Prologue...

This is my journal. I share it with you openly and freely...

Since Map It! Okinawa's debut in July of 2011, I have come across many interesting small-talks and encounters with Okinawans (and with Okinawa in general) that are not necessarily 'map-able' for the main website...but maybe worth mentioning nevertheless – whether it's all true or not, I cannot always say. This is simply a journal,... a hyper-notebook view of events I have witnessed or heard.

Imagine one day stumbling upon an old diary from your grandfather's attic and reliving the events in his footsteps page by page. That is my hope for the O-Files...for there are many across the world thirsting to know, touch, feel, remember, and... keep a part of Okinawa for themselves. This, somehow, gives them completion. And if you are one of those out there, be it known, that I understand you.

There is something about Okinawa that I cannot explain...something different and special, and mysterious all together – an elusive force that compels people to come here, urging them to come back, or even,...making them want to stay.........forever.

Sounds crazy? Yes, it does. But I'm not the only one who feels that way. Just look at the comments on this Okinawan Facebook Page (this is not my Facebook Page). 

What Are the O-Files? The O-Files is about everything and anything...well almost anything. It could be about a person, an animal, or a strange plant. It could be about culture or folklore. It could even be about...ghost. Some stories are based on only what I hear...which simply put...is just hearsay. But even hearsay may have some merit with portions of the truth. It is sometimes...the only thing you got.

I do not guarantee truth or even facts here. I just observe and write. As I was once told by a dear old friend, who was told by another dear old friend (kind of like hearsay..you follow?) that in researching Okinawa culture, "you can ask five different people, and all you get in return is five different answers." I was a little skeptical at first. Two years later, nothing surprises me. Welcome to Okinawa.

If available, a source will be posted. Maybe some of you will know the answer or heard of a similar story. Maybe some of you have Okinawan friends or married to an Okinawan that knows a story I had mentioned. Please do not hesitate to share your experiences either. It will make it all the more interesting. 

But one thing I promise is to not be reckless. I'm well aware of the temptation of over inflating a story more than it is. It used to bother me that one of those programs like the Discovery Channel would put an hour long documentary about Big Foot, subliminally leading you to think you are going to see 'a real Bigfoot' near the end of the program, only to be disappointed with just more open ended questions. Part of this was my fault too, allowing myself to be strategically manipulated. What was I thinking? But I know that programs have to keep their audience in tune for their advertisers, but there comes a point.

So to you the audience, I will write in the most sincere and honest way I can. The easiest topics to write about are those that have a basis in the hard sciences. The hardest will be in the areas of the occult and the paranormal. There is no easy way to go about it.  

So Why the O-Files?

It occurred to me that one day that I too, will perish. And with that, everything that I have come to know and understand about this intriguing place will vanish with my departure – a tragedy that happens all the time. With each day passing, we lose someone to the world beyond and any memory of time they held, gone ...forever. 

So the O-Files was born to off-set this.

At first, it was just a term I used as 'My Get Out of Jail/Free Card' when I came across the countless unexplainable mysteries here on Okinawa. Plus, it just sounded kind of cool. 

But just like in the hit television series, Okinawa does have its own set of mysteries, and during my quest to find answers, there are simply just instances where I cannot find an answer,... or maybe there just isn't one. This journal is about everything and anything (true, false, and everything else in between) that I come to see and hear. And maybe one day, it may be useful to someone in search of answers of their own. We shall see.

Welcome to the O-Files...