Running In Japan

Okinawa is the fifth largest island in Japan. South of the Japanese mainland, Okinawa is almost a country unto itself, with different customs and food from the rest of Japan. For the runner, Okinawa has a long coast for flat, fast running along a very scenic shoreline.

Once you leave the delightful tourist areas that occupy the shoreline, you enter a decidedly more rural, quaint area. My fondest memory of Okinawa is running back to my hotel as the sun was rising across the ocean, a beautiful sunrise in the sub-tropic region of Okinawa.

The local delicacies of Okinawa include “mimiga” (pig’s ear), and “taco rice.” As you might guess, “taco rice” is ground beef, seasoning, salsa, diced tomatoes and shredded cheese on rice: basically the ingredients of a taco over rice. Not surprisingly, this dish is popular both with the locals (it was invented in 1984 by Matsuzo Gibo) and with American service personnel serving in Okinawa. “Goya” is a local bitter root, and if you like your beer with an edge, be sure to try a “Goya Beer.”

MUSIC: My music selection for Okinawa is the peppy “HASHIRU” by Maaya Sakamoto. I really enjoy Sakamoto-san's music, particularly her with with Yoko Kanno.

But why this song in particular? "Hashiru" is the Japanese word for "run," and the logo of this website features the hashiru kanji 走 (to run), with the nihon kanji 日本 (Japan). I did not create this logo, I scanned it from a t-shirt I was given by my sister-in-law, Yoshiko Kataoka.