For the Shisa, the one with the open mouth is the male that scares away bad spirits while the one with the mouth closed is the female that invites the good spirits.
I just wanted to thank you for years of content when my wife and I had our first kid together 8 years ago we use to binge your videos at night and now seeing you with a wonderful family life comes full circle….
John, I was a weather forecaster in Okinawa for five years. You are correct about being in Ishigaki during the wet season. In fact, fisherman in the Ryukyus rarely venture out in late February through March as a weather feature called a Taiwan Low can quickly form and move up the island chain. These bring periods of strong winds and a lot of rain as the low departs the east coast of Taiwan, but they are not as powerful as a typhoon. I loved the weather in April & May. Oh, and Happy Birthday!
My grandmother is from the Yaeyama Islands on Ishigaki.. In Okinawa currently trying to learn more about my families heritage and bloodline. I wish I could make it to Ishigaki but I've been stuck in Naha.. Thanks for this video!! I hope to explore it one day and really take my time to enjoy it.. Super big difference from Osaka and Tokyo.. really enjoying the weather here now and not looking forward to the cold when we return.
Welcome to paradise... Spent three years on Okinawa, what a beautiful place especially the water. You must try the A&W Drive Inn and Blue Seal ice cream, even thought their are so many great local restaurant in Naha. 😎
Aloha! Going there in about 2 weeks. Staying at the same hotel for several days too. Weather and water about the same as home, but my friends/family I’m traveling with from Yokosuka wanted a break from the cold winter weather in Kanto. I heard about the Ishigaki beef too. Didn’t know about the 3 month advance reservation for that good restaurant you mentioned. Hopefully, the guest services at the Hotel can get us a reservation somewhere. Mahalo for the preview and Happy Birthday!
I visited Ishigaki around 8 years ago. Rememberd there was a little cat island across the bridge in the city. Enjoy your time there and have some good wagyu!
Happy almost-birthday man. I can confirm Sapporo is indeed cold. -8C! Next year I'll take your advice and come to Okinawa 😂 now get working on that tan!
お誕生日おめでとう! Hi John, I was in Ishigaki around Christmas just last month and I absolutely enjoyed our family trip there. Across the road from the A&W near the port, there are two “Genki” bakery and cafe stores. The milk, milk tea and milkshakes are absolutely amazing, especially the rich milkshake, if you haven’t tried yet. It is a local brand of milk you cannot find in any other part of Okinawa! Enjoy your trip!
🎉happy early birthday, John! Here in the US the coldest state is Alaska and the warmest is the Florida keys and Oklahoma it varies we're in the middle of the USA. 😊
Shisa have an open and closed mouth. One wards off bad spirits with a growl and one keeps good spirits shut tight in. I have also heard that the open mouthed one swallows the bad spirits and the closed mouth one keeps them from escaping. Often they are placed over the house specifically over the location for the butsudan, a memorial for previous ancestors of the family and the previous owners of the house. These lion-dogs were imported from China and these days in various China towns, you no longer see both forms, usually only the closed mouth one. Shisa are often portrayed less "reverantly" than their Chinese counterpart. This stems from the layback attitude of the Okinawan culture.
Happy Birthday John. Kana looks as beautiful and happy as always and Leo is adorable. You sure are blessed. Do you think the guy meant Dogan and his house? Blessings and happiness to you and your family always. Cheers, Muffy from Oz.(Australia)
Oh my gosh! Your video made my day! That's my hometown, I am from there, Ishigaki, but I have lived in the U.S. for 15 years now... One thing to mention if you don't mind, I think the mascot is an eagle named "ぱいーぐる." An eagle is the Island bird which is カンムリワシ and the name has "eagle" in it, so I'm pretty sure it's an eagle. 🦅 I'm jealous you got a chance to spend some time there! 🤗
Escaping Snowkyo! Hello Hi Leo! Hi Kanae! Aww. Love family trips. Thanks for the island hopping suggestion. I have to admit, I didn't realize how close to the southern tip of Japan was to Taiwan! Happy early birthday wish to my fellow aquarian, John! Have a blast! 🎉 The mascot is a chicken hawk! 😂
21:48 I want the almond pistachio, please 🙏🏻 🍦 for once, I am jealous of the weather in Japan from Florida. I know it was snowing in Tokyo. But least you have Okinawa.
Great ! you look good - your wife looks happy - it’s been too long that I watched you - back now and catching up . What I noticed : you’re going gray and your kid is big !
Hi John! I'm so happy I caught your livestream with your family in Okinawa. One of my bucket list place to visit someday and I'm looking forward to seeing what other places there are to go there. And Leo-kun...so cute! Thank you for taking us along with you. Oh.forgot to share with you that my daughter bought me your hitch hiking dvd so we're going to watch it together. Excited to watch that!
@onlyinjapanGO That would be so awesome if you do go to another island. Actually... anywhere you go is always exciting to watch so I'll be looking forward to seeing where you'll take us next!
You missed the really warm weather. last week it was 77 degrees here in naha. I was down in miyakojima not long ago and i saw a huge yellow school bus from Anaheim california school district. It was being used as a restaurant. I guess with the typhoons a huge schoolbus won't blow away. I was talking to a young lady that worked at the hilton on miyakojima and she said she was from taiwan. They have a shortage of workers and housing there. they even built apartments next to the hilton to house their workers. Personally i think okinawa has a SE asia or thailand kind of vibe
We loved Ishigaki Island... we got to visit the Japanese naval ships anchored there that patrol the contested islands that China harasses. Had great yakiniku and my wife made some crafts at a studio.
Mensore! I have been there. I like Tofu no Higa. They are only open early. Of course you must try Beni imo ice-cream. Sometimes it is hard to find. Go to Kabira Bay although the water looks blue-er when it is sunny. Lots of coffee shops and most nice. Stop by Yoshidasan's for a Sabani Tour. He is one of the few remaining boat builders of this unique craft. If you go to Taketomijima have a ride on an Okinawan Limousine. In summer there is a shaved ice place that is a must, but this time of year, not sure. See the sparkly sand beach. If you go where there is a vending machine, pick up Shikwasa or Sanpincha. Both are great. Of course on fish, shikwasa is hard to beat. If I think of anything else, wait, sata andagi is a donut but I usually get it in the main island. The beni imo ones are best.
Interesting island. Enjoy your holiday. Weather there incl Okinawa is comparable to Hawaii. Tropical. Not too cold in winter some people say. Told mum before there are actually some islands off Okinawa which are near to Taiwan. Worth visiting. Dont miss going to A&W😊. I need to watch more videos regarding Japanese Islands, incl Iejima near Okinawa.
Thanks Rainer! I think I’ll be back to film more, island hopping. Would be interesting, it’s super rural, doesn’t feel like typical Japan, like another country in a way 😂 old Japan? The port is like a town but driving through the countryside, it was nothing like the main islands.
@@onlyinjapanGO Ishigaki looks interesting. Reminds me of Langkawi island Malaysia, which I like to travel to someday. Looks really rural. A town or village, farmlands and greenery landscapes. Nice scenery. Mountains. Not much. Its like going to the countryside of the mainland. Interesting. Had a glimpse of Iejima long ago. I believe the main attractions are swimming/diving, food, riding bicycle around the island. Island itself are not too big. Almost flat. Apart from a mountain which does provide a 360 view. Awesome. Mum usually watches YT videos on the weekend and always watches all your videos. She’ll be watching this soon. Mata ne👋🏻
you can actually get blue seal in tokyo too love the beniimo soft serve also that A&W you showed saved me years ago as it was hard finding edible food for me so I went there almost daily
You can but ..: it’s not the same. Need to weather and palm trees 🌴 blue sea. Just empty calories in Tokyo 😂 A&W is a special place for sure! Only in Okinawa!
been there 2019 and it was kinda nice but also harder then expected as my Japanese is bad, I don't eat seafood and I don't have a drivers license ^^V some other places like miyako were even harder for me though or yoron and okinoerabu where I stopped on my way to yakushima but they were all nice my gf wants to go so badly to kabira bay
I really want to go to Isigaki so that I can go to Hateruma (the most Southern Point) and Yonaguni (the most Western Point). If you use the ferry to Haterama, can you show the booking process, please? There isn't anything online about them and most of the websites are hard to use.
It’s simple, buy a ticket :) you can do it online but it’s not crowded this time of year. Usually you need to write address, phone, pay. If you know the schedule, it’s super easy - show up 30 months before. I’ll be back here soon.
For the Shisa, the one with the open mouth is the male that scares away bad spirits while the one with the mouth closed is the female that invites the good spirits.
Thank you
Omg! Leo is so adorable. He is getting so big. Kanae you are looking beautiful as always. Yall are such an awesome family.
I just wanted to thank you for years of content when my wife and I had our first kid together 8 years ago we use to binge your videos at night and now seeing you with a wonderful family life comes full circle….
Happy birthday, John! The big 5-0! Still rocking the baby face, though. :) Great to see the whole family out having a good time! Enjoy!
Now I see why you live in Japan. Your wife is lovely and your son is adorable. You're living the dream, my friend. 👍
Beautiful family brother, you deserve the good life. Blessings and Love from Nevada U.S.A
John, I was a weather forecaster in Okinawa for five years. You are correct about being in Ishigaki during the wet season. In fact, fisherman in the Ryukyus rarely venture out in late February through March as a weather feature called a Taiwan Low can quickly form and move up the island chain. These bring periods of strong winds and a lot of rain as the low departs the east coast of Taiwan, but they are not as powerful as a typhoon. I loved the weather in April & May. Oh, and Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday, John!!! Thanks for all the good info in this video!
Thank you, Chris. Love the content
My grandmother is from the Yaeyama Islands on Ishigaki.. In Okinawa currently trying to learn more about my families heritage and bloodline. I wish I could make it to Ishigaki but I've been stuck in Naha.. Thanks for this video!! I hope to explore it one day and really take my time to enjoy it.. Super big difference from Osaka and Tokyo.. really enjoying the weather here now and not looking forward to the cold when we return.
Happy Birthday!!!!!🎉🎉🎉🎉❤
✨Happy Birthday John💫
Thank You for showing us the beautiful and wonderful island of Ishikagi! You are Amazing as always. 👍
✌️🇬🇧
Happy Birthday and thank you for your amazing videos you have a beautiful family. Have a Great time from Northern California .USA. 🌲
I enjoyed this video enjoy your time there John,Kani and Leo also enjoy your ice cream
Nice to see a happy family
Happy Birthday John, nice to see Kanae n Leo 🎉😘
John san, you're awesome bro. great channel.
Have a great trip guys and happy birthday John!..🎉
Hope you have a great birthday! A&W make awesome burgers and they have the best rootbeer
Wow, nice video greetings from Ecuador-Quito.
I love your videos
Always nice to take a casual walk with you in the morning.
Happy Birthday John🎉🎂I missed this completely , sorry for that 😕Thank you anyway for this enjoyable and relaxing stream🙂👍!!!
One of our favourite islands. We usually stay at the hotel accross the street from where you started your video.
Happy Birthday!!
Welcome to paradise... Spent three years on Okinawa, what a beautiful place especially the water. You must try the A&W Drive Inn and Blue Seal ice cream, even thought their are so many great local restaurant in Naha. 😎
Happy birthday John!
Yes, the big 5-0. Happy birthday John. I miss my favorite A&W rootbeer floats. Cheers for Kanae and Leo.
Aloha! Going there in about 2 weeks. Staying at the same hotel for several days too. Weather and water about the same as home, but my friends/family I’m traveling with from Yokosuka wanted a break from the cold winter weather in Kanto.
I heard about the Ishigaki beef too. Didn’t know about the 3 month advance reservation for that good restaurant you mentioned. Hopefully, the guest services at the Hotel can get us a reservation somewhere. Mahalo for the preview and Happy Birthday!
I visited Ishigaki around 8 years ago. Rememberd there was a little cat island across the bridge in the city. Enjoy your time there and have some good wagyu!
Ishigaki is a fantastic island with amazing diving
I always love to see Kanai and Leo ❤😊 enjoy family time.
Happy almost-birthday man. I can confirm Sapporo is indeed cold. -8C! Next year I'll take your advice and come to Okinawa 😂 now get working on that tan!
お誕生日おめでとう! Hi John, I was in Ishigaki around Christmas just last month and I absolutely enjoyed our family trip there. Across the road from the A&W near the port, there are two “Genki” bakery and cafe stores. The milk, milk tea and milkshakes are absolutely amazing, especially the rich milkshake, if you haven’t tried yet. It is a local brand of milk you cannot find in any other part of Okinawa! Enjoy your trip!
I’ll try to check it out! We’ll be back in port tomorrow.
🎉happy early birthday, John!
Here in the US the coldest state is Alaska and the warmest is the Florida keys and Oklahoma it varies we're in the middle of the USA. 😊
love Okinawa❤
Yeah, I’m a nurse in the states and I agree, that is a lot of AED’s. Nice area, nice eatery’s. Thank you
Been in October !! Good times
Happy early Birthday!
Shisa have an open and closed mouth. One wards off bad spirits with a growl and one keeps good spirits shut tight in. I have also heard that the open mouthed one swallows the bad spirits and the closed mouth one keeps them from escaping. Often they are placed over the house specifically over the location for the butsudan, a memorial for previous ancestors of the family and the previous owners of the house. These lion-dogs were imported from China and these days in various China towns, you no longer see both forms, usually only the closed mouth one. Shisa are often portrayed less "reverantly" than their Chinese counterpart. This stems from the layback attitude of the Okinawan culture.
Happy Birthday John. Kana looks as beautiful and happy as always and Leo is adorable. You sure are blessed. Do you think the guy meant Dogan and his house? Blessings and happiness to you and your family always. Cheers, Muffy from Oz.(Australia)
Oh my gosh! Your video made my day! That's my hometown, I am from there, Ishigaki, but I have lived in the U.S. for 15 years now...
One thing to mention if you don't mind, I think the mascot is an eagle named "ぱいーぐる." An eagle is the Island bird which is カンムリワシ and the name has "eagle" in it, so I'm pretty sure it's an eagle. 🦅 I'm jealous you got a chance to spend some time there! 🤗
plz do a stream with Peter (PVG) soon we haven’t seen you two together in ages 😭are you guys still friends??
Sure, I’ll ask him when I get back.
Sanpin 【さんぴん】the local dialect for “Jasmine” as used in the さんぴん茶 or Jasmine Tea. From Chinese 香片 (xiāng piàn).
Damn brother you making 50 look good.
Escaping Snowkyo! Hello Hi Leo! Hi Kanae! Aww. Love family trips. Thanks for the island hopping suggestion. I have to admit, I didn't realize how close to the southern tip of Japan was to Taiwan! Happy early birthday wish to my fellow aquarian, John! Have a blast! 🎉 The mascot is a chicken hawk! 😂
wax on wax off...
Happy birthday :)
Hi Konichiwa I was in Okinawa last May practicing Seidokan Karate and meet the island
Very interesting video, great to see Kanai and Leo! 💕🌺🌸💐🍌🍱 7:59
21:48 I want the almond pistachio, please 🙏🏻 🍦 for once, I am jealous of the weather in Japan from Florida. I know it was snowing in Tokyo. But least you have Okinawa.
Great ! you look good - your wife looks happy - it’s been too long that I watched you - back now and catching up . What I noticed : you’re going gray and your kid is big !
I'm getting on that boat if there's a Mary Ann look-alike!😮
Hi John! I'm so happy I caught your livestream with your family in Okinawa. One of my bucket list place to visit someday and I'm looking forward to seeing what other places there are to go there. And Leo-kun...so cute! Thank you for taking us along with you. Oh.forgot to share with you that my daughter bought me your hitch hiking dvd so we're going to watch it together. Excited to watch that!
Thank you Michael, we saw you! This island is great, so much more of Okinawa to cover! Maybe we’ll visit another island 🏝️
@onlyinjapanGO That would be so awesome if you do go to another island. Actually... anywhere you go is always exciting to watch so I'll be looking forward to seeing where you'll take us next!
You missed the really warm weather. last week it was 77 degrees here in naha. I was down in miyakojima not long ago and i saw a huge yellow school bus from Anaheim california school district. It was being used as a restaurant. I guess with the typhoons a huge schoolbus won't blow away. I was talking to a young lady that worked at the hilton on miyakojima and she said she was from taiwan. They have a shortage of workers and housing there. they even built apartments next to the hilton to house their workers. Personally i think okinawa has a SE asia or thailand kind of vibe
Would you consider a video about japan neon sign makers, I know the signs are disappearing since the mid 90s
Hi 👋 John and family hopefully y’all enjoyed your time ❤
We loved Ishigaki Island... we got to visit the Japanese naval ships anchored there that patrol the contested islands that China harasses. Had great yakiniku and my wife made some crafts at a studio.
My wife and I have covered most of Japan in the last 20 years except Okinawa.
Hello from Taipei!
Which is a stone throw away from Ishigaki.
Mensore! I have been there. I like Tofu no Higa. They are only open early. Of course you must try Beni imo ice-cream. Sometimes it is hard to find. Go to Kabira Bay although the water looks blue-er when it is sunny. Lots of coffee shops and most nice. Stop by Yoshidasan's for a Sabani Tour. He is one of the few remaining boat builders of this unique craft. If you go to Taketomijima have a ride on an Okinawan Limousine. In summer there is a shaved ice place that is a must, but this time of year, not sure. See the sparkly sand beach. If you go where there is a vending machine, pick up Shikwasa or Sanpincha. Both are great. Of course on fish, shikwasa is hard to beat. If I think of anything else, wait, sata andagi is a donut but I usually get it in the main island. The beni imo ones are best.
Theres a Blue Seal ice cream shop in Ebisu in Yebisu Garden Place fyi.....you can get it in Tokyo.
You didn't visit the boxing legend's statue? Yoko Gushiken Monument...there's also Yoko Gushiken Memorial Hall...
Hi John first time here..
I think thst guy was thinking life where im from
Interesting island. Enjoy your holiday. Weather there incl Okinawa is comparable to Hawaii. Tropical. Not too cold in winter some people say. Told mum before there are actually some islands off Okinawa which are near to Taiwan. Worth visiting. Dont miss going to A&W😊. I need to watch more videos regarding Japanese Islands, incl Iejima near Okinawa.
Thanks Rainer! I think I’ll be back to film more, island hopping. Would be interesting, it’s super rural, doesn’t feel like typical Japan, like another country in a way 😂 old Japan? The port is like a town but driving through the countryside, it was nothing like the main islands.
@@onlyinjapanGO Ishigaki looks interesting. Reminds me of Langkawi island Malaysia, which I like to travel to someday. Looks really rural. A town or village, farmlands and greenery landscapes. Nice scenery. Mountains. Not much. Its like going to the countryside of the mainland. Interesting. Had a glimpse of Iejima long ago. I believe the main attractions are swimming/diving, food, riding bicycle around the island. Island itself are not too big. Almost flat. Apart from a mountain which does provide a 360 view. Awesome. Mum usually watches YT videos on the weekend and always watches all your videos. She’ll be watching this soon. Mata ne👋🏻
you can actually get blue seal in tokyo too
love the beniimo soft serve
also that A&W you showed saved me years ago as it was hard finding edible food for me so I went there almost daily
You can but ..: it’s not the same. Need to weather and palm trees 🌴 blue sea. Just empty calories in Tokyo 😂 A&W is a special place for sure! Only in Okinawa!
Dinner- A&W
Lmao…Chris 😂
What is temp in Jan at Tokyo?
Colder than here!
Looks like Florida
been there 2019 and it was kinda nice but also harder then expected as my Japanese is bad, I don't eat seafood and I don't have a drivers license ^^V
some other places like miyako were even harder for me though or yoron and okinoerabu where I stopped on my way to yakushima but they were all nice
my gf wants to go so badly to kabira bay
Club Med Kabira is there.
To late John. Now evry one now’s it now happy birthday.
How about economy of Ishigaki, seems there are ot of restaurants but from where they get money? Tourism, fish industry, something else?
Cows raising before they are sent to Kobe for big bucks?
0:18 家内 His wife? or Her name? Kanai?
I really want to go to Isigaki so that I can go to Hateruma (the most Southern Point) and Yonaguni (the most Western Point). If you use the ferry to Haterama, can you show the booking process, please? There isn't anything online about them and most of the websites are hard to use.
It’s simple, buy a ticket :) you can do it online but it’s not crowded this time of year. Usually you need to write address, phone, pay. If you know the schedule, it’s super easy - show up 30 months before. I’ll be back here soon.
I'd rather see Snowkyo! 😭
kestrel.
a wierd resemblance to gta 5
It's really hard to believe this island is still part of Japan!
Empty
To big for stroller