Festivals

Okinawa has a different festival pretty much every weekend, in different places around the island. This weekend we went to one that was very close to base and is supposed to be "the biggest Eisa festival on island." Anyways, it was actually two festivals running side by side; an Eisa festival (Eisa is Okinawan drumming, and usually features a lot of dancing and drumming), and Orion Beer Festival.

A tradition at festivals for the Japanese culture is for women and girls to wear Yukatas, and Men and boys to wear Jinbei.  SO, I went with a couple of friends to buy Yukatas at a nearby mall, and were then dressed up by a friend that knew how to tie the belt (see in the picture below). It was fun to wear one, but definitely uncomfortable after a few hours (there are actually 5 belts tied around my waist; it started feeling like i was wearing a corset)!

 Ouch, that's tight

 Getting wrapped in the final belt

ta-da!

a Jinbei

Upon reaching the festival, we found food vendors, games, and lots of Orion. The Eisa dancers were performing in the center of a large stadium, but you could not sit in the stands without a wrist band (that we didn't have). We walked around for a bit, ventured into the beer festival (300 yen for draft Orion), and got some food. American military members are not allowed to drink off base so we didn't stay in the beer fest area for too long... it was way too crowded and waaay too hot, anyways!

 Corey played a game and won me a prize!

 the back of a Yukata

 Corn Dog

 my prize that Corey won me was a samurai sword!

 Remington didnt want to hold the sword....

Water Park Fun

So this is a kind of a continuation of my last post... After we went and found the beach, we ended up getting in touch with our friends and decided to give the water park another try! This time around, we successfully parked, and made it to the water park. It cost us 840 yen per adult to get in, and we had to read the sign with numerous rules before we could enter. One of the rules is "no tattoos," but we had read about this ahead of time, and Corey came prepared with a rash guard to wear. The park was not big as far as water parks go, but it was a nice pool to relax in. There was a lazy river and 3 water slides, as well as a warm-water pool and kitty pool area. The water was only 4 feet deep, but it was still fun to get pulled along with the current in the lazy river. Next time we will bring floaties and tubes!

 Corey, sporting his rash guard

 Colby, Nicole, Jaron, baby Remington, and Corey

 The boys

 blowing bubbles

Beach Day

We decided to try going to a water park that i had read about, and was not too far away from our house.   The place is called Comprehensive Park, and has a multitude of things to do here, including numerous gyms, tennis courts, baseball fields, a pond, hiking trails, look out points, mini golf... Anyways, its a big park that we will venture back to eventually, but today we went to go to the pool. But, when we got there, the parking lot was so full, people had parked in made up spots that made it difficult to maneuver around the place, and a parking attendant made an "X" with his arms, which we assumed meant "go away." We drove to the other side of the park and found the same thing. So we drove a little further and gave up on the water park idea, to go to a beach. We were just winging it by this point, so i quickly looked up a nearby beach to try out, and we found one on the nearby island of Hamahiga with beautiful clear water, and sand that wasn't too rough. It cost us 500 yen to park and we stayed there for an hour. Not a bad place to find!

 Taking it easy in the Pacific

 The water feels like bath water! 

 The cliff looks like a gorilla! 

 Blue

 Searching for shells....

Found one! (it had a little guy living in it so i threw it back into the water) 

 It was a bit windy...

Mr. Crab

5 things we love about Okinawa

Its the middle of our work week and we haven't been out and about since the weekend, which means no exciting stories or places to blog about... So I figured I'd just post about reasons why we love Okinawa and see what I can come up with. Let's see.....

1. Beautiful beaches

Coming from the Ocean State, i've seen my share of beaches, but none quite like what they have here in Okinawa. The water is so blue, and has an ombre effect that is so picturesque.. It is such a different experience than visiting a New England beach. The sand, on the other hand, not so great... mostly coral and broken shells.... but the water is great (and so warm!).

2. Vending Machines 

Imagine being on a hike in the jungle, in the sweltering heat, just dying from thirst. All you want is a drink, and there in the middle of nowhere, is a vending machine. OR, imagine driving down the highway and needing a coffee but not wanting to get off track, and there, on the side of the road, is a vending machine. OR, imagine being in the midst of a downpour and all you need is an umbrella, and there it is; an umbrella vending machine. They are everywhere you need them to be, here in Japan. We have at least 6 of them in our neighborhood alone. Some dispense hot drinks like canned coffee, while others have an assortment of jelly drinks, aquarius water, and soy joy bars. You will find a vending machine in the strangest places...

An umbrella vending machine

Me, enjoying some banana juice

3. Friendly People

The Japanese culture is full of polite and friendly people that would help you out in a heartbeat. Yes, there are probably some really mean ones out there, but I would say the majority of those i've met are unexplainably polite. And, we've made some great Japanese friends who we'll forever remember. 

4. Food

One of our favorite things to do is choose a new restaurant to try, and eat lots of good food. One of our favorites here, and very popular among locals as well, is Japanese Ramen. You will find Ramen houses everywhere, and most are cheap and delicious places to eat some good ramen and soba soup. I am also a fan of fried rice and yakisoba (fried noodles), which is a hit or miss at some places. We both enjoy sushi, which I actually had only tried once or twice before moving here, so I cant say if its better here or not... but what they have here is amazing and fresh and cheap! There are also Teppanyaki (where they cook at your table) and Yakiniku (korean barbecue) places galore. Finally, curry is a huge deal here, I am a fan of Japanese style and Indian style, while Corey is undecided (probably from eating it too much at work). I have also tried tako yaki (squid balls) and okonomiyaki (okinawan pancakes) and decided that they are... tolerable. 

 Fried Rice and Ramen

 Character sushi

A food vendor at a festival

5. "Cute" Everything

Japanese people love "cute." By that i mean funny little cartoons on road signs, hello kitty-esque characters taking over stores, adorable patterned furniture and home decor, lace and ruffled clothing... you get the idea. To some, it might be sickening, but i love cute things so I think its great! I ventured into a gift store yesterday and attempted to find a good gift for somebody, but ended up loving all of the cute kitty items (cat shaped pillows, cat shaped bags, cat shaped mugs...) that i just wanted to buy them all for myself (I didnt end up buying anything though :().

Here are some random "cute" things i've taken picutres of:

 (ok, this guy is not really "cute" but i thought it was funny)