February 25, 2016 • mccsokinawa.com
Thomas Alan Smilie
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hat does Japan love more: vending machines or cute cats? It can be debated for hours, but one edge that vending machines have over felines is that they are actually useful. That’s why there are so many of them: the highest amount per capita in the world—about one for every 26 people, or 5.6 million machines as of 2012—and that’s only counting the drink machines. Throw in the vending machines for toys, ice cream, produce and personal hygiene products and the population of these robot valets doubles at the very least. How did Japan come to be the mecca of the vending machine? Because they fit in.
inside
With Japan’s aging population leaving little room for new employment, Japan has turned to robots to replace the teenage minimum-wager. Vending machines sell train tickets, take restaurant orders, check you in for flights, all without ever needing a lunch break or acne cream. Vending machines rarely get robbed or vandalized. They are as respected a member of society as anyone else. No matter where you put a vending machine, it is always a prized member of the area, and its safety is not a concern. Another part of Japan being a safe country is that people carry cash. Paying for things in cash is more common in Japan than using credit and debit
Taiyo's 4-Person Spring Scramble | 3 Join SMP's Dragon Boat Team | 3 Why Do Japanese People Bow? | 5 Japanese Phrase of the Week | 5
cards. Although vending machines today accept payment through your smart phone and rail pass, the machines flourished because people carried cash to spend on the go. Because of the combination of these factors, vending machines took off. The first big innovation in vending machines came in the 1970s, with machines that could keep canned coffee hot. Later, machines were created that could store both hot and cold drinks at the same time. Now, you can buy rice, eggs, fruit, clothing, life insurance, batteries and maybe someday, cute cats. Then we will know who has won.
—Ryan Anastoplus
Pick of the Week: Tachigaa Waterfall Café | 7 Bulk Up on Healthy Choices | 9 Off-Base Events | 11 Semper Fit Events | 11
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livingatlarge
Taiyo’s 4-Person Spring Scramble
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olfers are a mindful bunch. If you want to hear a discourse on the mental and emotional aspects of 18 holes, ask any serious golfer about their philosophy of golf. And while these philosophers do have something right—that golf can be complex—even avid players agree that the best thing about golf is simply playing the game with friends.
So, grab your best buds and hit the greens at Taiyo Golf Club’s 4-Person Spring Scramble on March 12. In a scramble, each player tees off at each hole. The best of the tee shots is selected, and golfers play their second shot from that spot. This continues for each shot until the ball is holed. This scramble is a tee time event consisting of four-person
teams utilizing 10% of the combined team handicap. Teams may register for $30 by March 9 at Taiyo Golf Club. There will be a total payout of $3600 with 1st through 4th place teams earning a cash prize. For details, call 622-2004/2006 or visit online at mccsokinawa.com/golf or facebook.com/taiyogc.
events&happenings
Top: satariel/bigstock.com, Bottom: Thomas Alan Smilie
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Join SMP’s Dragon Boat Team
ragon boat races are annual events held in various fishing communities throughout Okinawa beginning in the late spring and lasting into the late summer months. The largest of these festivals is the Naha Hârî which is held during Golden Week—the five days of holiday between April 29 and May 5. Naha’s dragon boat races pit multi-colored boats against each other, decorated with ferocious-looking dragon heads, scaled arms with sharp talons and elaborate tails, powered by a 32-rower team. If surging ahead in the ocean’s froth as a finely-tuned machine sounds like your kind of fun, sign up to compete in the Naha Hârî with the Single Marine Program for $10. All active-duty Marines and Sailors are welcome to join. Practices start on March 15 and are held every Tuesday and Thursday from 1:30 to 3:30. The practices are
supported by the Japanese Defense Force Navy EOD Team stationed at White Beach. Participants are required to attend practices as much as they possibly can. The command will be informed through a permission slip, and transportation
is provided for all camps. The main Naha race is on May 5, but team members can also compete in the optional White Beach race on April 24. For more details or to register, contact your nearest SMP office.
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Questions? Comments? Please e-mail OLW@okinawa.usmc-mccs.org. To advertise in Okinawa LivingWeekly, 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.
This publication printed with
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japanese phrase
whyisthat?
of the week
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Wan-wan-wan! Woof-woof-woof! For details about FREE Japanese language classes, please call Marine & Family Programs–Resources at 645-2104/2106.
Why Do Japanese People Bow?
owing became formalized between 1338 and 1573. Ogasawara Sadamune, ally of the first Ashikaga shogun, Takauji, was the official in charge of etiquette. Sadamune wrote the first comprehensive text on etiquette in Japan, the Sangi Itto, in 1380. Sangi Itto means “three arts as one,” and this text covered etiquette, horsemanship and archery—three skills samurai of the time had to be accomplished in. Bowing was part of etiquette and was only taught in a dojo to elite members of samurai. For centuries, manners of etiquette were taught only to nobility and samurai classes in Japan as a way to show respect between warriors. In the Edo period the merchant classes gained enough wealth to study etiquette as well. At the time, this had a negative effect on the upper classes of Japan. Until then, bowing was
something only the most elite samurai could do, and now it was part of the daily lives of the leisure classes. As time went on, the rules of etiquette dictated by the Sangi Itto fell out of favor by the general public who found them to be a bit much. For example, not all citizens took it upon themselves to learn the intricacies of all nine ways to bow from a seated position. However, bowing as a symbol of respect remained. Bowing is still an integral part
of Japanese culture—children learn how to do it and companies train their employees. And the actual act of bowing is still complex in its own right; it is used when saying hello or goodbye, entering a class, during a meeting or ceremony, giving thanks, apologizing, congratulating, asking for a favor and when worshiping to name a few occasions—each one requiring its own type of bow—but that is a topic for another time. —Ryan Anastoplus
Clockwise from the top left: Life on White/bigstock.com, Tom Wang/bigstock.com
If you have any burning questions about Japanese culture, please send them to OLW@okinawa.usmc-mccs.org.
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getting there
pickoftheweek
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Tachigaa Waterfall Café
Travel north on Highway 329 until it turns into Route 70. On Route 70, look for a brown sign on your left for Tachigaa Waterfall Café after marker 43. The café is across the street. Coordinates 26°37'52.1"N 128°12'51.1"E
Tachigaa Waterfall Café
ituated about 87 kilometers northeast of Camp Foster is a charming little picturesque café just waiting for you to discover: Tachigaa Waterfall Café. This quaint café is run by an Okinawan couple who have converted their property into a unique dining experience for everyone. There are several seating options, including the Sky Terrace, where you can sit on deck chairs and lounge with fresh brewed coffee or piping hot tea while admiring an incredible view of lush forest and the impeccably blue waters of the Pacific Ocean. The café also offers various food items from full homemade meals to delicious desserts, all displayed on the menu, which is translated in English. On rainy days, you can either sit inside the restaurant or on the covered patio, full of small wooden tables and chairs. Once you’ve had enough to eat, grab your camera and hike down to see the Tachigaa waterfall. Depend-
ing on the season, you may see it gushing with water and pouring into the small pond below or maybe just trickling down, adding to the serene, peaceful setting all around. Be prepared—you may never want to leave this gorgeous landscape with delicious homemade food that
Clockwise from top left: Jenessa Reutov, Thomas Alan Smilie
photooftheweek
Age doesn’t matter at this Karate dojo in Ginowan.
makes you feel like you have found your home away from home. Make a day trip out of it and head up to Cape Hedo as well. Whatever you do, the northern region of Okinawa is beautiful and a must-see, just like this café. —Jenessa Reutov
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more info
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For tour participants, a prize will be awarded to the winner of the Healthy Recipe Contest. Details and rules provided upon tour registration.
Clockwise from the top left: Ekaterina Bratova/bigstock.com, BVDC/bigstock.com
Call Health Promotion at 645-3910 to register or for more details.
Bulk Up on Healthy Choices
very year, as warm weather draws near, those who are typically rational and wise with their decision-making frantically search for the latest miracle diet that promises maximum weight loss with minimal time and effort. Alas, the season of “fad diet frenzy” is rapidly approaching. Avoid the crash dieting season before it begins and learn how to make healthier choices with one of the two registered dieticians from the Naval Hospital at Health Promotion’s Commissary Tour on either March 2 or March 15 from 8 to 9 a.m. Time with the dieticians is coveted—in order to have an individual consult you must have a referral. This is your chance to have your diet questions answered by one of the experts at the place where healthier eating choices matter most: the grocery store. Outsmart your midnight munchies and stock
your shelves with healthy, nutrientdense food options. Registration for this event is required. Space is limited to 15 spots per tour, so call Health Promotion at 645-3910 to register today. In addition to hosting the Commissary
Tour, Health Promotion staff will also host a nutrition information table on March 1 and March 14 (the day before each commissary tour) in the lobby of Gunners Fitness Center from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
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tours+
adventure begins here. Whale Watching February 27, 8 a.m.–3 p.m. Adults $54; Children (4–11) $35 An experience of a lifetime, watch the mammoth-sized creatures surface around the stunning Kerama Islands on their journey to warmer waters. After a refreshing morning on the East China Sea, head to Kokusai Street for lunch and shopping.
Shuri Castle & Naha February 28, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Adults $23; Children (3–11) $16; (under 3) FREE Tour this ancient 15th century castle, once home of the 19 Ryukyu kings and the only fully-restored castle on Okinawa. Then it’s on to Kokusai Street for lunch and shopping. Spend the rest of the afternoon at Fukushu-en Chinese Garden and Naminoue Shinto Shrine.
Tunnel Rats February 27, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Adults $23; Children (7–11) $16 Explore numerous caves that served as bunkers and shelter during WWII.
Strawberry Picking February 28, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Adults $30; Children (7–12) $20; (2–6) $16; (under 2) FREE Join Tours+ to visit a strawberry farm to eat as many strawberries as you can in 30 minutes. To take some home, one pack costs ¥450. Afterwards, stop by the Nago Pineapple Park for more fruity tasting.
*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
off-baseevents get out and explore.
Yomitan Pottery Market February 27–28, 10 a.m.–7 p.m. Yomitan JA Farmers’ Market Yunta, Yomitan Village FREE
Proud sponsor of MCCS Youth Sports
Athletics/Adult Sports
Top to bottom: Idreamphotos/dreamstime.com, Thomas Alan Smilie
645-3521/3522
Aquatics 645-3180 Courtney Ironworks 622-9261/7297 Futenma Semper Fit 636-2672 Gunners Fitness Center 645-3985/2235 Hansen House of Pain 623-5558/4831 Health Promotion 645-3484/3910 Kinser Fitness Center 637-1869/1114 Schwab Power Dome 625-2654/2442 Taiyo Golf Club 622-2004 Tsunami SCUBA 645-9500 Youth Sports 645-3533/3534
Used Kimono Sale February 27–28, 10 a.m.–8 p.m. Kimono Yayoi Visit Facebook page for details
Okinawa City International Festival February 28, 11 a.m.–7 p.m. Plaza House Shopping Center Okinawa City FREE
upcoming semperfitevents Northern Commanders’ Cup Softball March 4–6 Camp Schwab Power Dome Gym Register at any MCCS Fitness Center by 1 p.m. on February 29. This FREE event is open to Marine Corps Unit Teams at the battalion level and below from Camps Courtney, Hansen and Schwab. Awards will be given to first, second and third-place teams and individuals. Tournament brackets and rules will be emailed to each participant. Details: 625-2654.
Open Bike Race March 6 Camp Kinser Fitness Center Register at any MCCS Fitness Center by 1 p.m. on February 29 for $30. This event is open to participants island-wide. Awards will be given to first, second and third-place male and female individuals in both the mountain and road bike races. All participants will receive a t-shirt. There will be a mandatory participants’ brief at 7:45 a.m. on the day of the event. Space is limited. Details: 637-1869.
classof theweek Prenatal Yoga Yoga poses for pre and postnatal women, focusing on strength and flexibility throughout your pregnancy, with many different levels. (You don't have to be pregnant to go to this class either. All are welcome.) Camp Foster For a full class schedule and times, visit mccsokinawa.com/groupfitness.