Japan 2013: Episode 15

June 20

While Jim is away, the girls will play!

Jim's leave has ended and the poor boy had to go back to work, leaving the ladies to entertain themselves. We slept in, watched movies, read books, and eventually made ourselves presentable and wandered around our little base.

Here are a few of the things we found.

Tsunami!?

Our first glimpse into the world of tropical storms was a distant and uneventful one. Tropical Storm Leepi (now reduced to a tropical depression) passed by far off the coast of Okinawa. From Torii station, the only affects we saw were increased surf on the coast and a little stronger wind. The base has levels of awareness regarding when and how strong the storms affects should be. 

We are near Kadena, on that tiny island south of mainland Japan. The tropical storm is indicated by the black circle icon, the purple is the projected path.

A slightly stronger surf on the beach.

The Post office

I mailed a large box on May 17 with some things intended to keep us busy here in Okinawa. We are still waiting for it to arrive, as I later learned standard post can take 30-45 days (transported by boat) to reach it's intended destination. We checked the post office box for notice of a package. It was empty (as usual).

We did find this lovely guy (right).

The Library

Like a kid in a candy store, Olivia enjoyed the discovery of the Library. We filled out a registration form, and acquired the ability to check out the book Liv had already read to page 65 while sitting there. This library has a large collection of regional interest books, on history, arts and culture of Japan and Okinawa and the surrounding countries. Another great feature is the "Take one Leave one" shelf of free books with anything from novels to biographies to cook books others have contributed. I overheard a member of the staff say the vast movie collection sees the most circulation, unfortunate in my eyes when I see so many valuable resources available. It is a small library, but well stocked in local interest, classics, and childrens' books. Olivia found the latest series she's reading, and other popular books for her age group.

Arts and Crafts

We also stopped by the Arts and Crafts building, but seemed to catch the staff at their lunch break. The website boasts classes in pouring ceramics, bisque glazing, wheel and modeling pottery, as well as framing and woodwork. I was unable to find a class schedule. Maybe next time we will investigate this service earlier in our stay and become better informed.

Delicious!

After a long days' work, Jim was kind enough to take us out to eat at a remarkable sushi restaurant. Very small and with only one staff member, a virtual artist of food, this place truly lived up to its name, "Delicious." Generous portion at fair price and with high quality ingredients, the sushi is the best I have ever tasted. Olivia was a big fan of the sculpted garnishments, as well!

From left to right: Golden California roll with tuna, salmon , inside crab and avocado;
Okinawa roll with crab, tempura shrimp, cucumber inside; crab roll;
Fire California roll with cream cheese and salmon inside outside toasted with blow torch!

Orange dragon roll: tempura shrimp and crab inside, salmon on top with tempura flakes

Magnificent origami around the small shop

At some point in the beginning of the trip, Jim had made the mistake of mentioning piles of papers that needed to be sorted through. Olivia found some of those piles and "encouraged" Jim to go through them.

Another source of entertainment: powerfully magnetic Bucky Balls.