I traveled to 5 destinations over the course of 3.5 weeks this past winter:
Okinawa (3 days)
Taiwan (4 days)
Osaka (1 day)
Washington DC (2 weeks)
Tokyo (2 days)
I explored Okinawa with two friends, Jordan and Chelsea. I met Jordan through a mutual friend from UVA, Jerry. We had met in person twice before going to Okinawa and I had never met Chelsea before. I admit, I was a little nervous traveling with people I barely knew.
Okinawa was exquisite. Here is why:
Okinawa (3 days)
Taiwan (4 days)
Osaka (1 day)
Washington DC (2 weeks)
Tokyo (2 days)
I explored Okinawa with two friends, Jordan and Chelsea. I met Jordan through a mutual friend from UVA, Jerry. We had met in person twice before going to Okinawa and I had never met Chelsea before. I admit, I was a little nervous traveling with people I barely knew.
Okinawa was exquisite. Here is why:
We spent the first night and the following day exploring Naha, the capital of Okinawa. Naha at night was overwhelmingly....American. That is a euphemism for "not as clean and polite as the rest of Japan." This was mostly true at night time, when a lot of American military men came out of the woodwork for Naha nightlife. In one sense, the American-ness of Naha was refreshing. Sometimes I miss American culture and being able to fully understand what people are saying. The American-ness also highlighted how much I love the cleanliness and politeness of mainland Japan. That's not to say that Naha and America are dirty. It's to say that most of Japan is really clean and I really like that.
Naha during the daytime is a lot different. It's hot, it's tropical, it's colorful, and there are a lot of lion dogs called Shisa. Shisa can often be seen at the entrances to homes and buildings and come in pairs of two: the opened-mouth Shisa and the close-mouthed Shisa. The open-mouthed Shisa keeps evil spirits out and the closed-mouth Shisa keeps good spirits in.
Naha during the daytime is a lot different. It's hot, it's tropical, it's colorful, and there are a lot of lion dogs called Shisa. Shisa can often be seen at the entrances to homes and buildings and come in pairs of two: the opened-mouth Shisa and the close-mouthed Shisa. The open-mouthed Shisa keeps evil spirits out and the closed-mouth Shisa keeps good spirits in.
Thanks to my Japanese college professor from Okinawa, we were referred to a public market largely untouched by tourists. I have never seen so many big, colorful fish. I also have never seen a killed pig dressed up in sunglasses...
Next we visited a public park with a slice of the world's biggest tug-of-war rope on display. Thousands of people come out to the public streets of Naha, where they participate in what the Guinness Book of World Records has labeled the biggest tug-of-war match. A giant rope, weighing about 40 metric tons, is comprised of thousands of smaller ropes. Participants hold onto these smaller ropes during the contest and can cut them off, take them home, and keep them as a souvenir! My friend Kikaha has his on display at his Naha apartment. Apparently this tug-of-war tradition began roughly around the 1600s. The trees pictured below are just a sample of the crazy tropical flora we saw on the island.
Finally we visited Shuri Castle, which looks more Chinese to me than it does Japanese.
Some more pictures from around Naha.
For the remaining two days we rented a car. I have never rented a car before in English, let alone in Japanese, so you might imagine how sweaty my palms were at the end of negotiating with the rental company. I found myself leaning slightly over the counter to hear the agent better. My fists were clenched, as if anticipating that I'd have to shoot my hand in the air to ask another question ("Can you please say that one more time?" "Are you sure it's okay that we are all under 23 years old?").
We drove along the northeastern coast of the main island. Here are the highlights:
-Tadake Falls- A (chilly) hike through a stream that led us to the most beautiful waterfall I have seen thus far in my life.
-Ogimi Village- Home to the world's oldest people. We saw an old man wearing a cute sweater who smiled warmly at us. I think he was wondering why foreigners were driving through such a small town. Little did he know that it was to see HIM! Chelsea and I needed new shoes, as our shoes were soaking wet from the river hike we just finished. We pulled up to a pastry-stand on the side of the road, asking where we could get shoes. The lady said, "Shoes? Like these?" as she pointed to her feet. Yes, we nodded enthusiastically. She looked at us sideways with a funny smile on her face, probably amused at what an odd question that was. What was odder, though, was that she walked into the nearest building and walked out with two pairs of flip flops that she handed us for free.
-Sesoko Beach- A beach that looked like something from a desktop.
-Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium- I hate seeing massive animals locked in tight spaces. I cannot deny how impressive the aquarium and its inhabitants were, though.
-Captain Kangaroo- A burger joint that boasts the world's 2nd Best Hamburger, as determined by some international burger-making contest that probably no one has heard of. It was delicious.
We drove along the northeastern coast of the main island. Here are the highlights:
-Tadake Falls- A (chilly) hike through a stream that led us to the most beautiful waterfall I have seen thus far in my life.
-Ogimi Village- Home to the world's oldest people. We saw an old man wearing a cute sweater who smiled warmly at us. I think he was wondering why foreigners were driving through such a small town. Little did he know that it was to see HIM! Chelsea and I needed new shoes, as our shoes were soaking wet from the river hike we just finished. We pulled up to a pastry-stand on the side of the road, asking where we could get shoes. The lady said, "Shoes? Like these?" as she pointed to her feet. Yes, we nodded enthusiastically. She looked at us sideways with a funny smile on her face, probably amused at what an odd question that was. What was odder, though, was that she walked into the nearest building and walked out with two pairs of flip flops that she handed us for free.
-Sesoko Beach- A beach that looked like something from a desktop.
-Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium- I hate seeing massive animals locked in tight spaces. I cannot deny how impressive the aquarium and its inhabitants were, though.
-Captain Kangaroo- A burger joint that boasts the world's 2nd Best Hamburger, as determined by some international burger-making contest that probably no one has heard of. It was delicious.