Don't Know Much About History?

Welcome to Okinawan History class! A few basic facts to get us started today: Japan is divided into 47 prefectures, which are comparable to states. Prefectures have capital cities and governors and such. Okinawa is the southernmost prefecture, and includes hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands. The main island in Okinawa Prefecture is Okinawa, and the capital city is Naha. Naha is a fairly modern city, since most of the city had to be rebuilt after the widespread destruction from the Battle of Okinawa.

One day last month, Maddox and I headed to Naha to visit the Okinawa Prefectural Museum. Before entering the museum building, we explored a traditional Okinawan home, with shaded porches, many sliding doors for maximizing the breeze, an altar, and tatami rooms.

The roofs are covered with clay tiles and the home is guarded by a Shisa.

Upon entering the museum, we were pleased to find that they had free iPods with audio guides in English. While there were many written descriptions in English, the audio made it more engaging. Or, for Maddox, it was an opportunity to study foreign language by immersion. "Mom! I am listening to the guide in Korean! Cool, right?" 

Here is Maddox posing in front of a display about Minatogawa Man. At this point in the tour she was fairly fluent in Korean.

Minatogawa man is a prehistoric ancestor, dating from roughly 16,000 to 14,000 BCE. There were four skeletons found just south of Naha in a limestone quarry in the late 1960s. These are some of the oldest remains ever found in East Asia. Maddox was intrigued by their height (or lack thereof) and thought it was funny that she was almost as tall as a grown up. The archaeologists think these poor specimens were shot with arrows, cannibalized, and thrown in a dump. It's nice to see them getting some better treatment posthumously.

The museum's exhibits spanned millennia, and included information about WWII and about the post-war agreement. Okinawa remained under U.S. control until 1972 when it returned to Japanese administration. I don't know if "control" is the precise term; Wikipedia terms it "military occupation". Regardless of the name, the relationship is a complicated one. However, I am struck each day by how welcoming everyone has been towards us. Kindness is not complicated. There is much more to say and to learn about post-war Okinawa, but some of my thoughts are best shared in future posts detailing visits to peace memorials.

After lunch and a quick trip to Toys R Us (conveniently across the street from the museum), Maddox and I spent time in the discovery area of the museum, a good place for children to learn in a hands-on environment. Here she is trying out castanets, or as Zoe calls them, "those clicky things".

She also had the chance to play the sanshin (above). The woman working there tried to teach her "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" which held her attention for a few minutes, but then she hurried over to the dress up area once it was available.

My favorite part of this outfit, aside from that grin, are the goggles that were worn by fishermen "in the olden days" when they were swimming around with nets or spear-fishing. The "frames" are wooden, and they are tied with a string. Perhaps Maddox could give them a try for the Garrett Farms Gators one summer.

We wandered a bit more through some sculptures outside that were cool, but about which I have no intelligent commentary. 

Visiting a history museum that is an hour away is a benefit of sabbatical and of our decision to homeschool Maddox while we are here. In real life, I wouldn't do this. An hour's drive for a museum that may or may not be worth it? On a precious weekend day? To an exhibit that Zoe would immediately decide was boring? The challenge when we return from sabbatical is to figure out ways to maintain the sense of exploration and create enough space in our routine life to still have the opportunity for some unusual field trips. Especially ones that will allow Maddox to practice her Korean.

Sushi Go Round!

When I first started telling people that we were going to Japan for our sabbatical, the most common follow-up question was, "Do you like fish?" No, I do not like fish. I try to like fish. I tried the catch-of-the-day on our honeymoon in St. Lucia, figuring that fresh fish from an island would be best. It was okay. I ate the salmon that John cooked on the a Big Green Egg, and it was fine; I even had seconds. But I would rather he cook steak. It's the texture, and the taste, and also my general confusion about how to eat shellfish. People seem flabbergasted that someone from NH doesn't like fish. Friends, take a moment to view a map of New England. The Granite State has about 13 miles of coastline. We are not Maine or the Cape. We are more baked beans and hot dogs. And freedom to ride in a car without seatbelts.

My distaste for fish is unfortunate for John who would probably list sushi as one of his favorite types of food. And I am passing my dislike of fish on to the girls since they never have it served at home and so aren't exposed to it.

But when in Japan ...

I learned about a sushi-go-round place that a friend told me had good options for picky kids (chicken and fries), which meant there would be options for me, too. Little did I know how much fun it would be to pick our sushi from the conveyor belt.

Unfortunately, we were at the end of the line, so some good stuff may have been snatched up before it made it to our table. It's just like when you realize you are standing at the wrong side of the baggage claim.

Thankfully, there was a menu with photos for identifying the odd things that went around. John said things like, "I think that's eel. Can you grab it?" And I said things like, "We should get another round of beer." I spent a lot of time looking at the menu, and just trying to identify what was passing by. It felt like a game show. 

                                     

The girls elected to try some sushi rice with egg. They ate the rice, and then we ordered them chicken tenders and fries. 

Maddox's chopstick skillz need a little work, but at least she tried! I was wondering what I might dare to eat, when what to my wondering eyes should appear, but CHICKEN FRIED SUSHI!! That is what the menu called it, so I am embracing the oxymoron. 

It was yummy. I snagged a couple of plates. I even had another chicken "sushi" plate that had broiled chicken wrapped in seaweed, and I ate the seaweed, which I think qualifies as seafood. I did also have some battered fish. Again, not exactly sushi, but it's a start.

Intermingled with the sushi dishes were desserts. The girls had been eyeing their options, and Zoe did the honors of pulling it off the line. It really was fun. And I really am easily amused.

I am sure John is hoping to try a more authentic sushi joint at some point, and if we make a trip to the mainland, there may be more abundant options for that. If we head to another sushi-go-round, we know now that we can order additional things specifically for our table.  But for our first sushi adventure in Japan, it was a good time. 

At the end of it all, you stack up your plates and bowls (all color-coded for price) and the server comes around with a scanner and adds it all up. It looks like we did serious damage, but each plate is pretty cheap, so the bill was reasonable, especially when you consider the entertainment factor. 

Until the next go-round...

Remember the Day

As I write this, Typhoon Vongfong is swirling outside of our window. Vongfong is expected to score a direct hit on Okinawa. Thankfully, the island is prepared for such storms, and OIST in particular has excellent infrastructure for this. We are having a day of snacks, puzzles, crafts, and movies. I am sure there will be damage, and the storm is indeed serious, but without 24/7 coverage of impending doom, it feels less like a total panic-fest than it would if we were experiencing something similar in the U.S.

I figured this would be a good day to post about one of my favorite days in Okinawa thus far. In late August we spent a day at Busena Beach. This is near the Underwater Observatory  that Maddox and I visited one day. The beach is on the property of the exclusive hotel located there, so we paid a fee to enter for the day, but it was well worth it.

As I've written about before, there are a good number of poisonous sea creatures here, so swimming at a beach that is netted is definitely preferable. The day was hot, and the water temperature perfect. The water itself was crystal clear, and we played and swam for many hours.

At most beaches here, you can pay for water activities, and Maddox of course is always up for an adventure. She spotted the aqua-tractors, and well, how often in life does one get to drive an aqua-tractor?

The tractor was pretty slow-moving and required a good amount of pedaling. As you might guess, John was the one who did most of the literal legwork. John had planned to split the time between the two girls, but Zoe decided that she mostly enjoyed looking adorable on the beach instead.

The day ended with all of us tired and hungry. We ended up at Thai Food in Yomitan Village (the girls pre-partied with some food at home) for a great meal with a laidback vibe. The Thai food at Thai Food is quite good , though I think it's possible that Thai Garden in Keene, New Hampshire is still the best Thai food that I have eaten. 

As the gusts near 100 mph outside our window and we all go a little stir-crazy, I am trying to transport my mind back to Busena. Truth be told though, I've gone to Carolina in my mind instead, feeling grateful that marriage equality is now a reality in our home state. At the end of the day, even when the day brings a typhoon, love wins.

In Search of Fuu

I am woefully behind, friends. As I write this, we are in the middle of a fun visit from John's parents, aka Grandma Maggie and Poppy, but because I am Type A +, you probably will not hear about that visit for a few more weeks. Blog must be in chronological order!

Cool bridge!

A couple of weeks ago, we went in search of Fuu Cafe . We had heard about the great coffee, and were in need of some. There are many things we miss about Durham (a topic which merits its own post), and Bean Traders Coffee (the beans, the community, the vibe, the owners) is high on that list. 

Fuu Cafe is on Sesoko Island, one of the many islands in the Ryukyu chain, and a part of Okinawa Prefecture. Sesoko is connected to the Motobu Peninsula (near the amazing aquarium) by a bridge so we did not need to figure out the ferry situation. (Although riding a ferry is definitely on our list of fun things to do ...)

(I do not know why this posting already has so many parentheses already. I am sure my subconscious is trying to say something. Feel free discuss in the comment section. And yes, I realize that the parentheses are probably not necessary or correct. So be it.)

Anyhow, we traveled the cool bridge and quickly found Fuu Cafe, tucked in a lovely, peaceful garden spot. There was a garden swing and a hammock, and a lovely selection of coffees and desserts. 

Fuu Cafe on Sesoko Island

Enjoying the garden swing with Zo-Zo

When we arrived, they had not started serving their lunch menu yet, so we were forced to eat cake. Since it was only 11 am, we figured we should be reasonable and just order two (enormous) pieces of cake to share. I selected the chocolate cake and a caramel chiffon cake.

We made a rookie mistake and did not tell Zoe that these cakes were meant for the four of us to share. So the server brought our items and she claimed the chocolate cake (already a huge hunk gone in the above photo). The peaceful vibe up and went, but ohmygoodness the cake! the coffee! My drink was flavored with some local brown sugar and was amazing. The caramel cake? Why did not I claim that as my own? Zoe is a smart one. I could learn something from her.

After we left somewhat reluctantly (were there more cakes to try! more coffee to order!), We visited Nakijin Castle and then headed to Kouri Island, another of the Ryukyu Islands. We had to drive on a couple of bridges to get there. The main bridge is the longest toll free bridge in Japan, spanning approimately 2 kilometers. The water is stunningly blue. My iPhone camera cannot do it justice.

View from Kouri Ocean Tower

Kouri Island is small, with a population of just 350 people. About a year ago, the Kouri Ocean Tower  opened. Aside from the amazing views that the Ocean Tower offers, there  is also a shell museum with over 10,000 shells from around the world. They were amazing to see.

Shell museum ... again, can not quite do it justice!

The Kouri Ocean Tower also had a souvenir shop with plenty of goodies to sample (a common theme to souvenir shops here) and a Blue Seal ice cream stand. So much for us coming back svelte from an Okinawan diet.  

My favorite part of the Kouri Ocean Tower visit was riding the automatic golf cart up the steep hill to the entrance, and then back down to our car.

Maddox: Amazing! No one is steering
Zoe: Whatev. Not impressed.

The golf cart road

Family of foreheads!

After a cake-castle-shell-filled day, we headed back to Onna via the roads on the east coast of Okinawa. The car ride home often takes the wind out of my sails, so maybe being behind on the blog is a good thing . It helps me focus on the great memories we make on these adventures, and conveniently Lets me edit out the complaints from the minions.    Now, off to plan our next trip to Fuu Cafe. An hour's drive for a great coffee is reasonable, right? (Right?)