I visited OKITEN last weekend to check out the latest work from a wide range of artists on Okinawa. Areas included paintings, mixed media, sculpture, calligraphy, laquerware, pottery, glassware, woodwork, photography and graphic design. Nearly all the artists were Okinawan, but there were exhibits by few foreign nationals including a mixed media piece “Where the Earth Meets the Sea” by Chrisse Harwanko and two ceramic sculptures by Nick Centala. The photography section was a little underwhelming. My main gripe was that virtually all the prints were made with glossy photographic paper. You were getting glare from the lights, and even problems with rippling on the thin paper. Some photographs  had been framed used perspex or standard (reflective) glass which again leads to glare and reflections. The quality of the actual photographs varied, but few really stood out. I was impressed by a series of images of the Yanbaru Kuina, which I believe won a prize, but otherwise the photographs were a bit of a disappointment. Overall, however, the exhibition was well worth checking out. It’s running …

Habu ( Trimeresurus flavoviridis ) are poisonous pit vipers found on Okinawa. As with most snakes they keep to themselves so you’re very unlikely to see a habu in the wild while on Okinawa. Unfortunately you are likely to see one sitting at the bottom of a bottle of Awamori (Okinawan Sake). Similar to the worm in a bottle of tequila the snake is thought to give the alcohol an extra kick. Another interesting fact about the habu is that in 1910 someone made the decision to import Indian Mongooses into Okianawa to control the habu population. The mongoose has now become a serious pest on Okinawa, killing and eating virtually every native creature on Okinawa, except for… the habu.

I’ve had a few emails and comments asking whether Okinawa is affected by the radiation leaks from the nuclear power plants in Fukushima. Short Answer: NUCLEAR RADIATION LEAKS DO NOT AFFECT THOSE LIVING IN OKINAWA. PLEASE DO NOT WORRY. Longer Answer: The “Fukushima Fifty”, Japanese engineers who are at the plant trying to control the nuclear reactors, are I imagine in very real danger. People within 13 miles of the plant have been told to leave the area. People between 13 and 19 miles have been told to stay indoors. People in cities not far from the plant may receive higher than background amounts of radiation, but nothing that is considered dangerous. Okinawa is over 1000 miles from the radiation leak and well out of harms way even in a worse case scenario.