At the start of the new year, Okinawans decorate their front dooors with talismans to ward off evil spirits and to welcome good fortune....
Welcoming the New Year complete with entertainment and fireworks at the "American Village" in nearby Chatan.Sunday, February 22, 2009
Happy New Year!
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Finally-Our Household Goods Arrive
Spartan Living
Halleljuh - Our Household Goods Arrive!
Taking Inventory
Where do we begin?
Slowly Sorting Things Out
Finally - Home,Sweet Home!
Shuri-jo Castle Park
Entrance Gate to Shuri Castle
In case you were wondering....
Main Castle Hall & Courtyard Shuri Castle Ramparts Detail of Main Hall
Traditional Dance Performance at the Castle
The Throne Room with Royalty
Shuri Castle Hosted the G8 Summit Leaders in July 2000
Shuri Castle Hosted These Visiting Dignitaries in December 2008
Lacquerware Tea Service
Exit Gate from Shuri Castle
The 16th Century Kinjo-cho Stone Road Outside the Castle
The 250 Year Old Legendary Giant Aka Tree
Café Lunch & Wait Staff with Naha City in the Backgound
Friday, February 20, 2009
Back by Popular Demand!
Borrowed from a NASA Cafeteria?
Teenage Japanese girls made their fashion statement this winter by wearing outfits comprised of a t-shirt adorned with some meaningless statement worn under an open plaid flannel shirt. The ensemble was completed with fur-trimmed shorts and knee-high, high-heeled leather boots.....
After much deliberation Joanne & I decided to forgo purchasing these pajama sets. They remind me of Ralphie's bunny outfit in the movie A Christmas Story....
And speaking of A Christmas Story, this treasure was on display in a Tokyo store window....
The American occupation of Okinawa after WWII brought with it mountains of discarded soda & beer bottles. The resourceful Okinawans melted the bottles for use in glassblowing and developed a style of glassware that is unique to the Ryukyu Islands. One such glassblowing craftsman is Seikichi Inamine who has his studio here in Yomitan, and is one of Japan's "Living Treaures." On several ocassions we have observed him at the studio supervising his apprentices in the art of glassblowing. The photos below were taken at another glassblowing studio located in the southern part of the island. The mosaics are all made of glass....
Peace Monument at Cape Kyan in Southern Okinawa
Nicki Proudly Displaying Her U.S. Forces Driver's License
The photos below were taken at the Okinawa Peace Memorial Park, a very large park divided into three major sections, The Okinawa Prefecture Peace Memorial Museum, The Cornerstone of Peace, and the Okinawa Peace Hall. The park is located in Mabuni Hill, the site of the last fight of the Battle of Okinawa. The battle of Okinawa took place in 1945 and it is considered to be the fiercest and only ground battle fought on Japanese soil. It was the last battle of the war, and has been called "The Typhoon of Steel". The battle only lasted ninety days and more than 200,000 people died, of which 100,000 were civilians who were caught in the midst of fighting, starvation, malaria, suicide, and thousands killed by the retreating Japanese Army troops. It was after this terrible battle that President Truman, after considering the cost of human life that would have to be paid if an invasion of mainland Japan was to be materialized, ordered the use of the atomic bomb, ending the war at once. President Truman has been quoted to have said "I do not want another battle of Okinawa". A "Prayer for Peace Statue" of the Buddha stands inside the Okinawa Peace Hall. During the day of our visit the Buddha was undergoing a semi-annual cleaning. Nicki was invited to partipate in the cleanup effort, which also included an interview and being filmed by a news crew....
Adjacent to the Okinawa Peace Hall is a butterfly botanical garden. For some reason the butterflies found me irrisistable. I guess I carry the right mix of phremones that drives them wild....
Click on the arrow above to start the video.
A "Beware of Habu" Sign & Two Vicious Vipers