July 8, 2007

• the last of my fabulous trip to...

  

  sunday, 06.24.07

   

  :: marg arrived in naha to spend just a day & 1/2.. but it was well worth it, right marg? she was expecting for me to "show her around," but where does a girl take you when she's had other people show her around for the past 2 weeks? well on an endless bridge (and it was seriously endless) in 90+ degree weather of course ::

  

  :: then we made it to kokusai dori and got to see these kids dancing ::

  

  :: we read about this popular restaurant in a book and decided to give it a try (yes okinawans like their spam!) ::

  

  :: we passed by the cutest robot ever! she was trying to give out tissues.. but she started crying because they got stuck ::

  

  :: we got the guy working there to fix her up.. i don't know who looks happier.. the robot or marg ::

  

  :: there were some hip hop street performers.. they were g-h-e-t-t-o, but since we're from the southsideeee we liked them ::

  

  :: no idea how marg knew.. but she translated for me.. "no WEED, no life. "

  

  :: anthony came to pick us up on kokusai dori after he spent the day volunteering at special olympics.. on our way back to his place.. we saw these girls dressed up in these pretty yukatas advertising for their shop.. i know the girl on the far right's yukata doesn't look as 'glam' as the others.. but geez.. talk about outKast ::

  

  :: that night i promised yasuyo we would meet her up to go to an okinawan concert (rika's favorite singer was going to perform that night, too) so anthony dropped us off at the ginuwan convention center - we walked into the convention center and felt like we were in hawaii (though i have no idea how it feels like to be in hawaii) we thought it was kind of strange.. but since we didn't know what to expect.. we assumed we were in the right place.. i get a phone call from yasuyo a few minutes later asking me if i could see two huge green slides.. ummm.. no.. whoops.. we ended up at a hawaiian/okinawan convention on accident. =/ ::

  

  :: yasuyo's cutie patootie lil sis.. she was soooooooo incredibly sweet.. i adore her! ::

  

  :: i was forbidden to take pics.. but i snuck this one anyway.. the music was absolutely breathtaking.. i loved every minute of being outside amongst the thousands of people on a perfect night - and i also realized why all these women are in love with this singer named MIYAZAWA - what i would do to find a guy that can sing to me like that! ::

  

  :: my fakest cheese ever ::

  

  :: after the concert, anthony picked us back up and we had dinner with him at this fancy schmancy izakaya restaurant called "Dining Nan's" it reminded me of my big sis, nancy ::

  

   

  monday, 06.25.07

  SHURI-JO

  "Shurijo Castle is a symbol of the unique history and culture of Okinawa. The castle's history is also the history of the Kingdom of the Ryukyus itself.  Atop a small hill, Shurijo Castle is surrounded by curved walls which contain various structures. There are many open areas, as well as sacred grounds. This is not specific to Shurijo Castle, but a common feature of all old Okinawan castles called "gusuku". While other gusukus were lost in battle, Shurijo Castle alone preserved the old features of the gusuku and incorporated new developments. Shurijo Castle consists of two areas: the expanse within the walls and the space between the inner and outer walls. The inner area was complete in the early 15th century and the outer area, in the mid-16th Century. The entire castle faces west, with the Seiden and other structures aligned along history of exchanges with China and Japan influenced many aspects of Shurijo Castle structure. Such influences are exemplified by the Seiden, Nanden, and the Hokuden. Shurijo Castle was both the royal residence for the king and his family and the administrative center of the Shurijo Royal Government. It also served as a religious center to administer the rituals performed by the cultural and artistic activities, with many musicians, dancers, artisans and craftsmen active in the castle area.
  In the spring of 1879, the king was exiled from Shurijo Castle, and Okinawa Prefecture was established. Shurijo Castle then became the military headquarters of the Japanese troops and served as school buildings. Although extensively renovated during the 1930's, the castle was razed in 1945 by US military raids. Following the war, the grounds served as the campus for the University of the Ryukyus. When the university was relocated, the Castle was restored to its present condition. The present Shurijo Castle is modeled after the 18th Century facility.
  The castle was registered as a World Heritage Site in December 2000."

  taken from here
  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  :: texas in okinawa! ::

   

  

  :: afterwards anthony took us to one of his favorite places to eat located on the top floor of DFS.. you know this place was awesome.. come on now.. the FOOD COLOSSEUM! marg & i ended up crushing on the japanese boy that worked at the burger place we ordered from and spoke good english.. his personality made him so cute! ::

  

  :: mochi cream.. to die for! ::

   

  tuesday, 06.26.07

  relaxed all day while anthony worked.. had curry for dinner at coco's.. then chilled at starbucks..

  

  :: that night we met up yasuyo to chat about life and such.. she's SO inspiring.. i love talking to her ::

   

  wednesday, 06.27.07

  I heard about this island located about 1hour by ferry from naha and just knew I had to go! I couldn't believe my eyes.. the island is absolutely gorgeous!

  

  

  :: anthony taking it for the team by digging a hole to put our umbrella ::

  

  :: my black feet w/an 'awesome' flip flop tan line ::

  

  :: myspace ::

  

  

   

  

   

  

  :: you see those guys on the lil 'boat' ? they were sooooooo close to shore.. but they kept trying to row into the ocean.. they were working hard, too.. but the waves kept pushing them back to shore.. i couldn't help but laugh.. and laugh... and laugh some more ::

  

  

  :: the water really was that blue ::

  

  :: on the way back to naha.. we saw the endless bridge that marg & i climbed ::

  

  :: i love lighthouses ::

  

  :: anthony stopped by for a treat - blue seal ice cream (supposedly it's only in okinawa) ::

  

  :: after going back to his place to freshen up.. we headed out to KRISHNA's Indian Restaurant ::

   

  thursday, 06.28.07

  SEFA-UTAKI

  (UNESCO World Heritage)

  "Sefa-utaki is a sacred hill and forest where the guardian deities and nirai gods, who bring happiness, are believed to live. It has been a custom for the local people to visit utaki and pray for their fortune. Sefa-utaki was the most sacred and prestigious forest in the Ryukyu Kingdom." take from here

  

  :: located in Chinen Village ::

  

  

  :: this lil dude was in the middle of the forest! (he is supposed to be by the ocean) ::

  

  

  :: Going through a triangle-shaped opening (created naturally), you will find the most sacred altar known as Sangui. ::

  

  :: From here, you can see Kudaka, the island where the mythical legendary god, Amamikiyo, descended. ::

  

  :: i'm strong! ::

  

   

  OKINAWA PEACE MEMORIAL PARK

  "Towards the end of World War II, Okinawa Island became site of one of the war's bloodiest battles, when the US forces invaded and occupied the island. An estimated 200,000 people, including more than 100,000 civilians and 12,500 Americans were killed in the battle, which lasted from April to June 1945.

  Numerous sites and memorials related to the "Battle of Okinawa" are concentrated mainly in the south of the island, where the worst fighting took place:

  The spacious Peace Memorial Park is located near the southern tip of the island. Its main attraction is the Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum, which gives a sobering overview of the road to the battle, the battle itself and the reconstruction of Okinawa." taken from here.

  

  

  

  

  

  "Due to fears concerning their fate during and after the invasion, the Okinawan people hid in caves and in family tombs. Several mass deaths occurred, such as in the "Cave of the Virgins", where many Okinawan school girls committed suicide by jumping off cliffs for fear of rape. Similarly, whole families committed suicide or were killed by near relatives in order to avoid suffering what they believed would be a worse fate at the hands of American forces" taken from here.

  this looks beautiful from afar.. but during world war II this cliff is where a lot of schoolgirls committed suicide..

  

  :: school trips galore ::

  

  

  

  :: on the way back to yasuyo's sister's place.. we were stuck in traffic.. we looked over and saw this guy practicing every time the light stopped... how cute is that!? ::

  

  :: the Yamaguchi sisters ::

  

  :: i wanted to eat here one last time so anthony took me back.. supposedly this place is tiger wood's favorite sushi restaurant.. he's been here many times (his picture is on the wall) - anthony even got me a YOSHIHACHI t-shirt! ::

  

  

  

  :: gosh sushi is just not going to be the same back in the US! ::

   

  friday, 06.29.07

  the day my okinawa trip ends..

  

  :: where's anthony? (at our last meal together - korean bbq) ::

  

  :: his place is the shizzle.. i'm super jealous that his living room is the size of my whole apartment (ok im exaggerating..but not really) ::

  

  :: cute animals on the apartment building across the street ::

  

  :: super cool hat (don't be jealous) that anthony got at the super fun store near base..  it has a built in fan that is solar powered - coolness to the max ::

  i learned so much about okinawa during my 3 week vacation there.. it's truly a beautiful island and i hope that those who are lucky enough to live or visit will be able to get as much out of how wonderful it is as i did..

  hope to see you again, le beautiful!

  • 1:34 pm
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