VOLUME 7 NO. 14 AUGUST 28 – SEPTEMBER 3, 2020 SUBMIT STORIES TO: [email protected] STRIPESJAPAN.COM FACEBOOK.COM/STRIPESPACIFIC FREE INSIDE INFO ARMY ENTOMOLOGIST BUGS OUT AT ZAMA PAGE 3 From the Archives Japan shock cultureRanking of street foods in the Land of the Rising Sun HARRY POTTER THEME PARK COMING TO TOKYO IN 2023 Pages 8-9 PAGE 13 Photo courtesy of Live Japan TRAVELING ON TDY DURING THE PANDEMIC IS CHALLENGING PAGE 14 Different first day at DODEA schools amid COVID-19 BY CAITLIN DOORNBOS, on installations in Okinawa, Guam and South civilian employee at Yokosuka, said she con- STARS AND STRIPES Korea. tinued her annual tradition of making spe- Published: August 24, 2020 At Yokosuka, several parents said remote cial pancakes for her third-grader, Isaac. learning didn’t stop them from keeping up Though she had wanted her son to start he first day of school on U.S. military their yearly back-to-school traditions. Navy school in-person this year, she said the on- LIKE US ON bases overseas took on the trappings spouse Karina Moretz packed a lunchbox for line start went smoothly. of a pandemic Aug. 24 as children bus- FACEBOOK T her fourth-grade son, Nathan Moretz, 9. “We have a great teacher, so virtual learn- tled off to class in masks or logged on to meet “Keeping to our tradition helped make ing is going well,” Valera said. their teachers from home. the transition from being at home to remote At Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo, Schools on a handful of bases with a sub- schooling,” she said. “I’ve always done the Donald Williams, community superinten- stantial risk of the coronavirus first-day-of-school photo be- dent for DODEA Pacific East, called this spreading, or Health Protection EXCLUSIVE NEWS FROM: cause I want to look back over school year a “new era of education.” Yokota Condition-Charlie in military the years and see how he’s High School, for example, launched the day terms, are holding class remote- changed.” with a seminar on hygiene practices, proper ly under a policy set by the De- “I didn’t want to miss this mask-wearing and social distancing. partment of Defense Education year’s photo just because the In the hallways, students will travel a pre- Activity for the new school year. school year will start at our table,” she add- determined path to avoid getting too close In the Pacific, that includes DODEA ed. to each other; instead of using drinking schools at Yokosuka Naval Base and the Ar- FACEBOOK.COM/STRIPESPACIFIC Samantha Valera, whose husband is a my’s Camp Zama in mainland Japan, as well SEE DODEA ON PAGE 2 2 STRIPES JAPAN A STARS AND STRIPES COMMUNITY PUBLICATION 75 YEARS IN THE PACIFIC AUGUST 28 − SEPTEMBER 3, 2020 DODEA: A ‘new era of education’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 fountains, they’re instructed to Max D. Lederer Jr. carry water bottles. Publisher Video chats linked to class- Lt. Col. Richard E. McClintic rooms replace large assemblies. Commander Still, students across Yokota Joshua M Lashbrook Chief of Staff found familiar sights and tradi- Chris Verigan tions. Parents, many in uniform, Engagement Director walked their kids to class at Yo- Marie Woods kota West and Joan K. Mendel Publishing and Media Design Director Chris Carlson elementary schools. Publishing and Media Design Manager Mendel students were wel- Eric Lee comed by chalk drawings around Advertising and Circulation Manager campus encouraging them to Monte Dauphin Japan Area Manager “Have a great year!” and to Kentaro Shimura “Make this year rock!” Parents Production Manager watched outside the fenced-in Rie Miyoshi playground as their kids stood Engagement Manager in line with their new classmates Denisse Rauda Publishing and Media Design Editor before filing inside. Yokota Air Base students attend the first day of class with social-distancing strategy in place.Photo courtesy of U.S. Air Force Publishing and Media Design Writers As a special treat at Yokota ChiHon Kim West, first-responders and base Shoji Kudaka pandemic. Master Sgt. John Shuji Lee Miller said he was students may have difficulty firefighters waved the kids into Takahiro Takiguchi Esposito, assigned to the 374th looking forward to interacting managing distractions from Layout Designers school. Comptroller Squadron at Yokota, face-to-face with students again, home or may hesitate to ask for Mamoru Inoue While dropping off her 6-year- Yukiyo Oda said helping students at home even if from behind a mask. help. Yuko Okazaki old son, Cayden Cabusao, Tech. was challenging. “Virtual learning is not an “It created more of a college- Kayoko Shimoda Sgt. Liezel Cabusao said opening Multimedia Consultants “As a parent, you have to get exact substitute for in-person type environment requiring stu- the schools makes sense, even Max Genao Doug Johnson more engaged and remember instruction,” Miller said. “High- dents to be owners of their own Brian Jones Jason Lee during the pandemic. learning,” he said. “It required Hans Simpson Chae Pang Yi “Yes, they have COVID, but those things from the eighth or schoolers still need guidance and Gianni Youn Robert Zuckerman ninth grades to try to help them don’t always have the maturity to the students to be self-sufficient.” Graphic Designers I know they have processes in Stars and Stripes reporters Kenichi Ogasawara Yosuke Tsuji out with their questions,” he seek out help on their own. In a place … and socialization with Jennifer Svan, Brian Ferguson, Sales Support other kids is great,” she said, said. “It’s pretty difficult.” classroom, it is easier to see the Kazumi Hasegawa Hiromi Isa Erica Earl, Theron Godbold and His son Vincent Esposito, a beginning signs of when a stu- Ichiro Katayanagi Yoko Noro referring to COVID-19, the re- Seth Robson contributed to this Yusuke Sato Saori Tamanaha spiratory disease caused by the Yokota High School freshman, dent is struggling.” Toshie Yoshimizu Un Chong Yu report. coronavirus. said he was “looking forward to Miller said distance learning For feedback and inquiries, [email protected] contact [email protected] Schools across DODEA in- sports this year and seeing my was a good way for students to Twitter: @CaitlinDoornbos To place an ad, call DSN 227-7370 stituted universal online learn- friends.” get more technologically savvy [email protected] stripesjapan.com/contact ing in the spring because of the Yokota High math teacher and practice initiative, but some Twitter: @stripesktown AUGUST 28 − SEPTEMBER 3, 2020 A STARS AND STRIPES COMMUNITY PUBLICATION 75 YEARS IN THE PACIFIC STRIPES JAPAN 3 Specimens of insects and other creatures stand on display. Eads holds an Oriental odd tooth snake under rehabilitation. Zama entomologist BUGS out STORY AND PHOTOS BY WINIFRED BROWN, houses live smoky brown cockroaches ingredient and what activity they are Eads said. If a snake bites U.S. ARMY GARRISON JAPAN (one named Freddie), a live rhinoceros going to be doing. For example, a re- you, try to get a photo from beetle named Petri, and a live Oriental pellent with a low percentage of DEET it, at a distance, and seek medi- CAMP ZAMA – Whether it’s cicadas, odd-tooth snake that has no name be- might work well for short, nonstrenu- cal attention. The photo could help mosquitos or hundreds of fungus gnat cause it will go back into the wild. ous activity, but a higher percentage medical personnel determine what larvae slithering across a walkway to- Staff members test mosquitoes and is usually necessary for longer, more gether, living at Camp Zama can bring type of snake bite they’re dealing with. ticks sent from all over the Pacific re- strenuous activities, Eads said. up a lot of questions about insects. Though Eads specializes in ticks, gion for vector-borne diseases such as He also suggested reapplication of Capt. John Eads, chief medical ento- he enjoys his profession and learning Japanese encephalitis, dengue and chi- the repellent if insects start to swarm mologist for Public Health Command about all insects because they’re never kungunya as the goal of the command again and to check the label to make – Pacific, wants to answer those ques- the same. is to eliminate the transmission of these sure the manufacturer has registered tions. “You can ‘never say never’ and ‘nev- diseases. with the federal Environmental Protec- As one of about 58 entomologists in er say always’ in entomology, because “In reality we’re never going to erad- tion Agency and it is EPA-approved. the Army, Eads is well-versed in the lo- the insects adapt and change so quick- icate 100 percent of mosquitoes or 100 Also, to decrease the number of mos- cal critters and has a lot of knowledge ly,” Eads said. “You can think that an percent of ticks, so it’s up to us educat- quitoes in general, people should empty to share. He wasn’t always an entomol- insect will never do one thing, but all ing the community so they sources of standing water, ogist, however. Eads was first a Navy of a sudden they adapt, and they can do take preventive measures such as flowerpots and pet Seabee, but later enlisted in the Army to make sure they don’t get dishes, so mosquitoes don’t it.” as a medical laboratory technician sick from these insects,” lay eggs in them, Eads said. For that reason, it is necessary for where he earned two bachelor’s de- Eads said. “You can think He also recommends entomologists to constantly read up on grees—one in medical laboratory sci- To that end, before CO- checking for ticks after ac- the newest research, Eads said.