Hello there! Welcome to – Little Island Takara – my little corner of the internet. I am so excited to have you here! If you’re looking around my blog and wondering where to start, you’re in the right place.

I started Inspiration.Sparks as soon as we got word of our move to Okinawa in 2012. First, it was a way to keep family and friends involved in our lives, but since then it has slowly grown into so much more. After 3 years I felt like I outgrew the name, the Blogger platform and my theme, so onto a fresh start! In 2015  Little Island Takara was born.

Wondering the meaning behind the name?

[ Takara n. meaning treasure in Japanese. (1) :  wealth (as money, jewels, or precious metals) stored up or hoarded <buried treasure> (2) :  wealth of any kind or in any form. (3):  a collection of precious things ]

Takara is the perfect word to describe what I want this blog to be. A collection of precious moments and memories of our time on this little island we call home. But also, because we were both born and raised in Puerto Rico, another little island, i’m guessing the name will stick even when we move.

Here are some of my favorite posts that will help you catch up on all there is to know: about me, our adventures as expats, our travels and some of my blog series.

Getting to Know Me: First off if you’re wanting to get to know me a little bit more, read through my About page and follow me on Instagram! It’s where I am the most active online.

My favorite posts: The National Cherry Blossom Festival blogpost is probably my all time favorite post, because the photos make me so incredibly happy! Two other faves are Collecting ‘Yachimun’ Okinawa Pottery and Preserving Your Travel Memories With Blurb Books, because they both feature some of my favorite things in our home.

Expat Adventures: I’ve loved all of our Okinawan Adventures but some of my personal favorites have been: exploring the Yokatsu Islands of Uruma City, taking pictures at the Cosmos Field in Kin-Town, day tripping on Tokashiki Island, finding Ball Donut Park in Naha and seeing the cherry blossoms at the Nakijin Castle Ruins. Also, check out The Inside Scoop on Driving in Okinawa!

Wanderlusting: We did a whole lot of traveling during our last tour in Okinawa, we visited: Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka in 2013, the Yaeyama Islands, Tokyo and Taiwan in 2014, Hong Kong in 2015, the Eastern Thai Islands as well as Tokyo, Yokohama, Kamakura and Enoshima in 2016, Sapporo and Nagano, then Osaka, Kyoto and Nara, followed by Yokosuka, Yokohama, Fujiyoshida, Hakone and Tokyo in 2017, Bali and Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Himeji, Hiroshima, Miyajima and Fukuoka for our last hurrah in 2018 before moving to the states.

Blog Series: By far my most popular blog series is my Pros and Cons of Living in Okinawa and my favorite is probably my Things To Do in Okinawa series! I had plans to put together a series called L.I.T. Okinawa Guide… I only wrote 2 posts, but now that we’re back I’m hoping to put more time and effort into it.

Click on through, read my favorites and stick around for more! 🥰