Kitain, Kawagoe Photo by Sarah B. Hodge

INSIDE INFO

SetsubunSpring, beans are

in the airPage 6

Tokyoweekendescapes

Pages 4-5

AIRMAN USES VIDEO GAMES TO BRIDGE LANGUAGE GAP

PAGE 2

VALENTINE’S DAYHOW A FAKE AMERICAN

HOLIDAY BECAME AN EVEN FAKER JAPANESE ONE

PAGE 8

The Meatand Potatoes

of Life

Page 3

THE TRUTH ABOUT MEN AND DOGS

VOLUME 14 NO. 6 JANUARY 30 − FEBRUARY 5, 2020 FREESTRIPESOKINAWA.COM SUBMIT STORIES TO: OKINAWA@STRIPES.COM FACEBOOK.COM/STRIPESPACIFIC

A STARS AND STRIPES COMMUNITY PUBLICATION JANUARY 30 − FEBRUARY 5, 20202 STRIPES OKINAWA

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Max D. Lederer Jr.Publisher

Lt. Col. Richard E. McClinticCommander

Joshua M LashbrookChief of Staff

Chris VeriganEngagement Director

Marie WoodsPublishing and Media Design Director

Chris CarlsonPublishing and Media Design Manager

Eric LeeAdvertising and Circulation Manager

Scott WheelerOkinawa Area Manager

Kentaro ShimuraProduction Manager

Rie MiyoshiEngagement Manager

Denisse RaudaPublishing and Media Design Editor

Publishing and Media Design WritersChiHon KimShoji Kudaka

Takahiro Takiguchi

Layout DesignersYukiyo Oda

Yuko OkazakiKayoko Shimoda

Multimedia Consultants Max Genao Doug Johnson Brian Jones Jason Lee Hans Simpson Chae Pang Yi Gianni Youn Robert Zuckerman

Graphic Designers Kenichi Ogasawara Yosuke Tsuji

Sales Support Kazumi Hasegawa Hiromi Isa Ichiro Katayanagi Yoko Noro Yusuke Sato Chae Yon Son Saori Tamanaha Toshie Yoshimizu

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION FUTENMA – Marine Corps Air Station Futenma leadership, rep-resentatives from sponsors, the United Service Organizations Okinawa team, and members of the U.S. military community par-ticipated in a grand reopening ceremony Jan. 16, at the MCAS Futenma USO office, Okinawa, Japan.

A section of the USO office was closed since April 2018 for reno-vations, but it wasn’t completely closed. The USO made it a prior-ity to ensure service members were being taking care of.

“I was impressed that they were not going to close while the work was taking place, I thought they would be out of commission for several months but in true character they kept it open for the Marines and sailors,” said Sgt. Maj. Jason Kappen, sergeant major of MCAS Futenma.

“This is a testament to the lev-el of service the USO offers. No matter what is going on here they are going to take care of us, and for that we are very appreciative. This is truly a home away from home,” he said.

The USO has a main lounge, eight computer stations, 11 lap-tops for check out, a small theater

Kayla Stamey, field programs manager and lead designer of MCAS Futenma USO office.

“For example, we created several casual and professional work spaces for marines and sail-ors that can accommodate play as well as career development to mirror their lifestyles,” she said.

For more information on pro-grams, resources, volunteering or donating opportunities in your area, contact your local USO of-fice.

Programs include weekly Wednesday meals starting at 1700, and late-night meals on Fridays and Saturdays starting at 2200. The USO office even includes cultural events such as Japanese cooking classes and temple visits.

“The overall goal for the re-model of the USO Futenma was to upgrade our 12,000 square foot space to modernize it, mak-ing it more usable and applicable to our service members,” said

with 25 leather recliners, a gam-ing room with seven individual gaming stations, a 75-inch mul-tiplayer gaming station, a fully equipped conference room that seats 20 people, ping pong tables, billiards, outdoor patio, fire pit, BBQ, and lawn.

Nobu’s Curry restaurant and AIG Insurance are also within the USO office. Services avail-able include Wi-Fi, streaming services, charging stations and printing.

STORY AND PHOTOS BYCPL. KAYLA STATEN,

MARINE CORPS INSTALLATIONS PACIFIC

Futenma USO celebrates reopening

KADENA AIR BASE – Staff Sgt. Benjamin Raughton, a pho-tojournalist stationed at Kadena Air Base, sits at his desk at the 18th Wing Public Affairs office. Some memen-tos sit stop a shelf above him: a line of hand-held video games. Today, his job is to make sure a batch of photos are properly edited.

“Public Affairs is like a lake that’s five miles long and three inches

and there was another one that was like a quiz game, and I used it to practice what I had already learned.”

The lessons from the video games taught Raughton the ba-sic fundamentals he would later use to enhance his mission in the Pacific region.

“When a Japanese visitor wants something or has a ques-tion, I can help out even if they don’t speak English, so I’m able

to provide some services that can still bridge that language gap,” he said.

When Raughton started teaching English more than 10 years ago, he never imagined he’d use those skills strengthen U.S. partnerships in the Air Force. He no longer uses video games to learn Japanese, but enjoys spending time interact-ing with locals and doing street photography in Naha.

the work order,” Raughton said.Prior to joining the U.S. Air

Force, he was an English teacher in Japan’s Okayama and Tottori prefectures, where he was hired by a private English academy.

His ability to communicate in Japanese with the local popula-tion stems from the video games that now rest in his office.

“There are games, but there’s also educational software so I thought, ‘You know what? I live here and I’ve tried my best to learn Japanese and I want to keep learning,” he said. “There was a very popular thing called the Nintendo DS. I got some games that were educational and they taught me how to write the characters in Japanese hira-gana and katakana. There was another one that teaches kanji,

deep,” says Raughton. “You learn a little bit about a lot of different things. I do everything from writing articles, produc-

ing photo and video content, public relations, and web

design.”A bell rings, indicat-

ing someone entered the building.

Raughton, a Te n n e s s e e native, smiles as he greets the Japanese customers.

“I just walked over,

asked them if I could help them and they told me

in Japanese that they wanted an official photo and I was able to get them started on

STORY AND PHOTOS BY TECH. SGT. HUGO DELGADO,

AFN COURTESY

Airman uses video games to bridge language gap

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Benjamin Raughton, 18th Wing Public Affairs photographer, greets a Japanese customer at Kadena Air Base.

Upper left: Urasaki Kyoko, left, and O-Shiro Takako, play the sanshin, a three-stringed traditional Okinawan musical instrument, during a ceremony at the Marine Corps Air Station Futenma USO office on Jan. 16. Left: USO receive an award. Above: U.S. Marines and members of the USO cut a ribbon.

STRIPES OKINAWA 3JANUARY 30 − FEBRUARY 5, 2020 A STARS AND STRIPES COMMUNITY PUBLICATION

F rom a plastic chair be-side a burbling aquar-ium tank occupied by

one lonely suckerfish, I relayed our dog’s recent behavior to the veterinarian. “Moby’s been acting ... well, funny. He’s walk-ing stiffly, favoring his left side, whining a lot, and he won’t get up for anything — except meals, of course. He is a lab, after all.”

The assistant distracted Moby with treats while the vet did several tests and drew a vial of blood. While pumping anti-bacterial gel into her hand from an enormous jug sitting near the examining room sink, she broke the news. “Mrs. Molinari, your big guy here has cervical disc inflammation that is caus-ing him pretty severe pain. This kind of condition warrants ag-gressive treatment, so we’ll put him on steroids, Gabapentin, muscle relaxers and strict bed rest. Next week, once the pain subsides a bit, we’ll do X-rays and start physical therapy.”

Before we were released to wait for medications and pa-perwork in the lobby, the vet-erinarian’s assistant wheeled a suitcase-sized machine into the examining room. She explained that laser therapy could help to reduce Moby’s disc inflamma-tion. We all donned protective glasses to protect our eyes, and she flipped the switch. Moby sat obediently, looking some-what humiliated by the dog goggles that made him look like something out of a Snoopy the Flying Ace comic strip, while the as-sistant ran the humming laser wand up and down his stout neck.

After being given instructions on home care, we went out to the lobby. I sat on a bench with two old ladies stroking a cat with cataracts, listening to surprisingly loud baritone squeals emanating from a crate containing a tiny pink and gray pig, when a sudden wave of deja vu washed over me like a luke-warm flea shampoo.

“He got a laser treatment?” he asked incredulously. “How come I can’t get lasered? For criminy’s sake, I got diagnosed with bulging discs at the VA two years ago and I can’t even get a shot of cortisone without making a federal case! I’m still

waiting on the PT referral I re-quested weeks ago. But our dog had laser therapy ten minutes after arriving at the vet? Some-thing is wrong here!”

I shrugged nonchalantly and went back to scribbling my holiday To Do list, accustomed to Francis griping about his sci-atica. But then it hit me.

Just like Moby, Francis acted strangely. He walked with a limp, favoring his left side. He groaned, moaned, winced and whined at the slightest move-ment, especially if others were watching. A look of self-pity had taken up permanent residence on his face. He was prescribed — you guessed it — Gabapen-tin, among other medications. And he only got up from his lounge chair for meals.

Come to think of it, even without spinal ailments, Fran-cis and Moby had become kin-dred spirits. They both lived for every meal, shed body hair around the house, yawned too much, scratched inappropri-ately, and were driven by their bodily functions.

How had I missed the obvi-ous parallels?

Despite my husband’s ten-dency toward narcissism, the sight of our people-pleasing lab, in a drugged stupor, tugged Francis’ attention away from

his favorite subject — himself — for a mo-ment.

“Poor guy. What else did the vet tell you to do?”

“She said we need to make sure he sleeps a lot. He should only get up for meals and quick potty breaks. If he’s feeling better in a week or two, we’ll start

physical therapy, which entails some kind of massage

and exercises with treats for re-wards,” I told Francis.

He stared intently at Moby, snoring softly from his cozy kitchen nest. “Sheesh,” he said after several beats of silence, “I want those doctor’s orders.”

I glanced at my lengthy holiday to-do list, and thought, “Don’t we all.”Read more of Lisa Smith Molinari’s columns at: themeatandpotatoesoflife.com Email: meatandpotatoesoflife@googlemail.com

The truth about men and dogs

Seabees ‘Can Do’ at White BeachAbove: Steelworker Constructionman Marshall Lybarger (left) and Builder Constructionman Jeffrey Crabtree, deployed with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 5, use the walk-behind saw to cut the sidewalk adjacent to the seawall. U.S. Navy Seabees are replacing sidewalks and repairing a seawall on board Naval Base White Beach. Right: Equipment Operator Constructionman Kameron Davis, deployed with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 5, operates the front-end loader with fork attachments to lift a large slab of concrete sidewalk. Photos by Equipment Operator Constructionman Brandon Blevins, U.S. Navy

The Meat and Potatoes of Life

Lisa Smith Molinari

A STARS AND STRIPES COMMUNITY PUBLICATION JANUARY 30 − FEBRUARY 5, 20204 STRIPES OKINAWA

Edo-Tokyo Open-Air Architectural Museum features around 30 recon-structed buildings, many dating to the Meiji Period, relocated from around Tokyo. Ranging from rustic farms, traditional homes, and bathhouses to el-egant Western-inspired houses, offices, and shops, the museum (affiliated with the Edo-Tokyo Museum) is set in a beautiful wooded park in Musashi Koganei, about a 2-hour train ride from Yokosuka.

The museum is divided into three areas. The West Zone includes a photo studio, farmhouse, architect’s office, and several elegant Western-inspired pri-vate homes (one, the Georg de LaLande house, houses a quaint European-style café with desserts, drinks, and curry). The Center Zone features the striking Jisho-in Mausoleum, House of Korekiyo Takahashi, Second House of the Ni-shikawa Family, and the Tea Arbor Kaisuian, while the East Zone holds some of the most unique architecture including the beautiful copper-tiled Maruni

Shoten kitchenware store, Kawano Shoten oil-paper umbrella wholesale store, and the public bathhouse Kodakara-yu. Several buildings at the museum, most notably the bathhouse, are said to have inspired animator Hayao Miyazaki as he was creating his Academy Award-winning “Spirited Away.” Miyazaki-san also designed the museum’s mascot Edomaru, a cuddly green caterpillar that appears around the museum as well as on merchandise available in the mu-seum gift shop.

The museum hosts regular monthly events and seasonal ones such as night-time illumination for Bon Odori and fall colors. I was extremely impressed at the level of English support, including roaming English-speaking volunteer guides and the fact that every building had a detailed sheet with the building’s history and information translated into English. I greatly enjoyed exploring and look forward to my next visit!

EDO-TOKYO OPEN-AIR ARCHITECTURAL MUSEUMADDRESS: 3-7-1 Sakuracho, Koganei, TokyoHOURS: April - September: 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. October - March:

9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., closed Mondays and on New Year’sACCESS: Musashi-Koganei Station (JR Chuo Line, take bus from Bus

Stop #2 or #3 to Koganei-Koen Nishiguchi)ADMISSION: Adults 600 yen, children freeURL: www.tatemonoen.jp/english/ The museum’s website features 360-degree virtual reality tours of

each building, including spaces normally closed to the public. (Wearing slip-on shoes is highly recommended as you are required

to take off your shoes to enter most buildings)

T okyo is famous for its avant-garde fashion, themed restaurants and cafes, shopping and nightlife, but beyond the neon lights and urban sprawl, the Greater Tokyo area offers some fantastic inexpensive escapes that will

allow you to recharge and relax.

STORY AND PHOTOS BY SARAH B. HODGE,STRIPES JAPAN

Tokyoweekendescapes

Get “spirited away”at

Edo-Tokyo Open-Air Architectural Museum

vvHouse of Korekiyo Takahashi(Edo-Tokyo Open-Air Architectural Museum)

STRIPES OKINAWA 5JANUARY 30 − FEBRUARY 5, 2020 A STARS AND STRIPES COMMUNITY PUBLICATION

Known as “Little Edo,” Kawagoe is located in neighboring Saitama Pre-fecture and is only 30 minutes by lim-ited express train from central Tokyo. Kurazukuri Street and neighboring streets are lined with 200 beautifully preserved wooden warehouses from the Edo Period (1603-1867) that have been turned into shops and restau-rants. The city’s iconic centerpiece is “Toki no Kane,” (Bell of Time), a wooden bell tower that rings the time several times a day.

My first stop before sightseeing was the Kawagoe Starbucks. Only steps away from the bell tower, the shop’s design blends in seamless-ly with the surrounding Edo-style buildings (the exterior is made from local timber). The decorations lining the walls are made from painted slid-ing panels from traditional Japanese houses and the bench cushions are crafted from traditional Kawagoe kimono fabric. Outside is a beautiful Japanese dry stone garden with bon-sai pine trees and plenty of terrace seating. In addition to the standard Starbucks Japan lineup, the café also offers Nitro Cold Brew on tap for 520 yen (tall) or 480 yen (short). Nearby, Kawagoe’s Kashiya Yokocho (“Candy Alley”) offers visitors the chance to try old-fashioned Japanese sweets and snacks. During its heyday in the Showa era, there were over 70 confectionary shops lining the street; today some 22 remain.

Dotted with numerous temples and shrines, one of the more impres-sive sights in Kawagoe is Kitain, the head temple of the Tendai sect in the Kanto region. Among its buildings

are the only remaining palace build-ings of Edo Castle as well as the birth-place of one of the Tokugawa sho-guns. Don’t miss the Gohyaku Rakan: made between 1782 and 1825, each of these 540 stone statues of the disci-ples of Buddha has a unique expres-sion. Admission to the temple’s mu-seum (400 yen) includes admission to the Gohyaku Rakan (turn in your ticket at the small souvenir stand in front of the walled courtyard).

I also visited Tsubaki no Kura, a remodeled Edo warehouse that in-cludes a striking camellia mural by renowned Kyoto muralist Ki-Yan, several retail shops, and best of all, a hidden footbath in the back. With the purchase of a drink or snack, you can soak away to your heart’s content.

In addition to excellent local beers by Coedo Brewery (www.coedobrewery.com/en/), Kawagoe is famous for sweet potatoes in every shape and form as well as unagi (grilled eel), Edo-style sushi, and kaiseki (elegant multicourse meals originally served as part of the tea ceremony). Be sure to try one of Kawagoe’s many traditional “ryotei” for a taste of traditional Kawagoe (www.koedo.or.jp/foreign/english/ryotei/).

STARBUCKS COFFEEKAWAGOE KANETSUKI-STREET STORE

ADDRESS: 15-18, Saiwaicho, Kawagoeshi, Saitama Pref.HOURS: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.NUMBER OF SEATS: 77 (inside the store – 56, terrace – 21)URL: www.starbucks.co.jp/en/

TSUBAKI NO KURAADDRESS: 3-2 Kogacho, Kawagoe-shi, Saitama Pref. HOURS: Weekdays 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Saturdays,

Sundays, holidays 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. URL: tsubaki-kura.jp/ (Japanese)

KIYOSUMI GARDENS ADDRESS: 3-3-9 Kiyosumi, Koto-ku, Tokyo HOURS: Open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Entry until 4:30 p.m.) CLOSED: Year-end holidays (December 29 to January 1) ACCESS: - Toei Oedo Line and Tokyo Metro Hanzomon Line, Kiyosumi-shirakawa Sta. (3 minutes on foot) - Toei Bus Line: JR Kameido Sta., North Exit, #7 Bus Stop (Line #33). Take the Toyoumi-suisan-futo bus; get off at Kiyosumiteien-mae (3 minutes on foot). *No parking available ENTRANCE FEE: 150 yen URL (ENGLISH): V

One of Tokyo’s best-kept (and most afford-able) secrets, these lovely strolling gardens in the heart of Tokyo are easily accessible via metro station Kiyosumi-Shirakawa on the Oedo Line.

In 1878, Mitsubishi founder Iwasaki Yatarō selected this location in Fukagawa to create a garden for his employees and for en-tertaining important guests. The garden first opened in 1880 as “Fukagawa Shimbokuen.” Water from the Sumida River was diverted to enlarge the pond, and over time, hills and dry waterfalls were created using famous

and valuable landscape stones from across Japan. Later donated to the city of Tokyo, Ki-yosumi Gardens opened to the public in 1932 and was designated as a Tokyo Metropolitan Place of Scenic Beauty on March 31, 1979.

The gardens feature numerous stone lanterns, pagodas, bridges, and iso-watari, unique stepping stone pathways that create beautiful mirrored reflections. Each step of-fers the viewer a constantly changing land-scape. In the center of the pond is a sukiya-style teahouse that can be rented out for special events.

EDO-TOKYO OPEN-AIR ARCHITECTURAL MUSEUMADDRESS: 3-7-1 Sakuracho, Koganei, TokyoHOURS: April - September: 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. October - March:

9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., closed Mondays and on New Year’sACCESS: Musashi-Koganei Station (JR Chuo Line, take bus from Bus

Stop #2 or #3 to Koganei-Koen Nishiguchi)ADMISSION: Adults 600 yen, children freeURL: www.tatemonoen.jp/english/ The museum’s website features 360-degree virtual reality tours of

each building, including spaces normally closed to the public. (Wearing slip-on shoes is highly recommended as you are required

to take off your shoes to enter most buildings)

escapesKAWAGOE ACCESS: - Tobu Tojo Line (from Ikebukuro to Kawagoe) Express 31 minutes, 450 yen - Seibu Shinjuku Line (Seibu Shinjuku to

Kawagoe) Limited Express 43 minutes, 890 yen - JR Kawagoe Line (Shinjuku to Kawagoe) Local 60 minutes, 760 yen

A sweet side trip to‘Little Edo’ Kawagoe

Kiyosumi GardensA lush oasis in the heart of Tokyo

Get “spirited away”at

Edo-Tokyo Open-Air Architectural Museum

vvKiyosumi Garden

vvKawagoe main street

A STARS AND STRIPES COMMUNITY PUBLICATION JANUARY 30 − FEBRUARY 5, 20206 STRIPES OKINAWA

Stripes Okinawa is A Stars and Stripes Community Publication. This newspaper is authorized for publication by the Department of Defense for members of the military services overseas. However, the contents of Stripes Okinawa are unofficial, and are not to be considered as the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. government, including the Department of Defense

or the U.S. Pacific Command. As a DOD newspaper, Stripes Okinawa may be distributed through official channels and use appropriated funds for distribution to remote and isolated locations where overseas DOD personnel are located. The appearance of advertising in this publication, including inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement of

those products by the Department of Defense or Stars and Stripes. Products or services advertised in this publication shall be made available for purchase, use, or patronage without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, physical handicap, political affiliation, or any other nonmerit factor of the purchaser, user, or patron.

F or those of you venturing out in town on Feb. 3, be sure to watch out for fly-ing beans and fleeing ogres. The Japa-

nese celebrate Setsubun, which literally means “change of seasons,” on this day to kick off the preparation for the upcoming planting season.

The ceremonies across the nation rec-ognize “risshun,” or birth of spring. The purification ritual “mame-maki,” or bean throwing, will be performed at homes, of-fice buildings, schools and shrines across the country. The goal is to drive out demons and ogres, “oni” in Japanese, that bring bad fortune to the local community.

Participants fill wooden “masu,” or cups, with roasted soybeans and then proceed to throw the beans in and around their homes while shouting “Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!” or “Out with demons! In with happiness!”

This ritual is performed to bring in good fortune and drive out the evil spirits that have been lurking during the dark and cold winter months. It is also customary for the devout to pick and eat the number of beans which corresponds to their age.

What started out as a cleansing ritual for superstitious country farmers hundreds of years ago, has grown into a national pas-time. People can attend ceremonies at thou-sands of Shinto shrines throughout Japan on Feb. 3. Well-known politicians, sumo wres-tlers and actors are often invited to the fes-tivals at some of the major shrines to throw

out beans for good luck for all those present. Mame-maki originally began as an impe-

rial event on New Year’s Eve to get rid of de-mons and welcome in the new year. It later mixed with indigenous customs of throwing beans at the time of rice-seedling planting.

Since the Edo period (1603- 1867), the rite of throwing roasted soybeans inside private homes has been performed on Setsubun.

A popular myth states that if a person si-lently consumes an entire sushi roll on Set-subun while facing that year’s lucky direc-tion (yes, there is a lucky direction), their dreams will come true. Commonly called “Ehoumaki,” the sushi roll is eaten to sym-bolize good fortune being rolled into one. The roll is not cut in order to symbolize good relations not being cut off during the upcoming year.

For those of you who are not so sure about eating a very long piece of sushi, you can buy relatively short ones at local conve-nience stores or supermarket on Feb. 3rd. Please remember that this year’s lucky di-rection is west-south-west.

Grab a compass if you need one. If you would like to purchase some roasted soy-beans for your house, you can easily find them in Japanese grocery markets. It usual-ly comes with paper ogre mask, which may be good to keep as a memory of Japan. Why don’t you use the tradition as an excuse to bring some beans to the office, in case your boss or supervisor happens to be an ogre and needs casting out?kudaka.shoji@stripes.com

BY SHOJI KUDAKA,STRIPES OKINAWA

Setsubun celebrates ‘change of seasons’

Feb. 3

2020

Week of 1/27/20 - 2/2/20

SUDOKU Edited by Margie E. Burke

Copyright 2020 by The Puzzle Syndicate

Difficulty: Easy HOW TO SOLVE:

Answers to Last Week’s Sudoku:

Each row must contain the numbers 1 to 9; each column must

contain the numbers 1 to 9; and each set of 3 by 3 boxes must contain the numbers 1 to 9.

1 96 2 12 5 3 9

4 63 1 2

7 83 9

8 4 69 1 2 5 4 3

7 5 6 1 8 3 4 9 29 1 4 7 5 2 6 8 32 8 3 4 9 6 1 5 73 4 5 6 7 9 2 1 86 9 8 2 1 5 3 7 41 7 2 8 3 4 9 6 54 3 9 5 6 8 7 2 18 2 1 9 4 7 5 3 65 6 7 3 2 1 8 4 9

ACROSS1 Kissing pair5 Gold measure

10 Burn the mid-night oil

14 Up for the job15 Get used (to)16 Coolant carrier17 Financial

assistancedeterminers

19 Basilica feature20 Take up space21 Chicken breast,

e.g.23 Type of tide25 Stuffing

ingredient26 Withdraw, with

"out"28 Throaty31 Tap trouble33 Head lock?34 Can't forgo38 Operatic star39 South African DOWN 30 Bring up the rear 48 Runner's goal

village that's an 1 Crippled 32 Throb, as the 50 Quartet memberanagram for 2 Alpine goat heart 51 Addiction"a lark" 3 Mournful 35 Earthquake hot 53 Hamilton or Hunt

41 Translucent gem 4 Have a feeling spot 54 Off one's trolley42 Get a whiff of 5 Do-it-yourself- 36 Comedian 55 Melee memento44 Take the bait er's purchase Carvey 56 Missile housing45 Love potion's 6 Over again 37 Large number 58 Soft rock?

number 7 Hemsworth 40 Libraries do it 59 Hodgepodge46 Containing pus racing flick 43 Drunkard 62 Cub Scout group49 Cornfield cry 8 Well-spoken 47 Take pleasure in50 Carpentry tool 9 Lab worker, at 52 Evans or times

Earnhardt 10 Lizard in a 54 Immortal Culture Club 57 Kind of bean song60 Jessica of "Dark 11 Tripper's land-

Angel" lord61 Type of 12 Evaluate, as ore

expenses 13 Bump into63 Move about 18 Just for men64 Bathroom item 22 Pizzazz65 Pastrami 24 Hockey disk

purveyor 26 4:1, e.g.66 Lug 27 ____ and proper67 Shore bird 29 Cause of 68 Chevron concern for an

competitor aviophobe

Week of 1/27/20 - 2/2/20

The Weekly Crossword by Margie E. Burke

Copyright 2020 by The Puzzle Syndicate

Answers to Last Week’s Crossword:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

14 15 16

17 18 19

20 21 22

23 24 25

26 27 28 29 30

31 32 33 34 35 36 37

38 39 40 41

42 43 44 45

46 47 48 49

50 51 52 53

54 55 56 57 58 59

60 61 62

63 64 65

66 67 68

B R E W M E S H B L E E DA U T O O R C A L A R V AI N A U G U R A L A N G E LT E L L O N G E M S T O N E

D A T A S I T ES C A B A B E T S R S V PH O T E L I E R R A N C O RA V E E N D U S E R A D OF E U D A L P E P T A L K ST Y P E I N T E R D D A Y

F L O E R E A MA M A R A N T H S T I C K SP I C O T H O M E F R O N TS L A S H E L A N A R E AE L I T E R E N T L E E R

STRIPES OKINAWA 7JANUARY 30 − FEBRUARY 5, 2020 A STARS AND STRIPES COMMUNITY PUBLICATION

DID YOUKNOW?

Language Lesson

Kanji of the week

Stripes Sports Trivia

Answer

S hin-Okubo, one stop away from Shinjuku Station, is one of the largest Koreatowns in Japan. When Japan

opened its doors to foreign students and laborers in the 1980s, many of the Korean immigrants flocked to this town because of its cheap rent and willingness of landlords to accept foreign tenants. With the popularity of Korean movies and K-pop music, Shin-Okubo continues to grow in size and popularity.

The “Madden Curse” has been long talked about in the NFL. Whether it was Mike Vick in 2004, Donovan McNabb in ’06 or Shaun Alexander in ’07, the curse has hit some players hard. But, the cover hasn’t al-ways featured a player. For the first few years the cover featured John Madden himself. Who was the first player to steal the cover away from the former Raiders coach?

Eddie George

Hana/Ka (Flower)花I’m shocked.

Shokku desu.

A STARS AND STRIPES COMMUNITY PUBLICATION JANUARY 30 − FEBRUARY 5, 20208 STRIPES OKINAWA

Christmas is over. Now it’s time to take a look at another holiday that’s isn’t quite the same in Japan: Valen-

tine’s Day.As with all Western holidays that have

made their way over to Japan, almost all of the changes and “traditions” have been cre-ated by commercial organizations, looking to build swimming pools of 500 yen coins. In fact, only during one week before Valentine’s Day, chocolate companies make half of their an-nual sales. That’s a lot of money, and a lot of chocolate.

Then again, in America (and other places too), we give a lot of chocolate as well. So, what makes Japan different?

ONLY GIRLS GIVE CHOCOLATEBack in the 1950’s, a company advertised Valentine’s Day choc-

olates to non-Japanese living in Japan at the time. Then, Japanese companies wanted to get on board too, and started advertising Val-entine’s Day chocolates as well. During this period there was quite a bit of “Westernization” where people wanted to adopt more Western / American traditions. Because of this, Valentine’s Day in Japan did fairly well.

But there was one problem…It seems that at some point someone messed up a translation and

ended up telling the Japanese people that Valentine’s Day was an op-portunity for women to express their love to men. Because of this, even to this day it’s mostly women giving chocolates to men (don’t worry, men get their turn too, eventually).

Who is receiving the chocolate?It gets more complicated, though. Because it’s not nice to make

people feel left out on Valentine’s day (especially in, say, the office),

there are different kinds of chocolates girls give out now, depending on who they’re giving it to.

GIRI-CHOCOLATEGiri-Chocolate means “obligatory chocolate.” This kind

of chocolate refers to the chocolate you have to give to people (who aren’t really people you love). These could be

people like bosses, coworkers, male friends, etc. Even sadder still, there’s also something called “Cho-Giri-Chocolate” (Ultra-obligato-ry-chocolate), which is given to unpopular people you really don’t want to give chocolates to.

In order to tell these chocolates apart from other (less obligatory) chocolates, these chocolates tend to be pretty run-of-the-mill, and not super expensive. Things don’t start getting crazy until we get to Honmei-Chocolates.

HONMEI-CHOCOLATEHonmei-Chocolate means “favorite chocolate.” This kind of choco-

late is the kind of chocolate you give to the one you want to express your love to. These chocolates tend to be more expensive or possibly even home made. Basically, it has to be obvious that these are honmei and not giri, so they have to be on a completely different level (Way to go chocolate companies! Ka-ching! ¥¥¥¥).

TOMO-CHOCOLATETomo-choco just means “friend chocolates,” and refers to choco-

lates you give to your female friends (as a female). Simple as that.

Getting The Guys To GiveGuys don’t give anything on Valentine’s Day in Japan, but they

do have their own day one month later where they’re expected to return the favor. That day is known as “White Day” (or, if you’re old enough to remember, “Marshmallow Day”), and it also sounds pretty expensive.

Everyone enjoy their Valentine’s Day… and to all you girls out there: I’m waiting for my cho-giri-choco from you.

BY KOICHI,TOFUGU.COM

How a fake American holiday became an even faker Japanese oneVALENTINE’S DAY

If you’re a dude and you think you’re safe from Valentine’s Day. Hold up, you’re not out of

the woods quite yet; well, at least if you’re in Japan.

For most of us in the West, Valentine’s Day ends on Feb-ruary 15, but in Japan it’s not quite over until March 15. March 14 – exactly one month after Valentine’s Day – is White Day in Japan.

VALENTINE’S DAY IN JAPANUnlike Western traditions where gift

exchanges between loved ones are mu-tual, Japanese Valentine’s Day is all about

men getting presents. Sorry ladies, but you’re out of luck on Valentine’s Day if you want to celebrate it Japanese-style. Women have to wait for White Day before they can get any gifts.

WHAT IS WHITE DAY?If Valentine’s Day in Japan is all about

the guys, White Day is all about the ladies. White Day is a chance for all the men who received gifts on Valentine’s Day to return the favor to the ladies in their lives.

White Day and Valentine’s Day have a lot of similarities. Both aren’t necessar-ily romantic holidays – you can give gifts to anybody of the oppo-site sex, even if your relationship is strict-ly platonic. Friends and co-workers ex-

change gifts on both days.And on both days, chocolate is the gift

of choice, but there’s a bit more nuance to it than buying a box of See’s and being done with it. You can buy different types

of chocolate for the different people in your life: your friends get different choco-lates than your co-workers who get differ-ent chocolates than your significant other.

THE ORIGINS OF WHITE DAYCynically enough, White Day is strictly

a celebration manufactured by the candy industry (unlike true holidays rooted in years of tradition, like Pocky Day). In 1978, the National Confectionery Indus-try Association tried to boost sales, and decided that a new holiday was the best way to do it.

Originally it was called Marshmallow Day and was all about marshmallows, not chocolate. People liked the idea of the new holiday, but weren’t too keen on the marshmallows. The preferred candy changed from marshmallows to choco-late, but the color scheme stayed the same – hence the name “White Day,” and why white chocolate remains a popular White Day gift, even today.

WHITE DAY OUTSIDE OF JAPANWhite Day is definitely a uniquely Jap-

anese invention, but it’s spread to some

other Asian countries, including South Korea and China.

South Korea even has yet another Val-entine’s-Day-related holiday: the aptly named day for single people, Black Day. People in Korea celebrate being single by burying their sorrows with a noodle dish with black bean sauce called jajangmy-eon.

(No doubt, Black Day is just a ploy by the powerful Korean noodle industry.)

So for those in you in Japan, I hope you have a happy White Day; those of us else-where in the world will just have to buy our own chocolate.

BY HASHI,TOFUGU.COM

Japan’s answer to Valentine’s Day

TOFUGU.COM

JajangmyeonPhoto courtesy of 아침꿀물

Ice-cold response not typical.Photo courtesy of TOFUGU

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