I suck

Surprise surprise, I never even finished writing about my first day in Okinawa. I am officially the worst blog-keeper in the world. Well, fyi, for anyone who even reads this anymore (unlikely), Okinawa was the highlight of my entire Japan experience thus far. So if you are interested in hearing more about it, ask me. I'm better at talking than writing blogs, apparently.

And I might be better at taking and posting pictures than I am at talking. If a picture's really worth a thousand words, then these links are better than anything I could ever write anyway:

Okinawa pics:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2068131&l=21c33&id=13301566
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2068132&l=e8830&id=13301566
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2068133&l=22a49&id=13301566
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2068135&l=962dd&id=13301566

Sakura pics:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2068741&l=fabd4&id=13301566

Showa day (first Golden Week holiday) pics:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2070106&l=d38fc&id=13301566

I think part of the reason I don't write is because a) I'm lazy, and b) it's just SO IMPOSSIBLE to put my experiences into words... I feel like if I were to even try, I'd just feel like everything I wrote was trite and inadequate and it would spoil the awesomeness that is my life in Japan. So instead, I'll just keep posting pics, student essays, and the occasional update. Again, I don't think anyone reads this, so no one should mind, really...

Last thought for the day (week? month? when will I write again?): I am s-a-d about leaving Japan. For reals. It's a necessary thing to do for a number of reasons, but it's also going to be super hard. I've come to love it here, in so many ways. It's finally become my home, and now I've got to uproot again... Who would have thought I'd call this place home 9 months ago, when I wanted to leave so badly a week after my arrival? Funny how things turn out.

Japan, I love thee. Now, I have dishes to do. Peace.

Okinawan Amazingness: Day 1

Here we go, folks: I'm going to attempt to recreate the awesomeness that was my Okinawan vacation, day by day. Let's be honest-- this will inevitably pale in comparison to the real thing, but I'll do my best. Photos will help.

DAY 1: Wednesday, March 26th

Ann, Kelly and I woke at the buttcrack of dawn to get to Kansai Airport for our 9:05am flight. Dressed in our tropical best, lugging our suitcases up and down the stairs at Osaka station, we were quite the spectacle-- a theme that would only intensify as we headed farther and farther south in the Japan islands chain. We catnapped through our two hour flight, and arrived at Naha Airport a little after 11am.

The minute we stepped off the plane, I knew life was infinitely better in Okinawa. Fragrant white and purple orchids adorned the airport from the arrival gate to the baggage claim terminal. We could see the ocean from the airport windows. The sun was smiling and shining. Basically, Okinawa was everything Toyama was not. I loved it instantly.

We picked up our bags, and marveled at the assortment of other gaijin dotting the airport. (Actually, in truth, we judged them, in classic Japanese style: "Ew, gaijin, what are THEY doing here?" Haha. Japan has clearly touched us in more ways than one.) A quick ride on the monorail that soars on concrete pillars high above Naha city, and we were downtown. After claiming some coin lockers to store our belongings (LOVE that about Japan), we headed out into the sunshine to begin exploring.

Downtown Naha, Kokusai-dori: A lot like downtown Waikiki, but smaller and cleaner. A touristy strip of specialty and souvenir shops, restaurants, and gaudy lifesize statues of everything from anthropomorphic hotdogs to colorful shiisa, the guard dog-esque mascot and good luck symobol of Okinawan ryukyu culture. The weather was lovely, sunny with a slight breeze, and being outside in a tanktop and flip-flops felt like the best thing since sliced bread.






After siting some habu (Okinawan snakes) in jars, purses made out of taxidermied frogs, and penis-shaped ashtrays, we had worked up quite the appetite, so we headed to a covered corridor marketplace to find some grinds. It was quite the overwhelming experience, let me tell you-- fish, crustaceans, and other various sea creatures (dead and alive) spilled out of every ice box, containers of pickles covered all the tables, and a number of skinned pig faces hung ever so nonchalantly from pegs on the walls.


Apparently, we had the option of buying our own fresh seafood and having the restaurant chefs on the second floor cook it for us, but it was all a little too confusing for us to handle. We headed upstairs to one of said restaurants and went about ordering our lunch the normal way, from a menu. Sometimes simplicity is everything. I believe we had Okinawan soba, goya champuru (signature Okinawan dish made with tofu, egg, bittermelon, and pork), and spring rolls. It was all very oishikatta (delicious), yum!

Ok. This is taking way longer than planned. More to come tomorrow.

I LOVE OKINAWA!!

I am sitting at a Gero-Gero (Ribbit-Ribbit) internet cafe on Ishigaki island, on my last full day of my Okinawa adventure with Kelly and Ann. And let me just say, WHAT an adventure it has been. HOLY COW I can't even BEGIN to express the amazingness and spontaneity and ridiculousness of this vacation! I will be writing a detailed record of each day once I get back to the grossness that is Toyama, because I don't want to forget a THING that has happened. We've made friends with amazing okinawan boys and their families, stayed overnight in a decades-old family owned inn, learned Okinawa-ben (Okinawan slang), toured a UFO rock garden (barefoot, of course) eaten spam and eggs and rice for breakfast, karaoked til the break of dawn, slept on the beach, driven on the left-hand side of the rode, ridden in a buffalo-drawn cart, gone okinawan firefly watching, the list goes ON and ON. Being in such a beautiful, laid back island environment has made me super natsukashii (nostalgic) for Hawaii, too. Ho man I can't wait to be in paradise again. This has been a truly amazing experience and I'm SO HAPPY I came here. I don't have much time left on this computer though, so I've got to wrap it up. I will write a full account of our adventures once I get home FOR SURE. Stay tuned. Until then, I leave you with this awesome phrase, that is my new motto in life-- "Nan kuru nai saa"-- it means "No worries!" How perfect.

Life. Is. Perfect.