American Village

Wow, I have not posted anything in over a month! I've been a little busier than usual lately, but I'll try to do a better job keeping everyone updated on things. So what should I blog about.... hmmm. Schan has been busy with work and classes for his masters degree and I've been keeping myself occupied with a big art project, so unfortunately we have not had time to do any sight-seeing lately. We have been trying out some new restaurants on the weekends though, which is always fun!

Anyway, I think I'm going to write about "American Village" since I don't think I have posted any pictures of that yet. American Village is a popular hangout for many military members/families living on Okinawa. It's located in Chatan Town, which is near Kadena Air Base (the west side & opposite of where we live), Camp Lester (the Navy Hospital) and Camp Foster (a Marine base). It sort of gives visitors a mix of American and Japanese culture.... food, shopping, etc. The main landmark for the area is the large Ferris wheel, which sits on top of a small shopping area filled with restaurants and retail stores. We did try the Thai restaurant there (Jai Thai) but we weren't really impressed with it. The atmosphere was neat, but the food... ehh, not so much. But if we want an American-style meal, they have a Tony Romas steak house there and it was actually pretty good. In addition to the restaurants, there is a mall within walking distance, a Starbucks, and many shops/bars near the beach. Also, the square outside the Ferris wheel usually has different types of music, local bands, groups of dancers or street performers that come out to show their talents, especially on the weekends. Some are really fun to watch.... others just interesting ;)

Picture info: 1.) View of American Village and the East China Sea... the Naval Hospital is the bldg on the lower left 2.) American village square 3.) The Ferris Wheel 4.) Groups of Okinawan girls performing their hip-hop skills on the square... fun times :)