Tourists...

This week is a break between the two 8 week sessions of classes that Doug teaches so we are being tourists and seeing the island.

Monday 10/13/14

We traveled south toward the bottom of the island and the 

Okinawa Peace Prayer Park and Memorial Hall

 The Park is located in Itoman and is a commemoration of the 1945 Battle of Okinawa. The Memorial Hall was opened in 1978 on the site where the Battle of Okinawa ended, Mabuni Hill. Towards the end of World War II Okinawa became the final battlefield where allied and Japanese forces faced each other in some of the most brutal fighting in the history of the war.  At the Memorial Hall, the world's largest lacquer statue of Buddha, an art museum, meditation forest, peace bell, Butterfly Garden, and War and Peace paintings are displayed.  The statue of Buddha was built by Shinzan Yamada over 18 years.  He was inspired by the death of his two sons who were killed in the Battle of Okinawa.  

The Cornerstone of Peace 

This was the most sobering part of the park.  It is a collection of black granite slabs engraved with the names of 240,000 soldiers, sailors, and civilians, Japanese, Koreans, Taiwanese, Americans and Britons, men, women and children.  It is estimated that 100,000 of these people were civilian.  The Cornerstone of Peace was dedicated in 1995, the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Okinawa.

The park is built on a hill and is by the Pacific Ocean.  Doug got some great photos from the cliffs.

RYUKYU Glass Village

The Ryukyu Glass Village was just south of the Memorial Peace Park.  It is the largest glass factory on the island.  The staff make hundreds of pieces of glassware daily - BY HAND.  We watched them make goblets, glasses, and vases.  Each one taking about 4-5 workers for the different steps.  They all seem to know when to take the glass for the next step.  It was very beautiful glass.  I read that they have an outlet somewhere.  I'll have to find it!

Cafe....

As we left the southwest end of the island we began looking for someplace to eat lunch.  It is difficult to tell what is a restaurant, deli, or store when you don't read the Kanji!!  So I saw a sign that said 'Cafe' and then some Kanji.  We stopped there and had a great lunch of pork curry and taco rice. (Think of taco meat, cheese, lettuce, and tomato over rice.)  We also got a delicious dessert. - Unsure of it's name- just pointed at the picture!!

The cafe was on the coast as well and this was the view from the cafe.

This is the Pacific Ocean.  We live in Ginowan on the central east side of the island and look out onto the China Sea.

Diner

After resting in the afternoon for a bit we went to the little Japanese diner Doug found soon after moving into the apartment.  It is just a block down the street.  Most of the local restaurants have pictures of the food you can select.  The first time he went into the diner.  He sat down and waited for someone to come to his table to get his order.  Someone came and eventually was able to tell him that they don't have pictures.  They have a machine that you select your dish and pay for it.  You receive a receipt that you then give to the staff at the counter

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  Each dish has the amount of yen it costs.  You put your money in the slot that has the green lights.  Then you push the button and the receipt and any change comes out below.  Without pictures or being able to read the kanji it is a guess what you are getting.  Doug knows which one is oyaku don -- so we ordered that for me and he just selected another button.  His was steamed cabbage with tofu and spam.  I think we will need to develop a taste for tofu as it is a main source of protein here.

Well I'll post our adventures from today - tomorrow!!