Okinawa - Months of the Year Memories in Photos

 Who Needs a Calendar?

Today, I randomly selected photos from each month of the year for publishing.

Next, I fooled around with different calendar-making tools found on the internet.

And, that's what convinced me, I DON'T WANNA MAKE ANY DAMN CALENDARS!

Someone else might enjoy making calendars from my photos so, here ya go.

JAN: Sea Glass Beach in Nago

FEB: Trail in Mountains of Ogimi

MAR: Grey Heron in Kin Town

APR: Nanataki Falls in Ogimi

MAY: They Flew Together in Kin Town

JUN: Teru Teru Bozu: Seen anywhere in Japan

JUL: Ie Island from Motobu

AUG: Cinnamon Bittern in Kin Town

SEP: Eastern Spot-billed Duck in Kin Town

OCT: Beach at the Mouth of Ie River in Sosu

NOV: Grey-faced Buzzard in Kin Town

DEC: Heart Rock on Kouri Island

Words for Calendar Makers

Those who may be ambitious enough to create calendars may download these photos.

The images are copyrighted and saved at internet resolution but, may be printed.

For your personal use only. Do not try to profit from someone else's photography.

Print and hang your calendar or, give them away for free to friends and relatives.

Curious About Locations?

Links below each photo should give an idea of where these photos were taken.

They'll give an idea of locations on Google Maps.

Have a safe and healthy Holiday Season. Hopefully, next year will be more enjoyable!

Ryukyu Women Wearing White Robes

What Should We Call Them?

They are a special sort of people, performing important rituals in the Ryukyu Islands.

Pictured above, are five of these ladies on the island of Kouri-Jima, yesterday morning.

Coronavirus has canceled many cultural events on the islands this year but, not this one.

It's obvious, watching these gals, they are praying so, it's some sort of religious event.

There are questions, to be asked, just to satisfy my curiosity and maybe, other folk's, too.

It's such a solemn-looking ceremony, I can't just say, "Hey Lady, what's going on?"

Another Island - More Women in White Robes

Afternoon provided an opportunity to photograph more ladies wearing those white outfits.

Back on the main island of Okinawa, in the village of Ogimi, similar ceremonies took place.

 Many times, I've attended gatherings like this, and the question arises.

Are the gals in the white robes, Kaminchu, Noro, or Yuta?

Priestesses, of some sort, I guess you could call them. I'm sorta a shy individual.

Whenever I want to ask one of them something, I try to be polite and respectful.

"Nene, Can I ask you what that thing is, you're wearing in your hair?" 

To me, they are special people so, I call them Nenes.

Noro or Nuru, would be the terminology a local would consider these women to be.

From Wikipedia:

"Noro (祝女, sometimes 神女 or 巫女) (Okinawan: ヌール nuuru^[1]) are priestesses of the Ryukyuan religion at Utaki. They have existed since at least the beginning of the Gusuku Period (late 12th century) and continue to perform rituals even today. They are distinct from yuta [ja] (psychics), but are classified as kaminchu ("godly people")."

November 2018 Full Moon Photo From Izena Island Okinawa

Just Home From an Exhausting Trip

It was sort of a whirlwind tour of Izenajima and cameras are downloaded, batteries charging.

The purpose of the trip, wasn't to get full moon photos but, it happened while we were there.

The moon was actually full on the night of the 23rd. Clouds covered it.

But, at 3:40 AM the Beaver Moon was shining, directly over my hotel.

So, I shot it. End of report.

Where in the World and What's the Name of this Island ?

Japan Airlines (JAL) Departing Ishigaki-jima

Here's just a few minutes of my flight, heading back to Okinawa, Monday, AUG 28th.

For four days, I was pretty much not wired to WiFi, the internet or TV channels.

There were rumors, I heard of missiles flying, storms and tornadoes.

But, with so much fake news going around, I just wait and see what happens.

4:53 PM

The plane revved up it's engines and, we kicked back in our seats for takeoff.

Beautiful, smiling girl flight attendants made sure we had our seat belts on.

They disappeared so, I started looking out the window because, there was nothing else to do.

4:54 PM

There's no telling, how fast these jets are moving, when they climb away from the runway.

Lots of passengers, close their eyes and, go to sleep. Beats me, why they do that.

Maybe they're bored with traveling. I want to get my money's worth so, I watch everything.

I noticed a band-aid on that wing but, didn't want everybody to panic so, I kept quiet.

Before long, the wind ripped it of and, everything looked alright. We didn't crash.

4:55 PM

We're still climbing in the skies but, when I look down there's nothing but air, below.

The pretty girls in their happy uniforms are still buckled up somewhere.

Knowing, they'll be coming along with drinks sometime, I keep looking out the window.

Miss Miyagi, a Sabani gal and, my travel organizer, sits next to me, with her eyes closed.

After watching Karate Kid movies, you learn to, not mess with a Miyagi.

We had been through a hectic four day schedule so, I guess she needed some sleep.

4:56 PM

Those guys doing the flying, have to level this plane off, sometime. We're not flying that far.

It's only about an hour flight from Ishigaki to Naha, Okinawa.

If, they don't let the gals serve us drinks soon, we'll be on a runway again.

By now, I was thinking. "I wonder if carry-on beer would be authorized."

Before my next trip by airplane, I think I'll check.

4:57 PM

The skies were beautiful. I don't get up there very often so, I'm not sure if, it's always that way.

There were probably 2,000 images on my SD cards from the past few days events.

It would take awhile to download the cameras, when I got back to the office.

Once, all the scenery out the window, began to look the same, I quit taking photos.

5:06 PM

Suddenly, through the clouds, I saw an island below us and, had to poke Miss Miyagi.

Tiled roof buildings, fields and beaches are visible, down there.

When, I asked Miyagi, what island we were flying over, she looked.

She, didn't know. I have no idea, either. Somebody must know.

They probably, wouldn't let me knock on the pilot's door, to ask them.

What if, it's some long lost civilization, waiting to be rediscovered, again ?

A place that hasn't invented politicians, taxes or clothing, yet.

Don't ya think we should check it out ?

Animation: Zamami Island Hula Dancers

Gals from 8-80 Do the Hula on Zamami Island

Not wanting to pick on the youngest, I photographed some middle age ones.

The very young girls were talented but, sort of shy, around and old bearded guy with a camera.

The elderly ones, I'd be shy around them. They could probably beat me at armwrestling.

When, one of these Hula ladies, smiled at me, I jumped up on a picnic table and began shooting.

Camera:  Pentax K1

Lens: Pentax 18-250 at 42 MM

Exposure:  f/5   1/1000   ISO 1600

Location:  Zamami Island Port Okinawa Japan

Date and Time:  JULY 1 2017  7:02 PM

Postcard: Zamami Island on the 1st of July 2017

Camera: Pentax K1

Lens: Pentax 15-30 at 16 MM

Exposure:  f/11   1/1250   ISO 400

Location:  Zamami-jima Okinawa Japan

Date and Time: JUL 1 2017   10:46 AM

Travel Transportation Shot: Queen Zamami

Visiting Outer Islands

Just a quick post before the laptop gets thrown in my backpack.

The cameras and lenses are packed away for a three day excursion, off this island.

Weather permitting, it will  be a blast and, I'll return with 100's of seagoing images.

For sure, all the sailing sabani crews, are praying for calm seas and blue skies.

WiFi service may be a little tricky, at times so, I may not be able to post every day.

This will be by 5th year in a row, taking photos of the sabani races.

Previous Sailing Sabani Race photos may be seen by typing "Zamami" in the search block above.

If, for some reason, the seas and wind, don't cooperate, I'll try something different.

Maybe, take some photos of museums and nightlife, for a change !

Photo Location: Tomari Port Naha, Okinawa, Japan

Okinawa - The Middle of Last Century

Images from Okinawa the 50 Years of the Postwar Era

Some folks are itching to get into another war, these days so, I dug this up.

When two or more nations, can't settle things peacefully, things like this happen.

The bustling capital of Naha, was turned into rubble back in 1945.

There are plenty of civilians, women, children and elderly, who aren't involved in the quarrels.

But, they get to feel the ground rumble, smell the stench and, get blown away, too.

Not wanting to show the really gory things, I took a photo of this camp.

A few miles from where I'm sitting, was the Yaka POW holding area.

It would take some time, to sort out the bad guys from the good (Okinawan) ones.

A few thousand Okinawan prisoners, were sent off to Hawaii.  What for ?

Many of them had been forced to fight alongside the Japanese Imperial Army as conscripts.

And, there really wasn't enough food left on the islands, to feed everyone.

These poor souls, got to return home about a year later. Some of them are still alive.

Japanese, told locals that the Americans would kill, torture and rape if, they were captured.

Fortunately, Okinawans who spoke English, talked folks into surrendering peacefully.

They saved plenty of people from, taking their own lives. That's heroes !

Here's another place, down the road from me. It's the Ishikawa market back in 1952.

It took a few years, to put things back together again. You wouldn't recognize the place now.

It has paved roads with sidewalks and, new, shiny buildings everywhere.

Nowadays, Itoman City is a sprawling metropolis, you could get lost navigating.

Someday, I may have to try and duplicate this photo for a Then and Now.

The photo was taken in 1951 and, doesn't resemble today's Itoman rotary, at all.

To survive, many people had to be imaginative and, create their own industries.

Any scraps of metal, wood or foods, from the bases, could turn a profit if, you knew how.

An enterprising GI or two, sometimes helped the marketplace, I imagine.

If, ya got caught sneaking goods off the base, a person, could go to jail.

Things like that still happen, today !

Outer Islands

The war took place on many of the Ryukyu Islands, not just this one.

While, I was poking around in the historical records, a few new things were discovered.

Allies from the British Royal Navy bombarded the crap out of  the southern islands airfields.

That way, when the US Forces arrived, they didn't need to fight anybody.

Y'all Brits done a bloody good job. Bravo !

Lord only knows, what the Imperial Monsters were doing with a train, on this little island.

But, once the civilians, got ahold of it, they had a sugarcane express and shuttle bus.

Sometimes, I wish we had one of those locomotives on this island. Stupid monorail, ain't no fun.

Whenever these wars end, the winner gets to make the losers disarm themselves.

Nowadays, I think they know better than, to throw trash into the ocean.

Back to the Civilians

Going through this book, which is really a photographic history of Okinawa, reminded me.

It brought back memories, I keep locked away in dark recesses of my brain.

Deliberately, I passed over images, depicting the slime, scents and gore of ground warfare.

Not what you could call an active pacifist, I believe there will always be wars.

Getting up there in age, I don't/won't start a fight with anyone in this world.

Nobody, has any business, killing innocent civilians or, destroying their countryside.

The Battle of Okinawa, destroyed homes, farms, chickens, pigs, cows, goats and horses.

More than 100,000 civilians died and, the living were left starving.

I read a narrative about a young woman, collecting the belts off of dead Japanese soldiers.

That was, to cook for her family, as meat because, there were no animals left alive.

What did those civilians do, to deserve the hell that descended upon them ?

Before anyone decides to start shooting weapons at another country, think about it.

Win, lose or draw, someone has to put the civilian population, back together again.

Photos from "Okinawa The 50 Years of the Postwar Era."

Book jacket ISBN4-89095-085-0 does not appear in Google Search

Some used copies at Amazon

Doing Hawaiian Island Tests in Okinawa

Still in Okinawa

Last week I took some gruelling tests, to get certified in Switzerland but, didn't go there. 

There's something special, you may not know about me.

My grandmother and mother were 100% Swiss and I'm half Swiss, too.

They both went to Heaven. Just me and my Swiss Army Knife are here in Okinawa.

Oh, and one of my daughters has been to Switzerland and brought back a brass cowbell. 

I put the gadget on the dog's collar. It's just a miniature thing and, so is the dog.

The Travel Agent Academy, hooked me up with Switzerland Tourism.

They have their own Travel Academy and, I went to it online. It wasn't easy.

The application was the worst part. They grilled me pretty good.

See, I'm not a travel agent. "What are you trying to do, trying to get into our academy?"

The American Travel Agent Academy, sent me there's, what I told them.

Travel professionals, aren't always agents. I do travel photography and writing.

So, I showed them some of my credentials. It felt like I was being looked at by the CIA.

After awhile, they let me in and said, "You can do it."  So, I did.

Once, I passed all the tests, they made me a Switzerland Travel Expert.

There were languages, history, culture, transportation, festival, sports and location exams.

It's beautiful country but, they get snow. I don't really want to go there.

Hawaii's a Possibility

This is a place, I been to and, wouldn't mind visiting again.

It snows up in the mountains, there sometimes but, I'd stay at lower elevations.

Years ago, I used to get sent there for conferences, boring conferences.

All these years, I thought I had been going to the Hawaii Island, the big one.

Whenever, we weren't confrontating, I was out in Waikiki celebrating.

Matter of fact, what those conferences were about, slips my mind, at the moment.

Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau

They have their own courses over there and, are hooked up with the Travel Agent Academy.

That's where I've been going for the past few days, from my office in Okinawa.

First, I took the courses, to become a Hawaii Destination Specialist.

What an eyeopener that turned out to be. Hawaii has a bunch of islands.

All the times, I'd been to Hawaii, I was on Oahu, not Hawaii Island. Who'd a thunk ?

There's no sense, staying a specialist, when you can become an expert.

So, that's what I've been doing, over the past 48 hours.

Geography, history, culture, language, festivals and transportation of six Hawaiian islands.

Yellow flip-flops are probably, acceptable attire, over there.

So, I might have to go back and, visit one of these days and, bring the bride along.

Do romantic stuff like, horse riding and, shooting live volcanoes with my Pentax.

Honey, don't that sound like fun ?

Travel Photo: A Motobu Fisherman

Camera: Pentax KD 10

Lens: Pentax 18-250 at 27MM

Exposure:  f/11   1/180  ISO 100 using camera flash

Location: Motobu, Okinawa, Japan

Date and Time  SEP 13 2012  1:22PM

Wordless Wednesday: September Sunset Ie-jima

Okinawan Folktale: Legend of Divorce Rock

A Folk Story May Vary

Depending on where it's heard and, who is telling the tale.

Several sources were checked in researching this one and, there are many different variations.

One thing for certain is, they are all, talking about this rock formation.

Wutu Fui Ishi

Traveling north on HWY 58, this outcropping may be seen with Kouri-jima in the background.

It is too far from the shores of this island or Kouri island, for the average person, to swim.

Back in the days of the Ryukyu Dynasty, marriages were often arranged by parents.

If, things didn't seem to be working out, between the couple, something drastic, had to be done.

The parents would hold, sort of a council and, try to get the wedded couple agreeing.

Whenever the stubborn rascals, couldn't see eye to eye, mom and pop, had a solution.

Daughter would go in her family boat and, the son would, ride with his family.

The group paddled their sabani boats out to Divorce Rock for a meeting.

At low tide, there's a nice little cove of a beach with a shaded area in the rocks nearby.

It's a great place, to picnic, negotiate peace and maybe, drink some spirits.

If the couple, hasn't resolved differences, by the end of the day, they get left behind.

The extended families, take the sabani boats and, row back to Okinawa.

Pretty soon the sun goes down, tide rises and the chilly ocean breeze starts blowing, out there.

The couple starts shaking and feeling miserable because, i Phones weren't invented yet.

They only way to get warm, seems to be, hug each other and get that good feeling.

When mothers and fathers, came back, to check on the couple, they were lovers, again.

And, if they hadn't solved their marital issues, they would get to spend another evening, free.

More Versions of the Story

Otofuishi posted by Brad

THE INFAMOUS "DIVORCE ROCK" by Okinawa Soba (Rob)

He gives you the Okinawan dialect "Wutu Fui Ishi" name for this Rejected Husband Rock.

And, don't pass up, reading his text, along with the interesting comments.

There's an Ugly Guy and Pretty Girl rendition of the tale.


Yokohama Toshi:

Gives a list containing nine resources, used in researching this story.

They range from wealthy man, ugly man, ugly girl, to unhappy couple and everything between.

The link comes from Google Translate and, possibly may be switched back to Japanese.

Travel GIF: Ferry Headed to Iheya Island from Unten Port Motobu Okinawa

Planning an Island Hopping Trip

 

 

Today, I was out with a professor, doing the kind of investigation I love best.

Anyone can get online and make plans for future events but, you can't believe the internet.

It's best to go out and see things for yourself and, talk to real people so, that's what we do.

Where the Flip-flops Meet the Road

 

The first thing on the list of things to do, was locate a monument, I heard about.

Well, with the help of some locals, who speak local dialect, we got it done.

While, I was up there, I noticed the ferry leaving the port and, shot this series of photos.

The professor, mentioned, we should go visit Iheya island sometime soon.

My only question was, "With or, without the women ?  That makes a big difference in plans."

He agreed.  That's because, he has similar experience, to me. 

See, guys can sleep in tents, caves, on park benches or, almost anywhere.

The gals, want luxury hotels, shopping trips, steak dinners, flowers and, souvenirs.

Gathering Travel Information Links 

 

Chris Willson Made the trip, with some other photographers and, wants to return.

And, he brought up a good point. There were no fantastic sunrises or sunsets.

That's enough reason for me, to make it a couple of days visit.

Camping and reasonable prices for renting transportation, I found here. 

But, it was written in 2012 so, I'd have to check and, make sure things haven't changed.

Japan Times

This article, written last year, gives some ideas, of the kinds of things, I like to do.

Culture, history and, taking little boats, to uninhabited islands, nearby. Yeah. 

Costs for passengers and vehicles on the ferry - Okinawa Island Guide.

Tips for Izena and Ieheya from Ippei and Janie is another great source.

Formulating the Plan 

 

When, I do all the math, I figure it would be under 500 bucks for a few fun-filled days.

Throw a wife or two, into the formula and, things get a little more expensive.

So, we need to let the women know a few things about the journey.

The ferry boat, bounces around in the sea for, something like an hour and a half.

There's really nothing, they would want to see, over on that remote island.

They don't have any great places to do shopping so, it wouldn't be much fun.

We could give, each of them 300 bucks, to waste on this island, shopping and, stuff.

Then, just the guys make the trip for three days and, everybody would be happy !

Come home, with a gazillion photos of the great outdoors and a nice sunburn.

And, still have enough money leftover, for a month's supply of Orion Beers ! 

Travel Photo: Ikei Island Bridge Okinawa Japan

Camera: Pentax K1

Lens: Pentax 15-30MM ED 2.8ED at 15MM

Exposure: f/22   1/30   ISO 100

Location: Miyagi Island, Okinawa, Japan

Date and Time:  MAY 27 2016  10:09AM

Related Post: A Look at Ikei Island in Okinawa Japan

2016 Happy New Year from Okinawa !

Fireworks Look About an Hour Away

 

 

The reason for that is, they were and, I didn't feel like having anyone drive me there.

In the right side of this photo frame is the Kin Town Electric Power Plant smokestack.  

Way over on the left, you can barely see the pyrotechnics.

The photo was taken from an observation tower, a 10 minute walk from my office. 

The celebration with fireworks, took place along Kaichu-doro in Uruma City.

That's a causeway, leading to outer islands on Okinawa's east coast.

It was fun, hanging around atop a windy tower to take some photos.

But, next year, I think I should go to a five star resort for the New Year's  fireworks.

Not many people climb towers in December, around here.

I'll bet you ten dollars, a lot more people with common sense, go to those resort hotels !

Camera:  Pentax K3

Lens:  Sigma 50-500 at 70MM

Exposure:  f/11   13sec   ISO 100

Location:  Kin Town, Okinawa, Japan

Date and Time:  DEC 31 2015  11:48PM