March 23, 2017 · mccsokinawa.com
JCI Step-by-Step Purchase your JCI policy
through an insurance company such as ACE or AIU for about ¥13,000.
Pay your weight tax
boule/bigstock.com, evgeny atamanenko/bigstock.com
J
apanese Compulsory Insurance, better known as JCI, is auto insurance mandated by the Government of Japan (GOJ) which provides third-party coverage of up to ¥30 million for death, ¥1.2 million for injuries and up to ¥40 million for residual injuries. Part of renewing your JCI every year is a full car inspection. The inspection will ensure your vehicle is safe, and legal to drive in Japan. The process, collectively known as “JCI’ing” your car, can take hours or days. On the pain scale, it is said to rank slightly above doing taxes and just below a bad sunburn. The pain of JCI is small compared to consequences of letting your JCI 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 Driving with an out-of-date JCI can result in a suspended license for 30 days, a ¥500,000 ($4,500) fine and up to a year of prison. The GOJ vehicle inspection is a physical health exam for cars. The check includes everything from the suspension system for corrosion, to en-
inside
suring the condition of your vehicle’s interior is safe, muffler noise level is under 96 dB, carbon monoxide emissions are under 1 percent for cars under 10 years old, and hydrocarbon emissions are under 300 ppm. How long your JCI takes depends on the extent of repairs your vehicle needs to pass. Instead of going in blind, Typhoon Motors offers a pre-JCI vehicle check for $67 so you know if you have any issues needing repair before the big day. Sound daunting? It doesn’t have to be. In fact, you don’t even have to do it yourself if you drop your car off for Typhoon Motors One Day JCI. Drop your vehicle off by 10:30 a.m., and by 4:30 p.m. your car will be JCI’d and ready to go. You’ve got better things to do with your time than stand in line at vehicle registration. One Day JCI starts at $500. For more details on how Typhoon Motors can help, visit mccsokinawa.com/typhoonmotors.
Earth Day Special | 3 Leaving the Nest | 3 Culture Corner: Keramas Dive Charter | 5 Japanese Phrase of the Week | 5
at the Joint Service Vehicle Registration Office (JSVRO) on Camp Foster (Bldg. 5638). Your fee will vary by the weight of the car (yen only).
Remove hubcaps
before you drive your car through the inspection line behind JSVRO. The inspection fee is $20 (cash). The inspection will take approximately 15 minutes.
If you fail
the inspection, you will be handed a list of everything you need to correct. Fix your issues, then do the inspection again.
If you pass
you receive a new vehicle title, the new JCI policy expiration date (two years inspection) and a new GOJ inspection sticker.
When does my GOJ inspection expire?
The date on your GOJ inspection sticker might look like this: 29-8-14. The year corresponds to the current era of Emperor Akihito, called the Heisei era. To convert a Gregorian calendar year to Heisei, subtract 1988 from the current year. The date of 29-8-14 is August 14, 2017.
Pick of the Week: Innovation Lab | 7 Spring Break Junior Golf Clinics | 9 Off-Base Events | 11 Semper Fit Events | 11
2 | OKINAWA LIVING WEEKLY | March 23, 2017
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livingatlarge Earth Day Special
G
reen is good—unless it’s the color of your motor oil. Automobiles take a toll on Mother Earth but there are ways to minimize their impact. The easiest way to do this is with simple preventative maintenance and checks to make sure your vehicle is running in tip-top shape. MCCS Typhoon Motors is mak-
ing it even easier during the month of April by offering FREE service checks on your automobile to ensure it is safe, economical and environmentally friendly. Stop by any MCCS Typhoon Motors and get a quick, 15-minute service check not only for your own sake, but for Earth. Staff will point
out required maintenance, suggest repairs and show you how to conduct preventative maintenance checks. Customers must be present during the check. For details, call any MCCS Typhoon Motors location or visit mccsokinawa. com/typhoonmotors.
Chief Marketing Officer | Jim Kassebaum Managing Editor | Ryan Anastoplus Art Director | Jongeun Spencer Cultural Research Specialist | Ayako Kawamitsu Graphic Arts Manager | Henry Ortega Graphic Designers | Margie Shimabukuro, Lisa Miyagi, Catherine Newquist, Hector Nieves Editor-in-Chief | Mike Daley WRITER/EDITORS | Ashley Snipes, Shelbie Thilmony Digital marketing manager | Thomas Alan Smilie Photographer | Sarah Head Ad/Sponsorship Manager | Roy Forster Ad Sales | Yoshihiro Shinzato, Aya Chilcote, Yoriko Yamashiro, Carina Fils-Julien Distribution | Kelli Kreider Marketing Accounts Manager | Andrew Menges Accounts & Research | Marissa DeSmet, Ashley Herring, Kristen Wong, Katherine Melrose, Allison Dixon Broadcast | Kathlene Millette, Gabriel Archer, Emi Komiya Volunteer | Jessie McKean INTERNS | Chloé Stevens, Valeria Solorzano
Questions? Comments? Please e-mail OLW@okinawa.usmc-mccs.org.
events&happenings
From top to bottom: robertprzybysz/bigstock.com, HighwayStarz/bigstock.com
Leaving the Nest
P
arents and teens alike experience a roller coaster of emotions in the months before and after high school graduation. For teens, the days are filled with memories of moments to be cherished into their later years, and parents, whether it’s their first, second or third college-bound child, have their own set of questions
and concerns that need addressing. To calm parents’ minds and help teens prepare for what is to come, the Foster MCCS Education Center is hosting a Leaving the Nest series open to parents and collegebound teens. The sessions will cover different topics on each date. April 4 will focus on college selection,
April 11 on exams (SAT, ACT, CLEP and ASVAB), April 18 on financial assistance and April 25 on surviving the first year of college. All sessions begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Education Center on Camp Foster. For more information, call 6457160 or visit mccsokinawa.com/ educationandcareerservices.
To advertise in Okinawa Living Weekly, 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
culturecorner
of the week
P
Sakana wa oishii desu. Fish are delicious
iridi/bigstock.com, Sarah Head
For details about FREE Japanese language classes, please call Marine & Family Programs-Resources at 645-2104/2106.
Keramas Dive Charter
aradise is just a boat ride away. In fact, you can see it from Naha Port on a clear day. A little over 20 miles southwest of Okinawa is a chain of 22 subtropical islands known as the Keramas—together they make up one of the top five dive spots in the world. The waters of the Keramas are pristine, partly due to only four of the islands being inhabited (Tokashiki, Zamami, Aka and Geruma). One of the many things the turquoise waters of these islands is known for is its diverse ecosystem, where a myriad of tropical fish, coral, sea turtles, humpback whales in the wintertime and other marine life call home—a diver’s utopia. Sea conditions and visibility are at their best from mid to late March in the Keramas, perfect to discover this paradise with Tsunami Scuba’s
chartered dive trip. For $120, this trip includes two air or Nitrox tanks, weights, transportation between Camp Foster and Chatan Fisherina Port, and a boat charter to the Keramas on the Crystal Blue Persuasion. Divers meet at 7 a.m. on March 25 at
Camp Foster Tsunami Scuba. Call Tours+ at 645-4206 and save $10 by registering by March 19. Rental dive gear is available at Tsunami Scuba beginning at $7 per day. Tour participants must be open water dive certified.
If you have any burning questions about Japanese culture, please send them to OLW@okinawa.usmc-mccs.org.
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7 | OKINAWA LIVING WEEKLY | March 23, 2017
didyou know?
pickoftheweek
M
3D printing was invented in 1983 by a man named Chuck Hull. Today, websites like Thingiverse are a collaborative community of artists and designers who upload hundreds of thousands of open-source 3D printing designs.
Innovation Lab
CCS has exciting news: the Innovation Lab at the Camp Foster Library is officially open on March 27 at 10 a.m. This creative space is complete with two brand-new LulzBot TAZ printers, the ultimate in desktop 3D printing. Forget printing on paper: this amazing technology allows you to print anything from figurines to phone cases right in the comfort of your local library. Once printed, the item can be primed and painted to your liking. The creative possibilities are endless. The Innovation Lab also features an Oculus Rift VR system so you can explore the alternate universe of virtual realities, a CreoPop 3D pen to 3D print physical objects by way of drawing, GoPro cameras available for checkout, and more—including a "Robotis Mini," a robot that allows you to explore the technical world of programming robotics. Learn how to assemble all kinds of gizmos and gadgets with littleBits
Kits, designed for all ages. The kits explore circuit building, app creating, and inventing. MakerBlock allows you to discover the art of building robots, lights and sound systems. LEAP motion software allows you to use your hands instead of that now-ancient computer mouse. The Camp Foster Library offers a variety of other creative and innovative resources to support a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) curriculum, including
Marina1408/bigstock.com, Sarah Head
photooftheweek
Bring your own dino-mite creations to life with the 3D printers available at the Innovation Lab.
several new text additions in the technology genre, a professional-grade die cut machine and knowledgeable staff. You don’t need a technical or design background to try out the stateof-the-art equipment; the Innovation Lab is designed to be an educational and explorative maker space for all ages to delve into new interests. Visit the Innovation Lab at the MCCS Camp Foster Library for more information, or call 623-7178.
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9 | OKINAWA LIVING WEEKLY | March 23, 2017
did
spotlight
know?
Spring Break Junior Golf Clinics
you
T
Clockwise: Phanuwat Nandee/bigstock.com, steve_mn/bigstock.com
At age 17, Korean born New Zealander Lydia Ko, is the youngest professional golfer to be ranked No. 1.
he best way to excel at golf is to start young. For some of us it’s too late to reap the benefits of youth, but junior golfers have time on their side, and Taiyo Golf Club is hosting the perfect platform for all young golfers to excel: Junior Golf Clinics. When children learn golf, they also learn valuable life lessons. Through playing golf, one can better understand the importance of patience, good manners and the
value of discipline. The game of golf teaches children to use good judgment and how to be responsible for their actions. It encourages sportsmanship by learning how to call a penalty on yourself. Golf is also a lifelong sport for the whole family that can begin at any age and continue through retirement. This spring break, don’t let the couch become too comfortable for your kids. Get them involved in
Taiyo Golf Club Spring Break Junior Golf Clinics and give them a head start on a game that leaves a lasting impact. This FREE clinic will teach the fundamentals of golf, etiquette and the golf swing in a relaxed environment. Clinics are for children ages 5 to 17 and will be from April 5 to 7. Register by April 2. For more information or to sign up, call 622-2004.
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tours+
adventure begins here Whale Watching Tour* March 26, 8 a.m.–3 p.m. Adults $51; Children (4–11) $35 Watch these mammoth-sized creatures surface around the Kerama Islands as you enjoy the beautiful scenery and ocean breeze. After a morning on the seas, we’ll head to Kokusai Street for lunch and shopping.
Japanese Tea Ceremony with Kimono Dressing* March 31, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Adults $49; Children (3–11) $38 Take part in a traditional tea ceremony and experience dressing in a Japanese kimono. Afterwards, we will travel to Naha Main Place for lunch and shopping.
Battle Sites Tour* March 26, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Adult $28, Child (3–11) $18, (under 3) FREE Relive the Battle of Okinawa with a history lesson at the Japanese Naval Underground Headquarters, and end the day at Peace Memorial Park.
Ocean Expo Park and Churaumi Aquarium* April 1, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Adults $40, Children (16–17) $34, (6–15) $22, (3–5) $16, Children (under 3) FREE Visit Ocean Expo Park and the world famous Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium. Watch a FREE dolphin show and visit an Okinawa village.
*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
Azalea Festival March 23-26, 9 a.m.–6 p.m. Azalea Park, Higashi Village Adults ¥300, Children (under 15) FREE
Athletics/Adult Sports
Mike Daley, conrado/bigstock.com
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
Handmade Market March 25, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Tedako Square, Urasoe City FREE
Hip Hop Dance Festival March 25, 12:30 p.m. Okinawa Prefectural Martial Arts Center, Naha City FREE
upcoming semperfitevents Open Flag Football March 31–April 2 Camp Courtney Bowl Field Register at any MCCS Fitness Center for $120 by March 27 at 1 p.m. Each participant will receive tournament schedule and rules via email. The top three teams and individuals will receive awards. Details: 622-7297.
Open Tennis Doubles Tournament April 1–2 Camp Foster Tennis Courts Register at any MCCS Fitness Center for $30 by March 29 at 1 p.m. Late registration fee is $40. Each participant will receive tournament schedule and rules via email. Top three teams will receive awards. Details: 645-4866.
classof theweek Circuit Training This high-intensity training will help you to improve your cardiovascular fitness as well as your muscle strength and endurance. You will perform one exercise after another in a circuit with little or no rest. Camp Foster & Schwab For a full group fitness schedule, visit mccsokinawa.com/groupfitness.