Habu snake sake, caves, and shabu shabu

Ellie planned a day to Naha, at the southern end
of Okinawa Island. The first stop was Shurijo Castle,
another UNESCO World Heritage Site. We are in front
of the Shureimon Gate which was constructed in 1555.

Kankaimon Gate served as the front gate to Shurijo
Castle. The castle was originally constructed in the
14th century, and was the heart of politics, foreign
diplomacy and culture of the Ryukyu Kingdom
(1406-early 1900's).

The Seiden (main hall) of the castle was reduced to rubble
in the Okinawa War of 1945, but it was restored in 1972.
There's a beautiful view of the Pacific along the Castle wall.
The Castle was constructed with this in mind, so that soldiers
 could keep a lookout of Naha Port from the watchtowers.

The Seiden (main hall) of Shurijo Castle. It was declared a National
Treasure in 1925, then sadly, it was burned down in the Battle of
Okinawa just twenty years later. The Ryukyuan architecture has both
Chinese and Japanese influences, which I recognized straight away.

The king's seat was restored from pictures and references of
the seat used by Kin Sho Shin who ruled from 1477-1526.
It was so ornate, the photo really does not do it justice.

Ellen and I got tickled as we strolled through the
corridors of the Seiden. If we got turned around,
we would stumble upon the 'Usual route'. 😀

This was the view from the Okushoin, or where the
King 'took a rest'. The Japanese and Chinese are all
about 'taking a rest' every afternoon!  

Our next stop was Okinawa World...We had no idea what we
were getting ourselves in to! This place had a strange mix of
a cultural dance show, a restaurant, a shopping center, a brewery,
a traditional crafts village, a Habu snake museum, a tropical
orchard, a glass studio, a cave and more. I kid you not! Who 
would put all of those random things together in one location?!
The Chinese or Japanese would!  For my Indiana folk, it
was an Asian version of Conner Prairie... on steroids, lol.


Not long after their arrival, Ellie had an 'experience' with
shots of Habu snake sake that she mostly forgot!
I don't think she cares to repeat that any time soon :)

People in the East need pictorial instructions on how to
properly use a Western toilet. The first one on the top
right cracks me up!  Unfortunately, I have been a recipient
of foot prints on the toilet seat many, many times...
especially on the airplane toilets as I fly to and from Asia.

By far, the most enjoyable part of Okinawa
World was walking through the cave.

Gyokusendo Cave was discovered in 1967 by
an American university team of explorers. It
is said to be the biggest cave system in all of
Japan, with an overall length of 5000 meters.

There are over a million stalactites!

Only one fifth of the cave is open to the public,
the rest is preserved for research purposes.

Ellie didn't have to worry about ducking, lol.

All the caves I have been in are typically chilly;
around 55 degrees or so.  In this cave we were
overdressed; it was actually quite steamy. It was
beautiful navigating the 890 meters that are open to
the public, and since it was a weekday, there were
very few visitors, which made it all the more enjoyable.

It seems that once again I am caught saying, "the photos
don't do it justice."  I told Ellie she must bring her dad back
here when he visits her this spring.  He will love it. 

After a day of exploring, we were more than
ready to meet Herb for dinner. It seems he
had worked up more of an appetite than we had!

This is a common Japanese dish called shabu-shabu.  In China
it would be considered 'hot pot'  The pot is served on an open
flame in the center of your table. One side had a soy based broth,
the other was Korean.  You can choose other flavors, too, but I
was a little scared to try the seafood base.  We ordered thinly
sliced chicken and pork and plates of veggies to cook in the 
broth.  Unlike hot pot places I went to in China, this place had
a set price for the menu and it was all you can eat for 90 minutes!
You simply rang the bell and they brought more of whatever
you desired.  We desired a lot; it was delicious!!!  

The restaurant we ate at was in a place on
Okinawa called 'The American Village'.  It
is full of shops, restaurants, and entertainment
like arcades, a bowling alley and pachinko.
There also is an 'eye' to ride along with a
few other amusements for small children.
I can see it is a popular place for the
military folks and locals alike.

Eating shabu-shabu is one of Ellie and Herb's favorites, and
afterward they like to stroll through the arcades to watch
people gaming (and walk off dinner :)  Look at the containers
of money this guy has sitting next to him.  I wonder how many
hours (or days) he had been sitting there? Crazy.

This arcade was nothing like the pinball arcade I remember
at Concord Mall in my youth.  These games are very advanced
with all the electronics, bells and whistles, and they take
their gaming VERY SERIOUSLY.

Like SUPER seriously.  These guys brought a
magnetic holder to mount on the machine which
held a towel to wipe their hands.  Their backpacks
had sport drinks and other stuff- seemed bizarre to
me, but I guess I am old fashioned. I found it strange
thinking that I started my day in a Castle from the
1400's and I am ending my day watching these
crazy arcade games.  Life is funny like that.

These guys looked like some young American
Marines that were 'running hurdles' in this
video game.  I think he'd had a few too many
beers- he hit more hurdles than he cleared :)))

This was a 'claw' game which I have seen many
times before, but never have I seen one loaded
up with pet beds.  Hilarious.

We then wandered in to a few other shops, and
I marveled at all the weird stuff.  I thought China
was weird...can't say I've ever seen a slim
mouth piece. Is it supposed to give you a wider
smile, or a slim smile?!  Either way, it's kind
of silly because most Asians cover their mouths
if they smile or laugh out loud.

No more going to Claire's to get your ears
pierced.  You can do it at home with one
of these... They are even sold at the
Japanese dollar store. No thanks!

I could not make heads or tails of this product.  It was displayed
 with the face cleansing masks, but it was called an 'art mask'.
I did buy a foot peeling mask, to get 'baby soft feet', but it's
been nearly three weeks and I haven't tried it yet.  I'm a
little fearful of what might happen when I use it!
I figure if you only get one go around, you may as well live life full tilt...see new things, try new things, discover new things.  I will certainly pass on the Habu snake sake, but eventually I'll work myself up to a foot mask 😜

G'nite, y'all!


















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