okinawa

after my europe trip last summer (which i know, i know, i have yet to tell you about) i flew down to okinawa for a few days.

okinawa is part of japan, but it's halfway to taiwan. for hundreds of years the okinawan islands were the ryukyu kingdom, a nexus for trade between china, korea, and japan. the indigenous ryukyuans were racially different from mainland japanese and have a different language, which is sadly falling by the wayside -- most okinawan children speak only japanese these days. (notably, the irish language is on a similar decline.)

given it's history, okinawa--even the industrial port city of naha--feels different from other parts of japan. the chinese influence is palpable, and "shisha" lions decorate entryways to most houses. life moves more slowly than in tokyo. people take longer lunch breaks and devote a lot of time to chatting. the food is different, too; spam and gohyya (a very bitter cucumber-like melon) seem to be ingredients in everything.

i was staying in naha, and as such, my plans for laying around in tropical sun all day were quickly dashed. the beachy paradise i'd expected was covered in concrete and industry. except, that is for nami-no-ue (on-the-waves) beach, naha's solitary public beach.



when i went, there was a constant kathump kathump from the nearby construction. the actual swimming area is about the size of a public pool. i think it was the worst beach i've ever been to.

stuck in naha, not willing to spend the money required to rent a car, i borrowed my friend's bike and explored the city with my camera. parts of it were poor, such as this area:



industry along the coastline:



i spent some time at the touristy market downtown, browsing the tropical fruits, fresh shaved bonito, dried snakes, and deep fried pastries.



i experienced a few tropical downpours that stopped as suddenly as the began.



i admired tropical flowers in a lovely mosquito-ridden park (福州園), which reminded me of the chinese garden in portland:



and then my friend and i drove (in his car) north, out of the city. the horizon was incredible.



we went to churaumi aquarium, which had a pretty cool shark exhibit and sea creatures i'd never seen before.





we ate purple potato ice cream, and then had chanpuru in a small restaurant by the ocean. not wanting to pay for a hotel, we found a beach and lay in the sand, watching stars and clouds drift over the ocean -- clouds so close, stars so far. we were driven back to the car by mosquitoes and another sudden downpour.

the ocean in the morning was beautiful and inviting. apparently there were deadly jellyfish in those waters, which explains why no one else was swimming.



we had "morning soba" okinawa style on kouri island, and then made our way back to naha.



on my last day in town, i biked to shuri castle from tomari port. or, to be more accurate, i biked halfway, and walked the bike uphill the rest of the way.



the castle was lovely, but it was strange being there with the knowledge that it was rebuilt after american bombs destroyed the original during the war. (it was strange also, being in a town so dominated by an american military base and feeling like i had more in common with the locals than the military.)

there was a nice park near the castle. these girls were hiding from the intense sun.



i should have taken precautions, too; i left town with a slight sunburn. i watched the sunrise over the ocean as i flew back to haneda.