Hi there everyone, hope your year is going well so far. We've been pretty busy these days with school and with getting ready for the new baby (updated due date is July 13th), but I've been wanting to update the blog and post some pics for a while now and finally sat down to do it.
There's a big mall in Urasoe called Parco, right between a US Marine Base called Camp Kinser and the ocean, and right in front of the mall is a great spot for exploring tide pools. We took the kids out there a few weeks ago to look at the local sea life and had a lot of fun. We saw lots of sea slugs, some coral, a few crab and shrimp, and lots of pretty blue fish that always darted away and hid under rocks before I could get a picture.
The kids had a lot of fun exploring and touching the sea slugs. Clara wanted to help all the ones that were out of the water by picking them up and placing them in the nearest pool, but there were so many that eventually I told her they'd be fine until the tide came back in XD. The kids had their crocs on but Braden and I were wearing regular shoes and didn't want to get our shoes and socks wet (and going barefoot was a no-no as there was a lot of broken up coral all over that would certainly cut your foot open) so we navigated around the pools like they were a big maze, and the kids had fun helping us find the best pathways to and from the beach. The tide was really far out so there was tons to explore, and we didn't get even halfway out.
During Spring Break we took the kids to a fun place called Okinawa World in Nanjo, Okinawa. It's a theme park type place with lots of fun activities and museums, and we had a blast. The park celebrates traditional Ryukyu culture and history (before the islands were conquered by the Japanese, they were called the Ryukyu Islands, and they had their own language and culture distinct from Japan).
Underneath the park is a huge limestone cave with boardwalks and low blue lighting, and park visitors can follow a one way route from one side of the cave to the other, a walk that took about twenty minutes at a leisurely pace. The cave was filled with stalagmites, stalactites, and clear pools of water lit up with underwater lights.
We walked through the cave first, and after coming out the other side we entered a tropical orchard filled with fruit trees of all sorts, including pineapple, kiwi, mango, star fruit, papaya, and more. After the orchard there was a cafe selling fruit, smoothies, ice cream and souvenirs. Next was a crafting area with a glass blowing workshop, where artisans make traditional Ryukyu style blown glass. For a fee we were able to participate, and both Taran and Clara helped make their own glass cups.
After walking through the glass blowers gift shop, we entered a small street lined with museums, shops, and game booths all built in the style of traditional Ryukyu buildings from the last century or so. The kids did a ninja shuriken throwing game and we browsed a small museum filled with ancient Shisa statues (guardian spirits in the shape of a lion dog) and some artifacts from the war.
The next venue was a stage where we got to see three shows. The first was a drum concert, similar to traditional Japanese Taiko but accompanied by traditional Ryukyuan dance. After that was an act featuring dancers in a Shisa costume teasing another dancer pretending to be an old drunkard.
The last show we saw was the habu snake and mongoose show. I was told that in the past they used to showcase a snake and mongoose fight, but new laws protecting animals have made those illegal. Now what they do is have a snake handler bring out a habu snake and show it off to the crowd, and then try to tempt it into attacking a balloon. The snake we saw that day wasn't interested in the balloon, so the handler just jokingly gave it a bad grade like it was in school and put it back in its kennel (they were obviously prepared for that possibility and just made it part of the show). The snake handler then brought out a cobra and let it slither around, and teased it with a tap to the head to make it spread its hood. The last bit was a race between a mongoose and a sea snake. They had the animals in two separate tubes and they were released from their starting positions and started swimming to the other side (which I think held a snack). The mongoose won by a landslide, since the sea snake got his tail caught on the lip of his entryway, and then once in the water he just wanted to chill (Sorry for the lack of pictures, I was too absorbed in the show to remember to take my camera out. And no video since video taking was prohibited).
Past the stage area was the Habu Snake Museum, which actually housed a lot of different snakes and other local animals, including fruit bats. At the entrance to the museum they had a place where you could have your photo taken with an albino python. I personally like snakes and was insistent on the python picture lol. Clara was all for it as well. Taran was a little reluctant, but once we all got sat down and the snake was brought over he did fine.
After the museum was the park entrance/exit, near where we began by entering the caves. We spent most of the day at the park (we were lucky to go on a day with really nice weather) and loved it. I would totally recommend it to anyone planning on visiting Okinawa.
I don't have many pictures of the other places we've been since coming to Okinaway, like the Peace Memorial Museum, the Churaumi Aquarium, and American Village (which is a large outdoor mall near Kadena Airbase with lots of restaurants and shops full of surplus military clothes and bags, along with t-shirts, hats, and other touristy gear). We haven't done as much tourism for the last month or two. The rainy season just ended after nearly six weeks of rain. Like, seriously, it rained every day for weeeeeeeeks. I had to buy an indoor laundry rack to hang my laundry on, since I couldn't hang it outside to dry. And then, one day last week, BOOM, it was sunny. And when I looked at the forecast, it was ALL sunny. Our Okinawan friends say the rainy season is officially over, and now we have hot, sunny, but still humid days ahead of us. We are also entering Typhoon season. I've been told that the city has good infrastructure and the power rarely goes out, and our apartment building, like all the other buildings in the area, is made of concrete and the windows have bars on them to protect them from damage. We also made some 72 hour kits, just in case, and the school has sent out letters with the protocol for picking kids up in case of emergency and how to know if school has been cancelled.
Speaking of school, the kids are adjusting well. They have Japanese language lessons four days a week and they like their Japanese teacher a lot. They're picking up the language slowly but steadily, and although they still don't speak it a lot, they seem to understand more and more everyday. Clara's class planted green peppers and she's already brought home several that we've eaten with various dinners, and Taran's class has a beautiful row of morning glories outside the school. They eat lunch at school every day, and thank goodness my kids like rice, because it's included in nearly every lunch. Occasionally they'll have a western style lunch, something like spaghetti and a roll with a side salad, but most of the lunches include traditional Japanese or Okinawan dishes.
My next post will probably come sometime after baby #3 is born. He's getting big in there and wiggles a lot, and I'm looking forward to the day he can be held by someone other than me, haha. My c-section has been scheduled for July 13th, and we have all the paperwork squared away. I will be in the hospital for at least a week, assuming there are no complications, and then soon after I get home the kids will start their summer vacation from school. Braden is taking a couple weeks off of work to help out, and Clara especially seems eager to help too, once the baby is here.
Until then!
