June 8
Okinawa World
We went on our first great excursion to a sort of amusement park called Okinawa World and Cultural Center in the south end of the island. Set in the likeness of a traditional Ryukyu village (the monarchy before mainland Japan annexed the island), it was a great introduction into the history and culture of the Island. Fortunately they had an English audio guide with numbered tracks for each feature to help us understand. There were many opportunities to try hands on customary skills like weaving, painting, Indigo dying, pottery and painting, paper making, and learning to play an instrument. There were also informative workshops with glass blowing, sugar cane products, a local brewery where the Habu Sake is made and liquors. We found many souvenirs from the place!
Interesting things on the way to the park...
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| Agricultural country side |
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| A tomb: These are very common burial sites all over the island. This one happens to be rather pretty. |
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| Entrance to Okinawa World |
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| Another interesting toilet... yes, they do have normal johns, too! |
Let the adventure begin!
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| Soba Noodles, an Okinawan specialty |
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| Eating noodles with chopsticks... not exactly easy. |
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| Habu Sake for sale... 48510 Yen = about $485.10 USD |
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| A batch of Habu Sake in the brewery |
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| The Brewery |
Olivia tried this Fish Therapy, a Turkish thing that has come to the island. Apparently, the fish like to eat dead skin, so the result is a sort of pedicure for the feet.
In the Cultural Museum, we learned the story of the Shīsā (シーサー). These are a traditional Ryukyuan decoration, often found in pairs, resembling a cross between a lion and a dog, from Okinawa mythology. Many people put a pair of shisa on their rooftops or flanking the gates to their houses. Shisa are wards, believed to protect from various evils. When found in pairs, the shisa on the left traditionally has a closed mouth, and the one on the right an open mouth. The open mouth to ward off evil spirits, and the closed mouth to keep good spirits in.
One of the traditional crafts we tried was the Weaving. We each made a coaster. The staff instructed which peddle to press in order to make the design. At the end, they finished coaster so the edges wouldn't fray and the loom was set up for the next one.
Olivia weaving - you can hear the Cicadas in the background.
Some of the beautiful handiwork of the Glass Blowing workshop.
We also watched a traditional Eisu dance, but were not allowed to take photographs or video. The dancers/drummers dressed in traditional costume. I'm sure they explained the history of the Eisu drum dance, but it was in Japanese. It was very entertaining and the performers seemed to really enjoy sharing this part of their culture.
After the show, we had the opportunity to meet this little guy.
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| Who doesn't love a python? |
In addition to the Cultural Kingdom, the park also had the Habu Museum which taught all about the indigenous and very poisonous Habu snake.
This show taught about the Habu snake. It was also in Japanese.
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| A Habu Snake |
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| A Chinese Cobra. The point of this demonstration was to show that this snake cannot see behind it... The snake attacked the guy's shoe, and the guy slapped the back of its head, because the snake didn't see the hand coming at it. No animals were really harmed in the show. :) |
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| Some very large hermit crabs |
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| Coconut Crab |
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| Aquatic snake |
The third section of the park was a Cave walk. The English Audio guide had a few pieces throughout the cave about how caves are formed, and describing some specific features of this cave. It was very drippy, and very nice to go at our own pace rather than following a tour guide.
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| Watch your head |
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| Olivia collecting water. she says it tasted very good. |
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| This very cool rim formation holds a pool above that overflows like a very light waterfall. |
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| Curtains or "Bacon" |
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| Downright Batty, they are |
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| The mouth of the cave |
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| A very long escalator to the surface |
At the end of the cave tour we happened into the Fruit Orchard, housing several varieties of fruit bearing trees. We decided to sample a variety bowl of fruit with a few new things.
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| Passion fruit |
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| Kiwi, orange, pineapple, papaya, Kiwano (orange rind with green jelly-like fruit), and passion fruit (being eaten) and white dragon fruit (not pictured, because we already ate it) |
On the way home we grabbed some familiar KFC - fried chicken, biscuit, coleslaw and french fries just like in the US.
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