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Cultural exchange brings American, Okinawan families together

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Rey Ramon
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  The Okinawan people have a saying - "Ichariba chode," which means, "If we meet once, we will always be brothers and sisters." In the spirit of "Ichariba chode," American and Okinawan family members participated in a cultural exchange at the Kadena Town Rotary March 7 in an effort to strengthen friendships between the base and the community and have some fun in the process. 

About 200 Americans and Okinawans shared a day filled with music, cooking classes and sports such as dodge ball and obstacle races. They also took part in traditional Okinawan activities such a tamaire, a popular game similar to basketball played by Japanese children, and sanshin, a three-stringed Okinawan musical instrument similar to a banjo. 

The exchange event, which was planned by the Okinawa bureau of the Japanese Ministry of Defense, allowed service members and their families to connect with their neighbors in Kadena Town through activities where love of food, sports, music and family was more important that speaking a common language. 

Colonel Lenny J. Richoux, 18th Wing vice commander, gave opening remarks at the event and emphasized the necessity of maintaining strong ties to the local community. "It's very important to us that we build our relationship together and strengthen the family environment here in Okinawa." 

Kadena Town Mayor Tokujitsu Miyagi was also on hand for the event, telling the crowd, "Even though our time is limited, I hope all of you here visiting today will enjoy watching the exchange program centering on American and Japanese children." 

For the servicemembers and their families who participated, the event was a unique opportunity. 

Jacklene Hutcheson, president of the Kadena Officers' Spouses' Club, helped gather a 
group of about 20 Air Force spouses together to participate in the cooking demonstration where everything from yakisoba to rice krispy treats found its way onto the menu. 

"The cooking class was a great way to come together with members of the Okinawa community," said Ms. Hutcheson. "It was an honor to be able to participate, and I hope the ladies from Kadena Town that we cooked with got as much out of it as we did." 

While the spouses were busy cooking, the children were tackling obstacle courses and playing some good old fashioned dodge ball. 

"We had a lot of fun today," said Christine Anderson, an American parent who attended the event. "My daughters had fun playing dodge ball and playing with the other children, American and Japanese." 

While the cultural exchange event was small in scale, it made a big impact on those who participated. 

"I would like to see this become an annual event for children to build up a long-lasting friendship," said Kazu Tamaki, a teacher at Misato Elementary School in Okinawa City.