hansen and Schwab. A group trophy will be given to first and second place teams. By-laws and a tournament bracket will be emailed March 26. For more information, call 6235558 or email adultsports@okinawa.usmc-mccs.org. Open 6-on-6 Soccer Tournament March 2, 6 p.m. March 3–4, 9 a.m. Camp Foster Field #6 Register by February 26 (1 p.m.) at any MCCS athletic facility for $100. This event is open to all participants island-wide. Awards will be given to first, second and third place teams. By-laws and the tournament bracket will be emailed on February 26. For more information, call 645-4866 or email adultsports@okinawa.usmc-mccs.org.
Open Flag Football Tournament March 2, 6 p.m. March 3–4, 9 a.m. Camp Kinser DoDDS Field & Field #4 Register by February 26 (1 p.m.) at any MCCS athletic facility for $120. This event is open to all participants island-wide. A group trophy, as well as individual awards, will be given to first, second and third place. By-laws and a tournament bracket for this event will be emailed February 26. For more information, call 637-1869 or email adultsports@ okinawa.usmc-mccs.org. Lord of the Tengan 5K & 10K Run March 11, 8:30 a.m. Camp Courtney Register at any MCCS athletic facility by March 5 (1 p.m.) or at the Courtney Ironworks Fitness Center by March 9 (1 p.m.) for $30. Late registration will be accepted from 6:30 to 7:30 a.m. the day of the event at the event site for $35. Awards will be given to first, second and third place finishers in each division, as well as overall male and female winners. For more information, call 622-7297 or email adultsports@ okinawa.usmc-mccs.org.
classof theweek
Nightclub Cardio Another great cardio dance class with music ranging from hip hop, rock, rap and dance to techno, pop and more! Dancing skills are not necessary. Jump in the class and enjoy sweating with a mega playlist! For a full group fitness schedule, visit mccsokinawa.com/groupfitness.