This is my Thursday entry. It includes my day of souvenir shopping with friends at first a Pineapple Park, then Sweet Potato and Sugar Cane factories, our Thanksgiving day feast and visit to the American Village, and finally a night out on the Internationl Street in Naha City, the capital of Okinawa.
But first I decided that I ought to share some of the incredible colors and tropical scenery of Okinawa's lush climate...
The Okinawa Hibiscus with the ocean and islands in the background
To make many of you want to go to Okinawa even more- Our first hotel also included a golf course! This is the view off of our balcony
Green, Green, Red, Green, Green, Yellow, Green, Green, Blue, Green, Green - You would never believe it was late November. My poor Minnesotan mind didn't know what to do with itself
Another view from our hotel window. Everything is just so thick and "growing-y"
The forest of trees and flowers inside the Pineapple Park
Don't worry, that gigantic pineapple in the middle of all the other pineapples isn't real!
More of the colorful flowers in the park
After the pineapple park we visited an Okinawan sweet potato pie factory. These little purple pies are pretty famous to the island and it was fun to see how they were made. That is another Shiisa lion scarfing them down!
Just like the gigantic pineapple, this cake is also NOT real- I know some of you were worried ;)
Okinawan sugar cane is also famous in Japan. They turn it into brown sugar that is basically a very sweet and crumbly molasses
They are also known to eat entire pig heads. These ones are freezer packed for traveling convenience...how nice...
My Thanksgiving day feast (although I tried not to think about it like that) was spent in an American steak house. The large American influence presented by the American bases here mean that there is a section of Naha City known as the American Village. It was in same ways revolting (it basically portrayed all of our worst features- fast food, excessive shopping, etc.) and yet to be honest because I was feeling lonely (it being Thanksgiving and I) part of me found it comforting.
My New York Strip Steak (one of the least lean pieces of meat I've ever eaten, but American nonetheless)
In Japan they skip right from Halloween to Christmas, so on Thanksgiving Day I actually got to sit on Santa's lap (once more- NOT REAL! Hah)
The American Depot
Miki and Seiya in our very large hotel room in Naha city
Naha is famous for its "Kokusaidoori" or International Street. It's not that there are many international shops there, it's that that is where all the international people go to buy good Okinawan souvenirs. It was lights, food, people, music, and NOISE. And it was the perfect distraction from any homesickness I had been feeling. I enjoyed every second of our 4 1/2 hours of freedom just to roam the street. Lots of fun!
Okinawa souvenir store, complete with the neon "Fortune Cat" beckoning in good fortune and wealth (it's on the upper right of the picture)
One of the department stores had great illuminations including Christmas lights, a tree, and different colored floors!
I treated myself to a traditional Thanksgiving "Caramel Pumpkin Ice Cream Crepe" at Häagen Dazs.
That's right, be jealous!
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