The Lily Festival

The Okinawans host many festivals celebrating the blooming season of various flowers. We had already attended the cherry blossom festival in January, but May is the time of year for lilies. We decided to spend the day traveling to Lily Field Park on Okinawa's neighboring Ie Island where the festival was being held. Our friends met us that morning and we set off with plans to catch the ferry at 11 am...but then we hit traffic on the expressway. We decided to stop and have lunch and just catch the ferry at 1pm...but then there was a wait for the best burger joint on the north side of the island. It was worth the wait! Especially since the restaurant was on the beach and we simply admired the view and found hermit crabs until a table was ready. We were not able to get onto the ferry until 2pm, and the last returning ferry to Okinawa was at 4pm! We had a very short time to get to the festival.

The view from the beach while waiting for a table.

We found so many hermit crabs!

Finally! We made it to the ferry!

On our way!

When we reached Ie Island we realized the lilies were on the opposite side of the island. We were told the shuttle had stopped running, so we grabbed a cab. The driver got us there...quickly. She took shortcuts though tobacco fields ignoring all stop signs. About two minutes later she dropped us off at the lily festival. There were rows and rows of white lilies stretching down to the ocean. Past the white lilies were straight lines of every kind and color of lily imaginable. The air was fragrant with a breeze coming off the water. We could only enjoy the flowers for about an hour before we had to head back to the ferry. The shuttle was still running after all, so we hopped on the bus in order to make the last ferry off Ie Island and back home.

The Cafe with a Cave

My friend and I went on our own adventure while our husbands were at work. I had read about Cafe Gold Hall which was described as a cafe that was connected to a cave and bonsai tree garden. I was intrigued, so off we went to eat lunch at the cafe with a cave!

We stepped into the cafe that was completely furnished with petrified wood. The tables were ancient tree stumps topped with glass, the stools were carved wood, and the walls were lined with amazing wood carvings. We were the only ones in the cafe at the time, and we gleefully explored the whole room snapping pictures with our phones until our food arrived. After we ate and paid for our meal, we were handed a map full of staircases and arrows to show which way to go through the rest of the building. We were guided to the first stairwell, and on our own we descended into the unknown.

Because most cafes have carved dragons and birds around their doorways. 

Taco rice and caramel latte. Yum!

We passed rooms filled with more wood carvings as we went down staircase after staircase. The walls turned into limestone, and sure enough we entered a cave with all of the stalagmites and stalactites that you would expect. There were even lit pools with dripping water. The cafe used the cave as storage for their alcohol that was still fermenting. We did not stay in the dark for long, because after a few cave rooms the next part of this crazy restaurant was outside.

Scary habu sake!

We stepped outside into a beautiful terraced garden full of statues and waterfalls. Among all the blooming flowers were intricate statues, tiny coy ponds, or hidden shisa dogs. There were the statues one would expect in this part of the world: a coy fish, a smiling Buddha, and a small stone pagoda. The one exception was a giant Statue of Liberty replica that looked out into the ocean. It made me feel very welcome as an American, if not somewhat confused. 

Um...thanks?

After more rooms filled with wooden carvings (we couldn't help but wonder where they got all of these carvings, they looked expensive), we finally reached the roof where they kept the bonsai tree gardens. There were rows and rows of different species of bonsai that had all been meticulously pruned and wired into the correct shape. I have no idea how many hours it took to care for so many plants.

Cafe Gold Hall was amazing, and it was only around eight dollars to explore the gardens and cave. I am not sure how they collected so many interesting objects or built a cafe on such an interesting location, but I am glad they did. 

The Pizza/Pottery Place

I usually require a husband to visit a new place since I don't trust my own navigation skills to drive anywhere too far from my comfort zone - but not this time! A friend invited me on an outing with NIOSC - North Island Officer Spouses Club. She had been to this location before and graciously did the driving to the city of Onna, a beautiful resort town I had only seen once before. The club's April event was lunch and painting at Doka Doka cafe.

We started downstairs on a patio with picnic tables all set up with paint and brushes. We were able to choose what kind of pottery we wanted to paint: plate, bowl, or mug. Even though the instructor did not speak much English (and we did not speak much Japanese), he managed to convey some helpful tips on pottery painting. For example, "White and blue- beautiful! Brown and blue- not!" and "One stroke good, Two strokes ok, Three strokes too much." I painted flowers on my plate, and he asked me if they were sakura, or cherry blossoms. Of course I pretended I had the ability to paint specific types of flowers and agreed with him. While the colors appeared to be different shades of gray, he assured us the colors would appear after they were glazed and fired. I will have to wait a whole month to find out!

After painting we all headed upstairs to view the professional pottery. We had twenty minutes before the restaurant began serving food, but we all enjoyed browsing through the vases, cups, and bowls that were for sale and painted by our instructor. He does beautiful work!

For lunch we sat in a row at a bar overlooking the beautiful East China Sea. It was a lovely, breezy day and the water was turquoise. The doka doka pizza was as delicious as the view. I was so glad I could branch out to a new place with friends while Matt was at work, and I cannot wait to see what else NIOSC has planned!

The Closer Castle

During Matt's long weekend over Easter we decided to go castle-ing with our friends! If you have never heard of castle-ing before, then there might not be very many castles where you live. That is certainly not the case on Okinawa! According to Wikipedia there are twenty-one different castle ruins on our island and we gotta see them all! Therefore, we go castle-ing for fun. 

The term here for a castle or fortress is gusuku. Most are in ruins with only the stone walls and some foundation stones remaining. I had previously visited Nakijin castle when exploring some sights in northern Okinawa, but this day we did not have to travel far from our home to enjoy time at Katsuren castle. 

We headed up some steep paths and then up some even steeper stairs. This castle was well-fortified with steep slopes on every side. Each stair was at a downward angle so I had to hold onto the hand rail in order to not slide all the way back down. After the steep climb up stairs, the view at the top was stunning. You could see the ocean in every direction!

The day was cloudy, but I could make out our home in the distance. It is a tan building with an identical tower beside it on the very left edge of the frame.

Can you see it?

It is so neat to live on an island with such interesting and beautiful sights EVERYWHERE! Stay tuned for our next castle-ing adventure!

The outside walls.

They had a cave for refuge during battles.

Lily season on the island

The Street for Shopping

Kokusai Street is known throughout the island as the place to go shopping. A few months ago (yeah, I am behind on this post!) Matt and I decided to check it out. We drove down to Naha, the capital and largest city of Okinawa, and found public parking. There is the main street with stores and restaurants, but there are also several streets that branch off. They slope downward and are covered from the elements by a glass roof. These side streets are filled with small booths that are stuffed with local goods. There was a whole store with painted chopsticks, another with pink coral jewelry, and others with candy. That is where we bought purple sweet potato kit-kats! 

The most interesting sight was the famous habu sake. The habu snake is a venomous local snake that lives in tall grass. All of the grass is kept very short on base, so don't worry! Sake is the Japanese alcohol of choice. The habu sake has a real snake preserved inside the bottle. A small amount of venom permeates into the alcohol. It is very expensive and not something I want to taste. 

The stores only take cash in yen, and we ended up spending most of the yen we had with us. I walked away with two shirts, candy, and coral earrings, and Matt purchased a shirt and some very old coins to add to his collection. Unfortunately, the local ATMs do not recognize our cards and we both got really hungry for dinner! While Kokusai Street has many restaurants, the only option for us was McDonalds. We were able to gather enough change in yen to buy two combo meals. I ordered the teriyaki burger (not available in the states), and it was so tasty after walking all day. We will definitely be going back to Kokusai Street for some serious Christmas shopping. 

The Cat Cafe

I did not find this place on my own. My neighbor and guest blogger Beverly invited our tower friends to visit Neco Cat Cafe. Surprisingly (or not) only the cat owners on our floor decided to make the trip. It seemed like such a foreign experience - I had to try it! Cat cafes are more popular in mainland Japan where small living spaces mean fewer house pets resulting in a kind of pet rental business. Neco Cat Cafe is the only one I have heard of on the island of Okinawa, but the business model is the same. You pay a cover charge to spend time surrounded by happy cats.

When you open the door to the cafe you are in a small vestibule with shelves for your shoes. You must wear the slippers provided by the cafe when inside. Inside the cafe you are greeted by the owner with a spray bottle. Your hands are sprayed with a disinfectant before you can touch any of the cats. She also explains the rules (do not feed the cats, do not pick up the cats) and asks for you drink orders. We paid around ten dollars for an hour in the cafe with a drink included. Our neighbor who got lost and joined us later paid for a thirty minute session with no drink instead. After you make your drink selection you are free to wander around a tiny cat paradise.

There was a solid wall of windows so there were plenty of sunny napping spots. There were cat beds and baby cradles made into cat beds. All of the food bowls and litter boxes were kept out of sight. My favorite part had to be the cat transportation system along the ceiling where cats could walk over our heads.

Our drinks were delivered with cat-themed covers so that the kitties could not steal our drinks if we walked away from the table. I ordered a mango juice, and I was glad for the ice. The whole cafe was sunny and very warm.

At every table there was a list of the "cat staff" so we could call them by name. I believe that some of the cats were available for adoption, but I know that the cover charge we paid was used to care for all of them. There were some more exotic breeds among the "staff," the scottish fold, ragdoll, and munchkin to name a few. We spent our time petting the cats (even if they were aloof) and watching one of the kitties attack all of his sleeping coworkers. While I don't feel the need to frequent this cafe since I have a pet of my own, I was glad I got to experience another culture that also appreciates the simple pleasure of spending time with cats.

The Weddings

If you have been wondering why I have not been writing about my life in Okinawa, then you should know that I have not been in Okinawa for the past few weeks. Matt and I were able to travel to Georgia for the weddings of my sister to her wonderful new husband David as well as our friends Mike and Michelle.

Allie and David had their ceremony and reception in Forsyth, Georgia. I was so happy to be part of their day. They had personal touches everywhere! The wedding party was in TOMS shoes in order to support a good cause and be able to dance more easily at their art gallery reception. Allie and David showed off their swing dancing experience at their reception with a touching first dance to Ingrid Michaelson's "The Way I Am." There were cupcakes, orchids, and a beautiful tree painting for the guests to sign that Allie created herself. The day was just lovely.

The following weekend Matt and I headed down to Savannah for our friends' wedding. They were married in a small chapel surrounded by oak trees dripping in Spanish moss. They had a choral group to sing at the ceremony and a string duo to play at the reception. The day was filled with music and friends that had come from all over the country (and world!) to see the two wed.

In the time between the weddings I had time to see friends and family as well as enjoy the comforts of home that I had been missing. I shopped at Target and drank Chick-fil-a sweet tea to my heart's content. I went thrift shopping with my mom and met friends for Mexican food. I had a wonderful time!

As much as I miss my home in the states when I am in Okinawa, I also began to miss my home in Okinawa when I was in the states. I missed the warm sunny days and ocean views and the feeling that somewhere new to discover is just around the corner. And especially the people. It was such a relief when we left the American airports where you are herded like cattle to the Japanese airports where you are given slippers if the agents politely request you remove your shoes for the metal detector and the flight attendants bow and smile at you as you arrive at the airplane. There is so much more respect for each other that I believe Americans could use a bit more of!