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MARINES SHOWCASE MARKSMANSHIP SKILLS

AT COMPETITIONPAGE 2

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Horses, butterflies, goats and more

Page 3

A STARS AND STRIPES COMMUNITY PUBLICATION JANUARY 3 − JANUARY 9, 20192 STRIPES OKINAWA

Max D. Lederer Jr.Publisher

Lt. Col. Richard E. McClinticCommander

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CAMP HANSEN – The annual U.S. Ma-rine Corps Far East Marksmanship

Competition was held from Nov. 30 to Dec. 14 on Camp Han-sen.

The competition allowed Marines stationed in Japan to test and enhance their shooting abilities.

The first day of the com-petition included a brief morning class to brush the competitors up on their marksmanship knowledge followed by competitors ze-roing their rifles. Zeroing is the process of calibrating the rifle combat optic, so the weapon is accurate to where the shooter is aim-ing. The shooters’ zero is essential, as a faulty zero can disrupt a shooters’ ability to hit their target.

The following week al-lowed the shooters to prac-

tice the various courses of fire. To complete certain courses, the

shooters were forced to shoot with their off-hand and eye.

The final week was for score. All of the shooters’ shots were marked and recorded.

Marines were able to compete as an indi-vidual, a team, or both. Each shooter had to complete the standard Marine Corps rifle and pistol qualification course along with other courses. The additional courses required shooters to fire and maneuver ob-stacles, and switch weapons while engaging targets at different distances.

Sixteen teams competed on Dec. 13 in a rifle and pistol competition. To enter and compete as a team, each team must include four shooters. A team must have an offi-cer and a first-time shooter. The first-time shooter must be at least a noncommissioned officer.

The Marine Corps Base Camp Butler’s team won the team rifle competition. The Communication Strategy and Operations Company on Camp Hansen won the team pistol competition, the same day the unit became officially activated. On Dec. 14, the MCB rifle team was presented with the Calvin A. Lloyd Memorial Trophy, and the CommStrat pistol team was presented with the Shively Trophy.

The top 10 percent of shooters are invited to participate in the United States Marine Corps Marksmanship Championship Com-petition in Quantico, Virginia, in April 2019. From there they will be evaluated to see if the individual has the qualities of becom-ing a member of the Marine Corps Shooting Team, according to Sgt. Cameron Patrick, an instructor and competitor for the Marine Corps Shooting Team.

STORY AND PHOTO BY PFC. BRENNAN BEAUTON, MARINE CORPS INSTALLATIONS PACIFIC

ON YOUR MARKMarines showcase marksmanship skills at competition

U.S. Marines competing in the Far East Marksmanship Competition engage targets at Range 18 on Camp Hansen on Dec. 13.

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STRIPES OKINAWA 3JANUARY 3 − JANUARY 9, 2019 A STARS AND STRIPES COMMUNITY PUBLICATION

opportunity to not only pet ponies, but there’s also horse riding available. Prior experience is not required, and there is even horse riding classes for kids available, according to Akira Ya-mamoto, a staffer at the park.

For first-timers, a session typically starts with getting to know a horse. Be-fore heading to the paddock, visitors can pet horses at the stable. It makes the horse happy and also gives people a chance to get a feel for how enormous animal’s muscles really are.

“Some people are scared of the large animal at first, but the key to

success in horseback riding is to make friends with the animal. Skills take a back seat,” said Yamamoto.

At Pony Park, people are encouraged to do more to better interact and understand the horses.

But, for those who are scared of the ani-mal, they can start by simply touching and feeding them carrots, which are available for

200 yen.

I decided to take my first time ever horseback ride of my life, and hopped on the back of Hamu, a black gelding.

For a beginner like me, staying on the horse’s back was little bit of a chal-lenge. With the back of the horse mov-ing constantly under the saddle, my core muscles were tested the entire time. But, after adjusting to the horse’s rhythm, it felt like I was communicat-ing with the animal.

P onies, horses, butterflies and more can be found all in one place on Okinawa.

The Uruma Farm Okinawa, only a 10-minute drive from the Ishikawa Exit on the Expressway, is a more-than-12-acre “farm for tourism” that is packed with family fun.

Located near the Ishikawa Multi-purpose Dome, a well-known venue for bullfighting, Uruma is meant to provide a hands-on experience of farming and ranching. The site includes farms for tropical fruits, ranches for livestock, a vinyl house for butterflies, and its big-gest draw – Pony Park.

There’s even a yakiniku restau-rant on site.

“Americans are always com-ing for our Pony Park,” said Sa-toshi Taira, Director of the facil-

ity. “Some of them come here for a birthday party for their kids. Many of them know a lot about horses from their experience with the animal in the states.”

At Pony Park, people get an

Horses, butterflies, goats

opportunity to not only pet ponies, but there’s also horse riding available.

I decided to take my first time ever horseback ride of my life, and hopped

and more at fun farmSTORY AND PHOTOS BY SHOJI KUDAKA,

STRIPES OKINAWA

SEE FARM

ON PAGE 6


A privilege to Uniformed Forces person-nel, their dependents, retirees, and others who support the mission, the Space-Avail-

able travel program may be a great option for seeing the world on a budget … if the timing is right. The program is nicknamed Space-A, and although that A is short for “available,” it could also mean “attitude.” Learning how to navigate the program with a positive attitude, plenty of leave and a back-up plan is key for a successful “hop.”

What is Space-A?The Space-A program allows authorized pas-

sengers to occupy surplus DoD aircraft seats af-ter all space-required duty passengers and cargo have been accommodated. Most Space-A flights are offered through the Air Force’s Air Mobility Command (AMC) or the Navy and are usually free of charge, except for a small tax (usually under $30) charged per seat and per leg, when seats are on commercial, Patriot Express flights. Common destinations include the Continental U.S. states, Hawaii, Alaska, Germany, England, Spain, Italy, Japan and South Korea. Flights may even go to South and Central America, Africa and Australia. The best time to obtain seats is

when DODEA schools are in session.

Have a back-up planBecause this program is a

privilege and not an entitle-ment, it is imperative to un-derstand the circumstances may change due to mis-sion mobility. Flying exactly where you want to go at the time or day you want to fly is not always possible. The first obligation of the AMC is to fill seats for military missions, therefore available seating fluctuates and could change at any time on any part of your destination. So, if you have a specific itinerary, event or obligation waiting for you at your destination or on your return, you may want to re-consider using Space-A for

those travel plans. This program is designed for those who have enough available leave, time and flexibility to wait or change their schedule.

For example, it may be a breeze to sign up

and get seats on the firsto return, you could waable space. Or, you coin another country to wing calm, positive andSometimes travelers aneighboring base termnot uncommon to traveSpangdahlem Air BaseOr, travelers drive betwand Baltimore on a regWhen flying Space-A, Create a back-up plan in case you need to maments and accommodisn’t available.

The program was crethe lives of Uniformedby creating an avenue careers of Veterans whoa privilege to other cateas dependents of UnifoRed Cross and USO pethe mission. Passengerfor personal gain, in relto find a house or for ot

Qualified travelers obe sure they have comdures to ready for travquired documentation. must be on leave befotravel. Dependents of companied need an UnSponsorship from his oer. The letter is valid fvia military aircraft, dtravel and the categoryfollowing are also mandID cards, passports, socemergency contact infotination.

You may register inpassenger terminal atthrough self-help kioskthrough email, fax or onture airports and five The website www.takeavice to help you registports as well as five coRecently, the site rolleiPhone and Android apFor a few dollars, you Space-A terminal con

BY JEANA COLEMAN,STRIPES OKINAWA

Learning how to

navigate the programwith a positive

attitude, plenty of leave and

a back-up plan is key

for a successful “hop.”


st flight, but when you try ait several days for avail-ould even be dropped off wait for a flight. Remain-

d being flexible will help. attempt to catch a hop at minals. For example, it is el between Ramstein and es to attempt to get a seat. ween terminals in Dover gular basis seeking seats.

be ready for anything. and have available funds ake other travel arrange-dations when space just

eated as a way to enhance

d Services duty personnel of respite; recognize the

o have served; and extend egories of passengers such rmed Services personnel,

ersonnel who also support rs may not use the flights lationship to employment, ther prohibited activities. of Space-A travel need to

mpleted the proper proce-vel and also have the re-For instance, active duty

ore they can register for active duty flying unac-

naccompanied Command or her spouse’s command-for one round trip travel describes the reason for y of passenger travel. The datory for travel: military cial security numbers and ormation at the final des-

n person at each Space-A t either the helpdesk, or ks. You may also register nline, for up to five depar-countries of destination.

ahop.org offers a free ser-ter for five departure air-ountries at the same time. d out both a Take-A-Hop pp for smartphone users. have instant access to all

ntacts, flight information

and the ability to quickly sign up for up to five flights through your phone. You can also monitor available activity at the terminals through the app to save you time and keep you mobile.

Once registered, your information remains ac-tive for either 60 days, or for the duration of your leave orders or authorization of flight, whichever occurs first. Print a copy of your registration to keep on hand at the terminal. The time and date stamp of your registration determines your posi-tion and priority within your Space-A category.

Each passenger is assigned a passenger cat-egory for travel. These categories designate the order by which you may be boarded on Space-A flights. The following list is generalized. For a detailed list, please see the Space-A handbook link mentioned above:Category I – Emergency travel on a round-trip basis in connection with serious illness, death, or impending death of a member of the immediate family.Category II – Environmental Morale Leave (EML) and dependentsCategory III – Active duty ordinary Leave and de-pendents; convalescent leave; permissive TDYs; Unaccompanied dependent of deployed Service-member for more than a year.Category IV - Unaccompanied dependent of de-ployed Servicemember on EML statusCategory V – Unaccompanied military dependent of non-deployed ServicememberCategory VI – Retirees, Reservists

Passengers may check two pieces of checked

baggage, 70 pounds each, up to 62 linear inches in size. You and your family can pool your bag-gage allowances as well. Carry-ons must fit in overhead bins if they’re available on the type of flight) or under your seat. Hand-carried bag-gage must fit under the seat or in the overhead compartment, if available. As always, it is best to travel light because due to aircraft or other restrictions, baggage weight could be restricted for your flight.

Decide which terminal you think would be

the best chance for Space-A departure and head out. It helps to phone the terminals that you requested for departure and monitor their re-cent departure schedules. For OPSEC reasons, Space-A flight schedules were removed from many online resources. However, terminals usu-ally record a short-term flight schedule, and in-formation is slowly being released by electronic means again. Check with Facebook for your

favorite Space-A terminals. Some terminals are creating fan pages to improve accessibility and help travelers plan their travel.

Available seats are now identified as early as five hours and as late as two hours prior to de-parture. Being at the terminal early for a flight will help you vie for seats. As soon as you physi-cally arrive at the terminal, visit the passenger desk to be sure you are indeed registered with the correct date, time of registration and num-ber of seats. Use your previous printed email or documentation to help correct any discrepan-cies. Then, let the desk personnel know you are interested in available flights. Be “travel-ready” with the proper luggage, any dependents and paperwork, your car parked or rental returned, etc.

You now wait for the “show-time” of the par-ticular flight you’d like to be selected (mani-fested) for, as well as the upcoming flight’s “roll call” of names of those who are designated for the flight’s Space-A seating. Based on the prior-ity of your assigned category, the day and time that you signed up to travel and number of avail-able seats, hopefully your name makes the roll call. Remember, be travel-ready. If your name is called and you are not physically present to hear the roll call and manifested (readied for flight and allowed to travel), your name will be put at the bottom of your category list, and may not make that flight.

A hop flight could be either on a military plane or commercial airline. If you travel on a military plane, be aware that accommodations and ser-vices are different, from fold-down jump seats along the wall, cargo in front of you and a plane that is either pretty warm or cool, depending on the time of year of travel and location.

Open-toed or open-heeled shoes should not be worn on military planes. So, wear ap-propriate footwear, bring jackets, blan-kets, snacks, bottled water and things to keep you busy, like books, games or electronic devices.

Available plugs for charging are along the walls. Remember to stay flexible. Travel during off-peak seasons (stay away from summer break and major holi-days) and keep a positive attitude about this great privilege. If you look at the program as an opportunity to a new adventure, plan according-ly and have a back-up plan, you are sure to have a great time, wherever you land.

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PACIFIC LOCATIONS


“Each horse is different,” said Yamamoto as he led the horse for me. “It also depends on how you treat them. If you take good care of them, they will recognize that. They are sensitive animals.”

Thanks to Hamu, who stayed calm and gentle, I managed to safely complete my first ride.

More fun After enjoying Pony Park,

families often make a stop at the farm’s gelato shop, according to Taira. Following the popular custom, I tried the cold treat af-ter the horseback riding. Among the 16 flavors available, I picked three dedicated to local foods: passion fruits, Shikuwasa (Cit-rus depressa) and Chinsuko (Okinawan Cookie), all of which tasted great. I’d especially rec-ommend the passion fruit which had the juicy taste of fresh fruits harvested on site, and a smooth and creamy tex-ture.

Behind the gelato shop, there was a vi-nyl house called “Chou House” (butterfly gar-den), where butterflies were housed. Despite it not being peak season, I was surrounded by butter-flies flying around

me as I stood inside and took pic-tures.

There was also a ranch called “Yagisan no Niwa” (goat park) next to the butterfly house. Around 30 goats, ranging from small baby goats to big goats with long curly horns, were housed there. Visitors can feed them, and just like the Pony Park, Goat Park, was well maintained.

According to Taira, Uruma Farm Okinawa opened in 2017, after years of developing. It took him a while to develop the large facility full of fun, and nowadays he looks forward to sharing the fun with local Okinawans, Amer-icans, and other visitors.

“This is a place where every-body from little kids to adults can have fun.” said the owner. “Please come and enjoy it.”[email protected]

ADDRESS: 3355-1 Ishikawa, Uruma City, Okinawa 904-1106

DIRECTIONS: Take exit 6 (Ishikawa) off Okinawa Expressway.

-

HOURS:

p.m.FEES FOR HORSEBACK RIDING:

URL: urumafarm.or.jp/

FACEBOOK:

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

was surrounded by butterrr-flies flying aroundflying around

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.

URUMA FARM OKINAWA

FARM:


ACROSS1 Aladdin's find5 River critter

10 Become unhinged

14 Specialty15 Bouquet tosser16 Legal lead-in17 Stout topper18 Marketing

gimmick19 Axis of ___20 Freeway mishap22 Like some bars24 Give some slack26 Tennis shot27 Respectful

greeting29 Take to the

soapbox31 Upper crust32 Bird-feeder food33 Deteriorate37 Pigeon sound38 Well-educated41 Neighbor of DOWN 40 Atlanta-based 51 Carpentry joint

Swed. 1 Glasgow gal airline 52 Worker's wish42 Keep an eye on 2 Type of lily 43 Military inductee 54 Athletic venue44 Skirt feature, 3 Taxicab emblem 46 Stephen King's 56 Yellowfin, e.g.

sometimes 4 Faint "_____ Things" 58 Van Gogh 45 Provide, as with 5 Slow to learn 48 Engine need subject

some quality 6 Drivel 49 Audiophile's 59 Kind of message47 Tree part 7 Windsor, for one purchase 62 Resinous 49 One of the 8 Make revisions 50 Made a red- deposit

Seven Dwarfs 9 Make over a faced exit50 "Baby Blue" room, eg.

singer George 10 Bee participant53 Lewis Carroll 11 Belly button

character 12 Greet the dawn55 Circular 13 Muscle paralysis57 Let back in 21 Home away 60 Group of from home

soldiers 23 Poker prize61 King or queen 25 Feed63 Give a pink slip 27 Religious 64 Winning margin, offshoot

maybe 28 Natural soother65 Senseless 30 Budget item66 Multi-user OS 32 Table staple67 Kind of socks 34 Sabotage68 Tree for 35 Early course

chocolate 36 Rare trick taker69 For fear that 39 Obscure

The Weekly Crossword by Margie E. Burke

Copyright 2019 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 69

A R C H G I L D W O M A NW A R E O D O R E R A S EA V E R B O D Y W E I G H TR E S E M B L E E V E NE N T A I L F A I L I N G

F R E E F A L L F I EM E T E V A S T S I G N

W A V E B I R T H A C H EA J A R O N C E P L O TS O P L I C E N S E EP R O F I L E P A S T O R

R O V E A M O R T I Z EP R A Y E R B O O K A E O NO U T E R A N T E L I N EL E E R Y T E E N K N E W

DID YOUKNOW?

Language Lesson

Kanji of the week

Y ou may think of izakaya (Japanese pubs) as a place for adults, but people sometimes go

there with children. To accommodate these customers some izakaya will even have a “kids room”, so customers have a place to keep their children entertained.

Machi/Choo (Town)

I’m on leave today.

Kyoo wa yasumi desu.

Stripes Sports Trivia

Answer

Lately, the NBA has been dominated by Golden State. If not for unforgettable performance from LeB-ron, the Warriors might be working on their 5th title in a row. The last 7 Finals have been dominated by appearances from 4 teams: Warriors (4), Spurs (2), Cavaliers (4) and Heat (3). Name the only other

Oklahoma CityAnswers to Last Week’s Sudoku:


TOKYO – Following an increase in the number of foreigners vis-iting Japan, operators of bathing facilities throughout the country are facing difficult decisions as to whether they should accept foreign customers who have tat-toos.

For many foreigners, a tattoo is considered part of their per-sonal style, but in Japan, many people associate tattoos with yakuza crime syndicates.

At many bathing facilities in Japan, people with tattoos are not permitted to enter, although some traditional sento public bathhouses do welcome people with tattoos. There is an English website providing information for foreign visitors regarding tattoos, and some facilities are frequented by many tourists from abroad.

A public bathhouse, Funaoka Onsen, in Kyoto, is introduced as “tattoo friendly” in a popular review site for world travelers.

The bathhouse was founded 70 years ago. The manager said, “We have not been d i s t ingu ish ing any particular types of custom-ers since way back.”

Partly due to the retro atmosphere of its building, the number of foreign visitors has been increasing gradually since a few years ago. The bathhouse said that it has received inqui-ries from hotels concerning tattoos. According to the bath-house, one caller asked, “One of our customers told us, ‘I want to go there because its OK with tat-toos.’ Is it true?”

The bathhouse said that as many as 50 foreigners visit the facility a day.

Julian Parker, 26, from Aus-tralia is one of the foreigners who enjoyed the Funaoka On-sen. He was not permitted to enter a different bathing facility

of multi-service bathhouse oper-ators and other leisure facilities based in Yokohama, conducted a survey of about 120 member facilities in 2015. More than 90 percent said they refused cus-tomers with tattoos.

Many of the facilities were built from 1990 onward amid growing desire to exclude cus-tomers tied to organized crime syndicates. They also depend on business from families. As a result, restrictions on tattooed customers have spread.

In a questionnaire of custom-ers of such facilities conducted the same year, 49 percent said they felt uncomfortable around customers with tattoos while 24 percent said they feared such people.

“I think it’s necessary to gradually relax the restrictions, but considering the reactions of ordinary customers, it’ll be dif-ficult to do so,” said Toshihiro Moroboshi, the head of Onyoku Shinko Kyokai.

Thirty percent of customers to Naniwa no Yu, a multi-service bathhouse in Kita Ward, Osaka, are foreigners. The bathhouse nevertheless displays a sign in English, Chinese and Korean that says tattooed customers cannot enter. Customers in the changing room and baths found to have tattoos are asked to leave.

It is possible that admit-ting tattooed customers could increase business among for-eigners. However, the head of Naniwa no Yu said, “We place importance on our regular cus-tomers.”

The law regulating public bathhouses requires operators to refuse customers with conta-gious illnesses or who pose sani-tary risks. However, customers with tattoos are not mentioned.

In February of last year, the government adopted a written document at a Cabinet meeting stating that under its interpre-tation of the law, tattoos were not a valid reason to deny en-try to customers. However, the Health, Labor and Welfare Min-istry said the document was not legally binding and that facili-ties had discretion to accept or refuse tattooed customers.

According to a 2015 Japan Tourism Agency questionnaire of hotels and ryokan traditional inns near hot springs, 56 per-cent said they refuse customers with tattoos.

World Rugby, the internation-al governing body for rugby, has asked foreign players who will participate in the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan to conceal their tattoos at sports gyms, pools and other facilities out of consideration for Japanese peo-ple averse to tattoos.

A user of the site stated, “The information is valuable because it would be a big problem if I was not allowed to enter after arriving at that facility.” The site is frequently visited by people outside of Japan.

Many bathing facilities that accept people with tattoos are ordinary public bathhouses.

The Public Bath Houses Law, implemented in 1948, defined public bathhouses as places that are necessary in terms of health and sanitation for the daily lives of local people. Because of this, more than a few public bath-house operators have tradition-ally accepted people with tat-toos.

Meanwhile, Onyoku Shinko Kyokai, a nationwide association

because he has a tat-too on his left hand. He

said that he was glad to have experienced a sento in Ja-pan.

A website was established in May this year to provide rel-evant information to foreign visitors. The site lists bathing fa-cilities both in English and Jap-anese. The manager of the site made phone calls and confirmed that they accept people with tat-toos. Currently, the site lists a total of about 400 such facilities.

Another website established last year provides information in Chinese and Korean. Based on reviews from users, bathing facilities that accept people with tattoos are identified by a par-ticular color.

JAPAN NEWS-YOMIURI

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A sign in a bathhouse in Osaka, says customers with tattoos are not allowed to enter. Japan News-Yomiuri

+81 (3) 5441-9800

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