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.