Okinawa and heading home

This will probably be our last blog this trip, so it might be long. We've been in Okinawa for almost a week and wanted to share what the visit has been like.

After helping our crew for a couple days, they departed on Monday, July 21st, for San Diego. We can't thank them enough for allowing us to ride with them, and teaching us how to sail. We wish them a safe journey on their long passage.

Jen and I are staying in Naha, a port town on the southwestern side of the island. We've spent 4 nights so far, and we head for the airport tomorrow morning.

On Day 1, we visited Shuri Castle. A UNESCO world heritage site, the castle was the royal palace of the Ryukyu Kingdom for many centuries (from 15th to 19th centuries). It has been destroyed and rebuilt several times, notably during WWII and most recently a fire in 2019. The main building was still getting rebuilt, but it was interesting to see the site and learn a little about Okinawan history.

We also visited the Shikina-en Royal Gardens. Along the way we walked past a cemetary, stopped at a bakery to get some mid-day nourishment, and visited a temple (all of which were unplanned and happened to be along our walking route!) That night we visited a large market area and ordered a large sushi order from a seafood stand. We tried a couple things we don't see in the states, and even picked out our own fish! It was a very full day and we put in many miles of walking.

Day 2 we took a bus ride to the south end of the island where Okinawa has built a Peace Memorial Park and Museum. We were able to navigate the bus system and got lucky when we were the only passengers on the bus and it skipped through about 20 stops because no one needed to get on or off!

The park and museum were beautiful and somber. It was a tribute to all the lives lost during the Battle of Okinawa in WWII. Jen and I have learned a LOT about that battle and the devastation it had on the island and its inhabitants. One in four Okinawans lost their life, most of whom were civilians. It's a sad story in their history. It's called the Peace Park because Okinawa now looks back at WWII and war as something that should never be repeated, and the island promotes peace. At the park, ALL lives lost are remembered (Okinawan, Japanese, American, and Great Britain) We were able to walk through monuments with the names engraved of all the lives that were lost, similar to the Vietnam war memorial. The location is on a cliff overlooking the ocean. It's a beautiful area and we took time to hike down to the ocean and through some jungle forests.

That night for dinner, we ventured into an alley to find an authentic local restaurant. Some local residents ended up sitting across from us and we had a nice conversation (using Google Translator which has been incredibly helpful here) and exchanged contact information. There are a lot of small, family restaurants here and we wanted to try one before we left. We were not disappointed.

Day 3 we went to the Okinawa Prefectural Museum and Art. We again learned more about Okinawan history and viewed some art from Okinawan artists. To change things up for dinner, we went to a supermarket and did take out from their deli area. We bought so much sushi we had some for lunch the next day. As you can imagine, sushi here is fresh, delicious, and much cheaper than the US. We spend $28 at the grocery store and would have paid about $75 for the same amount of sushi at a restaurant in the US. Jen and I love sushi and we are getting our fill while we are here!

Today we took a cab to the Japanese Naval Headquarters Visitor Center. During the Battle of Okinawa, the Japanese used their navy to supplement their army in defending some islands (because the Japanese had lost most of their ships by this time and had little fuel to operate the ships they still had.) The navy built an underground bunker to be safe from US Navy bombs and to coordinate their defenses. We got to visit a museum built at the site, and visit the underground tunnels and rooms where the battle was fought from. The US military overtook the area on the 10th day of the battle, and the Japanese commander and his senior staff committed suicide when loss was inevitable.

Overall it has been a great visit here and we wanted to share some thoughts about Okinawa and Japanese culture as a whole.

First, the people here are amazingly friendly, helpful and polite. It is incredibly safe and pleasant, and EVERYONE is willing to help you. Drivers are polite, crosswalks are safe, and residents were genuinely happy to meet us and help us.

Second, it has been very affordable. The exchange rate is very good right now between the Yen and Dollar. Most of our meals were around $25 dollars for two people and a drink.

Third, our hotel toilet is the "Cadillac of toilets"! It has a heated seat and a bidet that cleans the bottom, the front (for women), and has controllable water pressure settings and warm water. We're trying to figure out how to buy and ship one home! 😄

Finally, we now have a much greater appreciation for what happened here during WWII and the years since then. 200,000 people died here. Most of the island was completely demolished and most of the cultural artifacts and history were destroyed. It's a sad story in their history and we're glad we now know more about it.

Because of very high winds and waves this week from tropical storms, we were not able to go snorkeling. The beaches and snorkeling are supposed to be incredible here, but it wasn't meant to be for us this time. But we appreciate the time we were able to spend here that we wouldn't have had otherwise. And we're glad we are no longer on the boat as the crew has continued to hit some rough seas (even rougher than when we were onboard).

We are looking forward to getting home tomorrow. Thank you everyone for keeping in touch and following us on our journey.

Peace and Love.