Hello, Xxxxxx!
Thank you for visiting ClickOkinawa.com and for sending me your message. The footage of one of our many visits to the Aka Inu Ko was made in 1989.

Wednesday, Sept 8, 2010 4:26p.m.
Hi Mick,
Thanks for writing back. I've been trying to figure out when Aka Inu Ko Restaurant was sold by my family. I think we still had it in '87 but for sure when I went back in '91, it had already changed hands. My aunt owned and ran the place from the early-1960s (possibly even the late-1950s) until the mid-'80s. My mom, other aunts and various cousins worked there in some capacity, including me when I would visit from L.A. as a youngster. When my aunt went to the mainland, my cousins took over for a short while but ended up selling it. There was also a little coffee house adjacent to Aka Inu Ko that another aunt ran (actually, it was a bar for a long time and then in the early-'80s, it was a coffee house).
I've got many fond memories of that little stretch of Route 6 including meals at the Royal and Azuma. I may have to purchase your DVD just to see the inside of Aka Inu Ko again because once it changed hands, I was pretty much told by all my cousins that it was too sad for them to go back there. Guess I can understand why. And who knows? Maybe you and your family went in when my cousins still ran it, though I doubt it.
Is PayPal easiest for you or do you accept personal checks?
Warm regards,
Xxxxxx

Wow! What a treat to hear from you. Aka Inu-ko was one of our favorite places to have a good meal. How did it come to have the name "Red Puppy"?
We lived in Aza-oki for two years, 1986-1988; in fact, having just put that in perspective I think it's more likely that my video may well have been during that time instead of my first impression that it was 1989. In 1988 we moved onto Kadena Air Base until we left at the end of 1990. Even after moving on base we still went out to Yomitan often and went to all the places you mentioned; Aka Inu-ko, the Royal Hotel (where we'd go upstairs for a meal), the Azuma and, out on HW-58 the little taco place. I can't remember the name of that one. The Azuma, I think, was the little restaurant on HW-58, right? On the right as you left Kadena Circle going north? I think that was the name of that place. I liked their soki-soba and the neopolitan spaghetti.
Did you ever go to the Mont Blanc restaurant in Koza (Okinawa City)? It was on a small street that connected Gate 2 Street and Chuo Park Avenue (the old BC Street). It was the same street that had a small clothing store, Saly's.

Thursday, Sept 9, 2010
Hello again Mick,
There is a mostly forgotten Yomitan legend about a little red dog (let's just pretend it's a Ryukyu Inu) who was known for his loyalty. I don't know all the details but it's got some similarities to the Hachiko story except it allegedly took place before Hachiko. If you take the little road (beside the commercial strip where Aka Inu Ko is located) that goes into the hills, eventually you'd get to a small non-descript shrine dedicated to the red dog. We used to play up there as kids (guess I like shrines to dogs as I recently went to see Grey Friar's Bobby in Edinburgh). The funny thing is I remember thinking the legend had something to do with the red dog's tail! But through our discussion, I've come to realize they meant the TALE of the red dog and not the tail of the red dog. Duh. Only took me thirty-odd years to figure that one out.
I believe Azuma was next door to Aka Inu Ko if not a couple of doors away. If you crossed the road, you'd be at Royal. Either that or we were filling ourselves with self-serve soft serve ice cream at a restaurant that I thought was Azuma but wasn't. My cousins and I would walk in when we were kids and just make ourselves cones and walk right back out to go back to Aka Inu Ko. I'm assuming the adults settled with each other later. At least I hope so or I owe some money to the owners of the restaurant I always thought was Azuma.
Don't think I ever went to Mont Blanc in Koza (it'll always be Koza to me) but I checked out a Peruvian restaurant on BC Street (or Chuo Park Ave.) when I was there last. I remember the little taco place on Hwy. 58. Haven't been back in 19 years but I've seen pics from my folks' trips and from rellies.
My, oh my, how things have changed! I'm hoping to go next year for the 5th World Uchinanchu Festival.
Thanks very much for the opportunity to reminisce.
Kind regards,

Friday, Sept 10, 2010
Believe it or not, I just heard another version of the story from my mom.
A long time ago, Okinawa was having one of its droughts. This red dog who belonged to a woman would go out wandering and come back later. The woman noticed the dog would often return with its coat wet, so she followed the dog and the dog led her to a source of water which was located somewhere on what we now know as Torii Station. My mom says she heard the Okinawans refer to the water as a lake but she added that it wasn't really a lake. It was a tunnel which led to a source of water underground, so I'm guessing a well of sorts.
You know how these stories get sketchy over time. I have no idea which one is true but the first story (about loyalty) I told you came from my dad who said a villager told the GI's that version. The second version is from my mom who's a native Uchinanchu.
Oh, and my mother also said that the shrine, which I was always told was for the dog, was actually for the school that was there before Yomitan Airfield was built.
My folks are getting on in years and dealing with terminal illnesses, so neither is probably the most reliable source. I imagine somewhere between the two [there] lies the truth.
Kind regards,

Sept 15, 2010 3:15p.m.
Hey Mick,
Got the DVD. Thanks for such a quick delivery! It was cool to see the restaurant after so long. Those partitions in the tatami seating area were new to me and the configuration of the tables in front of the tatami/tv area were a bit different. The first time I ever saw Speed Racer was in that room (of course, it was in Japanese). LOL That was my cousin-in-law [name removed] who served you at Aka Inu Ko. Couldn't really tell who the other two ladies were in the kitchen but the one on the left was probably an aunt (married to one of my mom's many brothers who was a tofu maker - chances are the tofu your family had was made by my uncle in the Toya part of Yomitan). In the late-'60s and through much of the '80s, Aka Inu Ko was known for its bento lunches, soki soba and fried chicken. After my aunt left, I'm not sure how the food was, but throughout my childhood and teen years, I remember a stream of workmen coming in to pick up their bento boxes and bowls of soba and plates of fried chicken coming out of that kitchen during the lunch and dinner rush. Those are my favorite kinds of eateries in Okinawa, nothing pretentious, just simple homestyle cooking and a laid back atmosphere.
It was admirable of you and your family to get out and about and go to places that the locals go to. A lot of our military don't do that and they miss out on some unique and rich experiences.
If you're ever in SoCal and you need an Okinawan food fix, I know a restaurant in the South Bay that makes a pretty good soki soba (in fact, it may be the only restaurant in the entire L.A. area that serves it).
Thanks for the opportunity to re-visit the past, Mick. Take care.
Kind regards,
Anonymous, by request

Sept 15, 2010 5:07p.m.
Thank you, Xxxxxx, for letting me know that the DVD arrived. I'm happy that you did actually recognize someone too!
As to your observations:
1. the different configuration of tables relative to the TV - I think that diners were pretty much allowed to move things around at their will because we would notice from time to time that things were changed around from a previous visit. On one occasion, a group of young people (I think they were Taiwanese tourists as they weren't speaking Japanese or Okinawan dialect, and their dress was "foreign") were themselves rearranging tables, etc. when we walked in.

2. admirable of my family to go to places the locals went - Hope, that was our most important and rewarding decision! After about 6 months of being back on the island, I had been to all the "tourist traps" on the island that I could come up with and then, after exhausting those destinations (where we put up with crowds of Americans, many of whom acted like they owned the place) decided to venture into areas outside of my (then) comfort zone. It didn't take long for me to learn that the vast majority of Okinawans, of all ages, were more than happy to have us in their midst. Many went out of their way to accomodate us in our quest for understanding the mystery of their villages. I must admit that I went out by myself most weekends. My wife had more trouble overcoming her fear of being perceived as rude or out-of-line going into places that were, in her opinion, too personal or too invasive of their privacy. I couldn't convince her that we would be perceived (and received) based mostly upon our behavior and sincerity. I soon learned to never be afraid to go ANYWHERE! Actually, there were places I was reluctant to go and it was 100% based upon the population of AMERICAN military members who pretty much took over certain areas. I'm confident that you know what I mean. During our first tour on island (1972-75) there was an area of Koza called "The Bush" where no caucasian in his/her right mind would go. It wasn't all just black vs. white though. Other areas were just plain full of criminals of all stripes. But I digress.... I never feared rebuke by Okinawans and more times than not I was accomodated beyond anything I'd have wished for.
One day I was driving through a small village. It intrigued me and I decided that I needed to experience the place in a way greater than simply driving through would have allowed. I parked my van and got out and walked through the village. One old man who was busy manually preparing his small field with a hoe, set down his hoe, approached and greeted me. I explained (as best I could with my limited abilility to communicate) that I liked his village and asked what he thought would be something he'd like for me to see; something about his village that he was most proud of. We walked a short distance then went off the narrow road onto a path into the woods. We came into a very small clearing and he pointed to a tiny shrine. I have to admit that I didn't understand most of what he was telling me but it had something to do with how some U.S. Marines had done something helpful for his family during the Typhoon of Steel. It was very moving and I wish I had, 1. understood everything he was telling me, and 2. the videotape of that encounter. Sadly it was among those videotapes that were "lost" when I shipped back to the States. After that tour we walked back to my van and I took a couple of Cokes out of my omnipresent cooler; we sat on the rail of a small bridge and drank together. Then, as abruptly as he had set down his hoe, he was on his feet and rushed back to his field to get back to work. I felt like I had contributed to him having not got as much work done that day as he might have planned. I asked if I could help and he politely said no. I tried anyway, walking around collecting the weeds that he had dug up and thrown to the perimeter of his small field. I made a couple of passes at the weeds, collecting them and setting them in a pile at one end. He apparently had had enough of me because he came over to me, took what weeds I had in my hands and threw them back to the side. He then thanked me but chastised me gently as I was doing the work that he intended for his son to do when he got home from school. Amazing work and family ethic. I appreciated the man all the more for that. When I finally left that little village I was sure that I had just experienced the most fruitful and rewarding interaction than ever I could have hoped for. I made two more trips to that village. The second one, he wasn't there. The third time I did see him and was prepared. I had brought along a couple of Bento-no hako and, of course, more Cokes. We had a delightful lunch, a wonderful visit and then, as anticipated, he sent me on my way so that he could do his work. He most certainly is one of God's favorite people.

3. A lot of military members don't get out and in so doing miss out on riches and rewards - you are absolutely correct, and it was absolutely THEIR loss. Some people just think that "if it ain't American it ain't worth seeing." Well, too bad for those who have that mentality. They are clearly major LOSERS!

I cherish my years on island and hope to get back there one day - after I have fonally retired for good and can spend as much time there as I want. Who knows... I might never want to come back!! ha!

Hi, Susan, I'm happy to post your request on the "Bulletin Board" at ClickOkinawa.com
You mention the "ISS" organization. I'm not familiar with that. What is ISS? I am familiar with INS, Immigration and Naturalization Service.
I wasn't on Okinawa the first time until 1972 so cannot attest to whether deliveries were routinely performed at Kadena; I think that most routine obstetric care was done at the Kuwae (Kue) Army Hospital.
It is conceivable that the U.S. Consulate office on Okinawa could have records - they actually SHOULD maintain records of any American birth on the island. If your friend has not contacted the INS then I think she should. They might have information that would be helpful.
Thank you for visiting ClickOkinawa.com and for sending your request.
Kind regards,
Mick

July 28, 2010
Sure is nice to hear from you, Janis!
Thank you so much for visiting ClickOkinawa.com. I hope you have enjoyed your virtual return to the place that you (and I) do dearly love. I think that I might have added a couple of things since you sent me your message. I have added some links on my "Sounds of Okinawa" feature to some really great Okinawan music. If you didn't see/hear it before, go take another look!
By the way, I hope that you'll forgive me for taking so long to get back in touch with you. I really don't ignore folks when they write in - I just sometimes take a while to get around to reading my email, sorting it out and replying. But today, my friend, is your turn!
The habu were indeed something to ponder, eh? I used to go jogging in the evenings through my neighborhood in Stearly Heights, or sometimes off base. I had been doing that for about a year or so before I learned that habu hang out IN TREES and wait patiently for some unsuspecting prey to happen along. Lucky me.
I did step out back one night though to let the cat in and he just stood there, looking at me but not moving a muscle. I thought that that was quite odd as that was not a cat to just stand around. I thought he was sick or something so I approached him, crouched in front and reached out to pick him up when, in the near pitch dark, I saw something move just off to my right. I leaned in for a closer look and just about pee'd myself when I recognized that it was a habu! Yikes!! I got a case of the Willies that didn't go away for danged near 2 hours after being safely back in the house. To this day I don't know why it didn't strike. I'm just happy it didn't.
I, too, enjoyed some of the USO tours. Wish I'd have taken more video though. I went on a few tours and didn't even bring my camera. Duh! I do have some tour sequences though on DVD. If you're interested, check out the "Video Tours" on the website.
I grew up an Air Force brat too but Dad had assignments in Europe. I never got to Asia until I was in the AF myself. Man-o-Man I am so happy that I didn't get European assignments. Asia is sooooo much better!
Well, once again, Janis, I sincerely appreciate your having stopped by the website and certainly hope you'll come around again.