Churaumi Aquarium, the Sequel

There are many, many things to do on Okinawa, but most people agree that Churaumi ("beautiful/graceful ocean") Aquarium is one of the "must see" destinations. The girls and I had been a couple of times, but John and his parents were looking forward to their first and only visit. It is about 90 minutes from where we are in Onna, and we figured that both the kids and the grown-ups would appreciate a pit stop along the way. A friend told us about Pain de Kaito, a wonderful bakery in Nago about halfway to the aquarium. It is the same bakery that runs the cafe at OIST, but the store in Nago has a wider selection. Poppy has never met a pastry he didn't like, so this rest stop was a crowd-pleaser.

This "cutout head" photo opportunity is a popular item at many destinations here. What I love is that it often includes the date and so I can keep things in order! 

The first stop in the aquarium was the touch tank. Maddox had been brave with her exploration the last time she and I went to the aquarium and she was eager to show Grandma and Zoe what they could touch. She says the sea cucumber is soft like petting a cat. I wouldn't go that far, but it is much softer than you would think. 

Zoe likes the aquarium the best when she is being carried by someone, preferably me. Sometimes she is exceptionally whiny about it, but on this particular day she was actually pretty good. We look cuter when we are smiling. By the way, am I getting any better at selfies? Methinks not.

Zoe did tell me a joke this morning, perhaps inspired by the aquarium.

Zoe:  "Mom, what did the octopus say to the shark?"

Me: "Please don't eat me?"

Zoe: "Correct. Good job, Mom."

I think the part that was supposed to be funny was when she told me I was right and that I was doing a good job. She must have declared it Opposite Day. (That reads like a plea for compliments; it is not. I know I'm awesome, but Zoe doesn't always recognize how amazing I am.)

The main attraction at the aquarium is the Kuroshio Sea tank. The name is from the warm current that supports the diverse and unique marine life in the waters around Okinawa. The tank is amazing - it was the largest in the world until Atlanta opened their aquarium. We Americans like things to be the best and biggest, don't we? The walls in this tank are two feet thick. That actually doesn't seem thick enough when you are looking at three whale sharks.

The Ocean Expo Park, of which the aquarium is a part, was actually built for the 1975 World's Fair. The aquarium was recently built, just in 2002, as a way to renew the park and give it increased visibility. It definitely worked as it has become a major tourist destination, and rightly so. The photo below gives you a sense of the size of the aquarium.  The Expo Park has many other parts to it, including an arboretum, playgrounds, and a traditional Okinawan village. We haven't been to much of the rest of it since the aquarium always offers something we haven't seen before.

Towards the end of the day, we ended up at the Dolphin Theater. One of John's graduate students had just arrived in Okinawa the day before and was with us on this day trip. Right before the Dolphin Show, he had a coffee float. During the Dolphin Show, he had a beer. He is very smart, and quickly learned the coping mechanisms we use to survive parenting young children. 

I don't think Zoe cared about the dolphin show. She was mostly happy to be sitting in Grandma's lap.

My favorite fact that Maddox taught me after reading the information at the aquarium is that there are some kinds of fish that change color after they have finished eating. They are one color when they are hungry, another color after they have eaten. I am looking into have some kind of color-coded sensor implanted on my kids' wrists or something. Are you whining because you are hungry? Are you really full or are you just trying to be excused so you don't have to sit at the table? Perhaps John can make an app for that. Isn't that the kind of thing sabbatical is for?

Until next time...

Pottery, Popovers, & Precarious Cliffs

One of the many reasons I was looking forward to having grandparents visit was the opportunity to do some things that grown-ups would enjoy. Visiting the Yomitan Pottery Village was on this list. It was also on the list of places not to take Zoe. So after dropping Zoe at school, we headed to look at some pottery. Pottery, along with glassblowing, textiles, and lacquerware, is one of the traditional crafts for which Okinawa is known. Maggie bought a lovely serving plate and Poppy bought necklaces with pottery pendants for the girls. Then it was off to find a mid-morning snack to sustain us!

Living in Okinawa has been made immeasurably easier by the presence of some incredible online resources and by social networking. The main go-to site for anyone moving here is Okinawa Hai (created by my talented friend Meredith during her first go-round on this island). Oki Hai is incredibly useful for many things, especially restaurant reviews. I had scoped out Cafe Milkhall Iramina on Oki Hai, and armed with written directions, and a deep interest in finding fresh popovers, we made our way to this delightful cafe. (I do love finding a restaurant when the directions use instructions like "turn right at the tombs.") Maddox had a mango smoothie and I had this monstrous popover, fresh from the oven. 

The waitress was very kind and we were able to communicate well enough. She was very concerned about making sure Maddox had something to do so she brought books for her, and then brought this collection of costume hats. She placed a couple on Poppy. Uncle Samurai?

We completed our morning with a little more sightseeing in Yomitan. We drove to Cape Zanpa and climbed on the lava rocks towards the cliffs. We can see this lighthouse in the distance from our apartment, although unfortunately it is not open for visitors to climb. Maddox is fearless on these rocks. 

I love spotting fishermen in locations like this. Someday I hope to see one actually climbing down to his spot for the day.

Although Okinawa has some beautiful beaches, there are many miles of the coast that look like this. The water below swirls in so many shades of blue, and is at times deceivingly calm. Although I miss home and feel ready to head to the U.S. soon, it is pretty cool to be less than 30 minutes from a site like this one.

For any history buffs, the U.S. troops landed just south of this location on April 1, 1945. I can't really get my head around the history most times. There are so many layers to this island and to the stories it holds.

Thus ends the retelling of another day of adventuring. Next up: aquarium redux.

Ryukyu Mura

As I write this post, I realize that we have just three weeks left here in Okinawa. This means I could probably post every day and still not get caught up. Better late than never, right? I hope to have everything documented by the time the girls leave for college. I can make a nice photo book for each of them. (Oh good God, Mom, photo books are so 2010! Stop embarrassing me!)

Okay, so when we left off last time, Grandma Maggie and Poppy had traveled from afar to see us, Maggie and I accidentally ate pig's ear, and Justise Winslow had blocked the shot of a Stanford player while jumping over the dude's head. Ok, that last one might have been more recent. If you don't know what I am talking about, just google it. You're welcome.

Early in the Dolbows' visit, we headed to Ryukyu Mura, a village designed, mainly for tourists, to learn more about the traditional crafts, dances, and lifestyle of the Ryukyan people. Think Williamsburg for Okinawa. 

The main event for our visit there was a 30 minute performance that cycled through all of the traditional dances and celebrations of the Ryukyu culture. I love the colors in the traditional clothing. The art of painting the fabrics is called bingata, and it is one of the main crafts celebrated here.

The Lion dance is another traditional dance, with connections to similar dances in China. The lion, which on Okinawa resembles the Shisa, is supposed to summon good spirits. It is fun to watch the lion dance because it takes two people to wear the costume and the coordination between the dancers is impressive. Zoe's general dislike of dogs affected her enjoyment of this portion of the show, but soon they moved on to an Eisa performance.

I love watching the Eisa drummers. The dancing, drumming, and singing is full of energy. There is so much to the culture here that has been kept alive and that the younger generations seem to enjoy as much as the older ones. 

Water buffalo are a common farm animal on the island. In this demonstration, they were being used to operate a sugar cane mill, crushing the cane to allow the sweet juice to flow. 

At any good tourist destination, and especially here in Okinawa, there is always an opportunity to spend even more money with additional "experiences". The girls had already painted shisa when we first arrived here, but it's hard to pass up a craft activity with these two. What I love about doing crafts with them is the opportunity to see their unique personalities borne out in art. Zoe, who often declares that she plans to be an artist when she grows up, goes wherever the paint takes her. She loves to swirl it and doesn't get upset if she makes a mess. She also has tremendous focus for a preschooler when it comes to art projects. It's just about the only time she is reasonably quiet.

Then there is Maddox. She organizes her paint and makes a plan for what she is going to do. Sometimes the organizing of the craft materials takes far more time than the actual execution of the craft. She gets frustrated when the colors mix or when the result doesn't match what is in her mind's eye. I would chalk some of these differences up to developmental age, but I remember when Maddox was three and four, she would make pages and pages of "artwork" that was simply stickers lined up in neat rows all across a page. I don't think Zoe has ever lined anything up in her life.

Zoe's final product: 

Maddox's final product: 

A Duke Shisa! Atta girl. 

The funny part was watching the Japanese tourists (Okinawa is an increasingly popular tourist destination for mainland Japanese) make their own Shisa; all well designed and color coordinated. They were painted to look like the ones sold in the souvenir shops. There was a couple at our craft table who laughed and laughed, good-naturedly I trust, at Zoe's shisa in particular. They took a photo of it as well. I assume they posted it on Facebook and that the photo has gone viral in Tokyo.

Okay, now go eat some leftovers, shop your local businesses for great holiday gifts, and eagerly await more posts from me. Just don't hold your breath, ok?

Shuri, You Must Be Joking

Late September brought some slightly cooler breezes and relief from the stifling humidity. It also brought our first visitors to Okinawa: Grandma Maggie and Poppy! They arrived to find two very excited girls anxiously awaiting their visit.

                             

Wrangling granddaughters at Shureimon, the main entrance to the castle grounds

After a day of adjusting to the climate and the time zone, we all headed to Shurijo Castle, one of Okinawa's UNESCO World Heritage sites. Shurijo Castle was built in the 14the century and served as the center of th Ryukyu Kingdom for nearly 500 years. Although destroyed in the Battle of Okinawa, it was restored in 1992. 

The girls enjoyed the castle visit immensely. There was a stamp rally map which encouraged them (and therefore us) to pay attention and explore most of the vast grounds. In the photo above, Maddox is standing at Iri-no-Azana which is an observatory area. In the background is Naha city, and the East China Sea beyond that. 

                               

The building above is called the Seiden, where visitors were seen and ceremonies held. My photo doesn't do justice to the vibrant colors and intricate painting and carvings that embellish the building.

After securing enough stamps to receive stickers, we finally sat down for lunch. We found a restaurant that the kids liked: orange juice and white rice for Zoe, ginger ale and taco rice for Maddox. Maggie and I both ordered a daily special lunch set that came with some flavorful stir-fried noodles and an assortment of small side dishes. I confidently tried everything, and enjoyed most of it. There was one side dish that had an interesting-looking ingredient. It was a bit chewy, but the seasoning was good. I was curious what it was because it didn't look familiar. I thought perhaps it was a root vegetable I had not yet seen.

Kore wa nan desuka? What is this?

The waitress laughed a bit, touched her ear, and said "pig". Awesome. I had just unknowingly eaten pig's ear. Of course, once I knew what it was, I couldn't take another bite. I don't mind eating animals, just not their ears, I guess. Maggie had also tasted it and had rejected it already for its texture. The dish is called mimigaa, so now I know what to watch out for.

The conspiratorial looks in this photo make me wonder what they knew all along. Zoe loves a good joke.

In related news, pig's ear has lots of collagen. When you see me next, you might notice the increased elasticity in my skin and my minimal wrinkles. My NC peeps, maybe you can support the local farmers by offering to boil the leftover pig ears for some down-home style mimigaa; I am pretty sure the dish would go well with sweet tea and hush puppies.

Tune in next time for more episodes with our guest stars!