Merry Christmas

Our first Christmas in Okinawa has come and gone. It didn't feel quite the same without the cold and snow that we have come accustomed to in Minnesota. We will have to settle for sand instead of snow!

We had to go with a small artificial tree this year. Santa still was able to load us up with presents though, along with a lot of gifts from our families back in the states. Duane's brother decided to give us a 5:30 am wake up call, so we started the day early. Grant was so excited to see all of the presents.

We had brunch at our apartment with a few friends. It made it feel more like Christmas to gather together and enjoy food and fun.

Santa sure did a good job filling up the stockings. Grant and Will love their new "Cars" pajamas that they got from Grandpa and Grandma.

Grant and Will have been playing with their new toys. Will really enjoys his new rocking toy with sounds and lights. Grant has to ride it sometimes with him.

Most of the Japanese people are now wearing hats, mittens and jackets. Grant still doesn't mind stripping down to his diaper and swimming. We do get a few weird looks, but if they only knew how cold it was back home they would understand that this weather is perfect for us.

Nakagusuku Castle

Sunday was beautiful and sunny when we went to the Nakagusuku Castle ruins. This is one of the best preserved, in its original state, castle ruins in Okinawa. It is located 160 meters above sea level with steep stone cliffs that offer a natural landscape for a castle site. From the castle ruins you can see panoramic views of both the Pacific Ocean and the East China Sea which were amazing.

The castle was built in the late 1300's and was completed in 1440, at which time the lord of Zakini-jo, Gosamaru, moved his residence to this castle. The walls are built of hand carved limestone.

There was a Japanese ceremony being performed with dancers and drummers while we were there. It was very cool to be able to walk through the ruins while listening to their traditional music.

The views from the ruins are amazing. You can see several islands off in the distance along with some very traditional Japanese temples along the hillsides.

We've still been exploring several parks on the island. They have large "roller-slide" parks that Grant loves. Mom and Dad went down this one a few times with Grant, but couldn't keep up with his pace and decided to watch him go down from the top and bottom. You can see Grant climbing the hill instead of using the stairs like the other kids.

You can see Grant's head peeking over the edge of the blue slide if you click on this picture and enlarge it.

Former Japanese Navy Underground HQ

We took time over Thanksgiving weekend to travel on the southern part of the island. We toured the former Japanese Navy Underground Headquarters. It is located on top of a hill overlooking the city of Naha. The Battle of Okinawa was one of the last major battles of WWII. Total deaths in that battle was 200,656 people (12,520 American soldiers).

Here we are entering the tunnel system. The colorful 1000 paper origami cranes were created to represent grief and pray for world peace for the individuals who lost their lives during the war. Members of the Japanese Navy Corps of Engineers dug the tunnel complex in 1944 for the Japanese Navy's Okinawa Headquarters. They served as underground headquarters to endure the American bombardment and long drawn out fighting and could sustain 4,000 men. The remains of 2,400 people were collected from this tunnel system after the war.

The tunnels were constructed utilizing hoes and picks, and you can see their markings on the tunnel walls and ceilings. It was very interesting to be able to tour the tunnel system, but very sobering as well.

The Underground Navy Headquarters is the place where Rear Admiral Ota and his men fought to the end on June 13, 1945. The picture below shows the commanding officer's room and the staff room with hand-grenade markings on the walls.

Parks and Island Fair

This past weekend we took time to explore some new parks around our apartment. On Saturday morning we found a park with a rope climb that Grant mastered on the first try. It gave Grant a chance to burn off some energy and Will some time to take a nap, so a win/win situation.

Saturday afternoon we went to the Island Fair at the Convention Center (only about 2 miles from our apartment). It was very interesting. There were several vendors selling products from throughout the Ryukyu archipelago (Okinawan islands). Many of the products are difficult to find, as they come from the outer islands. There were free samples of several items, most of which we weren't brave enough to try. The most unique that we did try was smoked sea snake (see pictures below). We also tried a new ice cream flavor, "Sea Salt", not as bad as it sounds, but it did taste salty.

After we had our fill of exotic samples, we walked around the convention center grounds which are right on the water. It is a great area with several open grassy fields that you can use along with ponds with fish in and several sculptures.

On Sunday we drove to Camp Kinser, a Marine Corps base south of our apartment about 15 minutes. We had a picnic at the park right on the ocean. Will and Grant had fun swinging together.

The tide was low so we were able to venture out onto the sand and look at coral and shells. With the weather being so nice here, it is hard to believe that Thanksgiving is less than a week away.

We didn't bring a swimming suit for Grant, but he still had to venture further out into the water to throw rocks and try to look at fish. He was wet from head to toe and covered in sand, so he had to take a bath when we got home.

This last pictures are from our deck at sunset on Sunday evening (11-23). You can see a few islands off in the distance if you click on the picture and enlarge it. The water has been very calm lately and the sunsets are always amazing.

Our Weekend

Duane was on-call this weekend so we didn't travel too far from home. Saturday was beautiful and we took the boys to feed the fish at Comprehensive Park. We met a retired couple from Colorado Springs who are here doing volunteer work near the Air Force base. They are in the picture talking to Sandy by the bridge. The fish go crazy when you feed them bread.

On Sunday we went to church at Calvary Chapel. We have gone to a few places but this one is the best fit for us so far. Afterward we went out to Sunday brunch at the Officer's Club on Camp Futenma which is just south of Camp Foster where Duane works. The view off the deck from the dining room was amazing. You can see our apartment just to the left of Sandy's head (tall brown building on the water). Grant had to do a little "pose" on the bridge at the front of the Officer's Club.

We thought we should send pictures of our cars. The middle photo shows Duane driving on the opposite side. We are getting very used to that by now. Sandy has a Honda Accord Wagon and Duane has a Toyota Windom. Both are considered "big" cars, you have to see how small all the other cars are here in order to understand.