Where Tradition Meets the Tide: Fishing Charters & Guam’s Ocean Heritage
Discover how fishing charters in Guam connect ancient CHamoru traditions, tourism, local businesses, and maritime culture across generations.
Guam’s Community Festivals Keep Island Culture & Connection Alive
This past weekend, the smell of ripe mangoes, barbecue, and local foods once again filled southern Guam as families, vendors, performers, and visitors gathered for one of the island’s most anticipated annual traditions: the Hågat Mango Festival. Live bands played throughout the afternoon while the crowds moved between food trucks, vendor booths, and family activities….
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Sharing Guam Through Story, Culture, & Connection
Exploring Guam’s evolving tourism landscape through culture, community, and authentic storytelling. Hafa Adai & Mabuhay! My name is Megan Lastimoza, and I am honored to contribute to this blog shaped by Jungmin and Denzyl, who have helped spotlight Guam’s stories. I look forward to adding my own perspective as I explore the island’s evolving tourism…
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The Island That Promised Forever
On a map, Guam is a speck, a comma in the Pacific sentence. For decades, though, it carried the improbable weight of a destination that promised forever: honeymoons that outshone Hawaii, shopping sprees gilded by tax-free indulgence, and beaches that seemed to bend toward the sky in a perpetual invitation. It was, for a time,…
CHamoru Snacks: A Taste of the Island
On Guam, food is more than sustenance; it is memory, heritage, and community layered into every bite. The island’s CHamoru culinary traditions have long been celebrated through hearty meals shared at fiestas and family gatherings. Yet in recent years, it is not the large platters of red rice or barbecue that are catching global attention,…
Guam After the Honeymoon
Once upon a time, Guam was known as the honeymoon capital or the island of honeymoons. In the 1970s and 80s, newlyweds from Japan boarded short-haul flights not to Hawaii, but to this western Pacific outpost, a speck on the map that promised romance, leisure, and just enough exoticism. Hotels sprouted on Tumon Bay, and…
The Farmer Who Stayed: Hidenobu “George” Takagi
In the summer of 1967, a young man stepped off a plane on Guam carrying more hope than experience, trailed by seven of his college classmates from Japan. His name was Hidenobu “George” Takagi, and his plan was disarmingly simple: to grow tomatoes. The island, small and lush, seemed ready to provide. The local stores…
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From Sweets to Society: Lessons learned from the 19th ICBEIT in Cebu
When you travel for a conference, you expect to take in new ideas—but what I didn’t expect was to walk away thinking so deeply about sweets, meat pies, and cultural accountability. Earlier this year in March, I had the privilege of attending the 19th International Conference on Business, Economics, and Information Technology (ICBEIT) held in…
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Reimagining Global Competency: Why Japan’s Youth Must Embrace International Mobility
About This Article This article is based on an in-depth interview with Dr. Bill Shang, a distinguished professor with extensive expertise in international education, tourism, and cultural policy. Born and raised in Tokyo, Dr. Shang pursued higher education in the United States and China, earning a Ph.D. in Chinese history through art from the University…
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Friendship Cities and the Future of Transnational Collaboration
About This Article This article is based on an in-depth interview with Dr. Bill Shang, a Specially Appointed Professor, Research and Development Advisor, and Employment Support Strategy Office Advisor at Tama University in Tokyo, Japan, who has extensive expertise in international education, tourism, and cultural policy. Born and raised in Tokyo, Dr. Shang pursued higher…
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