1-23-2011

While in Okinawa I found a string of beads that appeared to glow, like a diamond sparkles. When looking through it, it shines yellow, and it directs yellow light at everything, but if you just look at it, it glows a blue-violet. Cool.

1-4-2011

Shisa are the dog/lion hybrids imported from China into the Ryukyu kingdom.  Traditionally in China (and in Okinawa), they are a little scary looking since they're supposed to be protectors.  Nowadays they're happy purveyors of Okinawan culture.  This rotating tower of happy gremlin-esque shisa are sitting underneath a Hanagasa.

Hanagasa are flower hats worn by female Okinawan dancers for a specific dance.  Now people wear them for other performances too.

See a more recent shisa photo here.

1-3-2011

Soki is a pork sparerib with the cartilage that's cooked for a really long time.  The Japanese say that it's cooked for so long that the fat is no longer bad for you (the bad fat is cooked off) and the remaining fat is collagen, which is good for the skin.  It would make sense, since most Okinawan traditional foods are local varieties--often similar, but not identical to other Japanese ones--and are unbelievably fresh.

This Soki Soba was found at an izakaya on Kokusai Dori in Naha.  The noodles, while called soba, are yellow and unlike soba found in most of Japan.  Okinawan soba resembles udon elsewhere and contains no buckwheat.  Historically, the Japanese were rather miffed by the misnomer, but their reverence for culture and tradition allow Okinawa to keep calling it soba despite not being soba in the purist sense.

Whatever else it is, it certainly is delicious.

1-2-2011

These saké bottles are in the shape of kagami mochi, the stacked mochi topped with a bitter orange symbolic of New Year.  I didn't read too closely, but perhaps the alcohol is orange-flavored?  Or perhaps just rice-based, like mochi (and of course saké).

The feature of these may well be the bottles, because glass-blowing has become a local craft.  In particular, there's a glass or stone, not sure what it is, that continues to glow after having light shined on it.  It's vaguely reminiscent of those glow worm toys from the early 1990s, but much less plastic.

1-1-2011

Happy New Year!

For New Year, we went to the Gyokusendo caves and Okinawa World.  Inside was a theme park based on Okinawan culture, tweaked a bit for tourists' tastes.  In a place like that it's to be expected.  Still, since it's open every day of the year we were able to do some New Year crafts, like painting our own shisa.

Can you guess which one is mine?  I'll give you a hint: It's not the one with the moustache.

12-31-2010

The Churaumi Aquarium at Ocean Expo Park (the site of the 1975 World Expo) in Nago, Okinawa has a lot of local aquatic life.  The main attraction are a trio of whale sharks.  Japan currently has five whale sharks in captivity, while the rest of the world combined has eight.  The three in Okinawa are often the focus of animal rights groups because of their status as endangered species as well as the fact that they are ocean-dwelling creatures in a small tank.

The critter posing for me in this photo is the giant Okinawan Spiny Lobster.  I wanted to eat him, along with the Japanese people muttering "美味しそう。。。" ("Looks delicious...") behind me.

12-30-2010

Not all of Okinawan traditional culture has disappeared beneath kitsch; within Shuri Castle, there's a tearoom that serves jasmine tea and traditional Ryukyu Kingdom-era pastries. They also give out sheets explaining how the cookies were made.

The ones with the rippled edges are called chinsuko, and are a popular souvenir to bring back to families and coworkers.  These are what I decided to bring.

12-29-2010

Most of the food to be found around Okinawa is American, or American-influened.  At this cafe, there was a Mint Oreo Shake on the menu we had to try.  It was expensive, but pretty good.   :o)

12-28-2010

The areas around the military bases in Okinawa are a sad study in how poor areas adapt to suit wealthy tourists. Okinawan culture is largely hidden behind big, shiny American displays. This shopping area, Depot Island, was new and obviously targeted toward those from the base, seen in clothing and shoe sizes available, for example. Still, it had a charming feel to it as I explored the area near my hotel.