9/9/2024: Okinawa
After a busy few days of work and fun, I am preparing to switch to my next location in Okinawa. I’ve been supporting a few childcare centers here so working from 7-5 for a few days and enjoying my evenings with yummy food and pretty views. My sponsor for work took me to many great places for lunch (yum revolving sushi bar) and took me to a local thrift shop where I bought a lot of Ryukyu glass and pottery and an insanely low price. Yay souviners! But once I wrapped up with the work days, I got to enjoy some of Okinawa’s cool sites.
On Saturday, I started out by heading to a large shopping center nearby to see the Okinawa Pokemon Center. Obviously Pokemon and anime is a huge influence in Japan, so seeing it first hand was wild. The amount of people who crowded into the area and purchased loads of pokemon merch. There were giant displays of different Pokemon and arcade games where you could play. After exploring here, I went to the rooftop and indulged in some Yakiniku. Think Korean bbq but with a Japanese spin. I got so much Waygu and Sake at a crazy low price. It was some of the best food I have ever had in my life. I love Japan.
After this, I decided to check out the Nakagusuku Castle Ruins. This is is one of many castles that were built across Okinawa during the era of the Ryukyu Kingdom, which had been in existence for several centuries before Okinawa became a part of Japan proper in 1879. Walking through here was like walking through history. You could see the different prayer sites and enclosures that once housed the royalty of the area. It also overlooked some of the most incredible views in Okinawa. The rain started to make its way over so I wrapped up at the ruins and hid out for a bit before heading back to my hotel. The evening ended by enjoying some of the weekly fireworks over the harbor and just appreicating how lucky I am.
Yesterday, my sponsor was kind enough to take me into Naha, the largest city on Okinawa to the Kokusai Market. This is a major shopping and food street in Okinawa. I started off by getting some of the legendary Japanese fluffy pancakes and a smoothie overlooking the harbor before meeting up with Maria to head to the market. We ate so much food and people watched and bought even more souvieners. I’ve resigned myself to knowing I will be shipping things back home because I am fascinated by all the stuff I am finding. Today I am going to pack up my hotel, head to the Aquarium, and wait for my next sponsor to pick me up before starting part 2 of my work trip in Okinawa tomorrow. What an incredible life I get to live.
