So, it's about time for a catch-up. We ended last week with a very action-packed and fun stretch of days!

We went and surprised Keely's co-workers (such great reactions!) at OIST (Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology), a graduate university here in Onna dedicated to advancing high level science and technology research that is interdisciplinary and international in nature. It was great to see a glimpse of what Keely's professional world looks like - a very impressive place indeed! - and lots of fun to surprise her colleagues as they were arriving for work, one by one. Being an identical twin has its perks!

Afterwards, we explored some of the shops along the main street in Onna (Route 58 - sort of the "Route 66" of Okinawa) and had a late lunch of Okinawa Soba and Taco Rice.

wall art along Route 58

Beautiful stylized writing at a bus stop

Taco Rice! an Okinawa original

After Keely got home from work, we went to a local farmer's market, Onna No-Eki, and got a variety of local foods to bring home and share.

On Thursday, V and Em set out for our first adventure without 'training wheels' - we went to the airport to pick up a friend (Mai) who came to visit from Tokyo! Just to keep things interesting, Emily stepped on V's glasses (argh!) in the early morning before there was sufficient light to see, so our first stop post-airport was at Aeon, (something like a Wal-Mart on steroids) to get her glasses fixed. This was a very efficient and FREE process, and we were relieved to have V back to 100%.

Ready for exploration!

 Our first stop was the Peace Park - a memorial to all those who lost their lives to the war, and dedicated to the hope for world peace. The park overlooks the Pacific - a beautiful setting - and in itself could easily fill up a day.

beautiful Pacific Ocean views from the Peace Park grounds

In this area we wished we had a historian with us - there seemed to be 'hideouts' from wartime - something like trenches but hidden back in the hillsides. It was sobering to be imagine the fighting that had taken place there previously.

This was a small shrine set up in the area honoring the war dead near the place where soldier had hidden.

This sunbeam greeted us as we approached the scenic overlook. Breathtaking!

V capturing this beautiful scene

 

Eventually, our stomachs started talking to us, so we set off to find some lunch - which turned out to be more of a challenge than we expected - but finally we found a place that was open and offered stunning views - the Communication Garden.

delicious lunch with a view

 



Finally, we visited Sefa-utaki, a sacred site among the Ryukyu culture indigenous to the OKinawan islands, and a UNESCO world heritage site. INCREDIBLE nature; it was beautiful.

feeling tall? This lady spoke excellent English!

 This geological formation was the 'main attraction' - during the time of the Ryukyu kingdom, a priestess from the ruling family would come through this opening to offer prayers for the kingdom.

Golden pots situated underneath stalactites would collect water which was used in rituals and to tell the future.

This triangle-shaped entrance led to the most holy site, overlooking the nearby 'island of the gods' (and it was quite a trick to get this shot without tourists!).

To read more about this sacred site and the Ryukyu kingdom (and its relationship to Japan) this military blog offers a good quick read in English.

We were amazed by the roots of the trees that found their way to fresh water - even if it was a long journey! Speaking of long journeys... after a quick photo op with the shisa, we headed back north to Onna, where we capped off a very busy day with a delicious homemade taco rice buffet!

Look how tall V is!!!

Oishi ka ta!!!!!