Culture Photo: Prayer and Blessings in a Cave

Camera: Pentax K1

Lens: Pentax 50MM

Exposure:  f/1.8   1/25   ISO 3200

Location: Sururu Gama, Kouri Island, Okinawa, Japan

Date and Time:  MAR 19 2017  1:58PM

Okinawan Spirits and Spirituality

Praying in a Candle Lit Cave

It's that time of the year again, where these rituals occur on Kouri-jima. 

The photo of the old guy, next to the Yuta (priestess) happens to be me.

Not particularly religious, I go through the motions, just like everybody else in the cave.

That photo was taken a few years ago by the Map It Okinawa dude, with my camera.

I don't recall, what kind of prayer, I may have been making. Let's see.

How about, "Don't let the tide come in, until I get me and the cameras, out of here."

Back Up to Last Night's Celebrations

 

This "Guy Walks Into the Bar Story" must be told because, it inspired me.

It was St. Patrick's Day and I was just about to finish my first beer.

The Irish Pub was extremely busy. Maybe 120 people in a bar built to hold 30.

Standing room only but, the crowd made sure, I got a barstool close to the door.

A very intoxicated youngster stumbled in and stood next to me.

He said something like, "Okinawa is a state of mind."  That impressed me and, I agreed."

It was something, I would have wrote down if, I had a pen, I told the guy.

As the bar tender came down our way the youngster ordered a round for himself and me.

When he dropped to the floor, everybody assumed, I decked him, for some reason.

A bunch of folks came running over and asked if, the kid had bothered me.

I laughed and said, "I didn't knock him down. He reached for his money and fell over."

The kid was so plastered, when he reached for the wallet, in his pocket, he fell.

I told everyone, he was trying to buy me a drink. They got someone, to cart him home.

All of a sudden, everyone wanted to buy me drinks. I told them to save their money.

When I finished my 1st beer, it was time to move on to another watering hole.

As I stood up, a pretty gal, walked in so, I told her the barstool was reserved for her.

Next stop was a Brazilian bar and, plenty of celebrating Irish were in there, too. 

When I ordered a beer and it came, they said it had already been paid for.

I drank it quickly and ordered another one. All my drinks got paid for in advance, somehow.

Some of the crowd from bar #1 were there and, paid for my drinks. Rough night.

After the second beer, I decided it was time to move along and spend, my own money.

And, I didn't want to forget, what that youngster had told me. State of mind.

It would be nice, to come up with one word to describe Okinawa.

Spirituality

Okinawa is part of Japan but, closer to Taiwan than Tokyo. It's different than Japan.

We're so far south, some people call Okinawa, The Other Japan.

If, I had to put my finger on one word, it would be spirituality. You could Tweet it.

The people above, are trekking through the brush, to crawl into a cave by the sea.

Several times, I've been down there and, really dread the climb. People go every year.

Locals and people from all over Japan, go to attend this ritual.

They will pray and be blessed by a Yuta (Okinawan priestess) while in the cave.

This cavern, isn't visible, when the tide comes in and, fills it with water.

This is what the mouth of the cavern looks like at low tide.

The congregation, literally, has to dig in the sand, opening the front door to enter.

Spring Equinox, I've learned, is when some of the lowest tides of the year, take place.

Other Okinawa rituals, involving the ocean, happen during this season.

This one, comes to mind because, I've invited another foreign friend to attend.

Not many Americans have gone to witness this sort of ceremony.

This younger shaman (yuta or priestess) is facing the rear entrance to the cave.

Prayers are uttered by the priestesses in some unintelligible language.

Blessings are given to each attendee, individually and, I keep worrying about the tide.

There are alcoholic spirits in that cave, along with any other spirits summoned for the event.

To me, Okinawa is not a state of mind. It's something about the people. They are different.

Let's just say, spirituality is what separates them from the rest of Japan.

Previous Posts:

A Cave Called Sururu Gama on Kouri-jima Island Okinawa

Today on Kouri Jima Okinawa We Visited a Cave (Images)

  

An Attractive Looking Island Restaurant

Looks Like a Fixer Upper

 

 

On my second day of the Lunar Calendar, I visited Kouri-jima.

This restaurant had caught my eye, several times but, I had never entered the place before.

Most people would figure, a fine establishment like this, might be a tourist trap.

Heck, it's right off the beach, as you enter the island by bridge.

It was so cold, this morning, I had worn socks with my flip-flops, leaving home.

But, by the time, we got to Kouri-jima, the socks were tucked away, in my back pocket.

It turned out, to be a beautiful, sunny day and, my toes needed some tanning.

Nowhere, on any island, have I ever seen lasagna and rice on a menu in this lifetime.

It was ordered, delivered and partially eaten, when I realized, I forgot to take a ;photo.

Anyway, now you can see the texture, a little better.  It was yummy and, hot.

Lasagna-wise, it was sorta "meh" but, it helped kill my appetite so, I guess that was good.

The price was around twelve bucks or so.  That seemed a bit on the costly side.

What the heck, lunacy is alright, when you're celebrating the Lunar New Year, I guess.

Up on the Second Floor

 

That's where you're seated for dining, on the veranda, overlooking the beach.

If you have to go pee, that's downstairs and, I checked it out.

Long, sloping stairs, embedded with seashells, lead the way up and down.

In the restrooms, they even have showers, in case you came from the beach, all sandy.

Not needing a shower, I didn't check, to see if it was free or, you have to pay.

The stuff I did, didn't cost a dime and, I was back in my seat, before the meal showed up.

Usually, I'm not crazy about pricey foods but, I'll probably go back here again, sometime.

The food, doesn't have to be all that great.  Atmosphere, is what you're really paying for.

Plus, I forgot to count the steps.  That's important, for lots of people, to know.

Some people, have step-o-phobia and, want to know things like that.

Now, I could, take all the grandchildren over there and let them, count the stairs.

But, if I bought them, each an ice cream cone, for counting steps, it'd cost me a fortune.

They'd all come back with different counts and, be arguing, while I lose 20 bucks.

So, I should go climb the stairs and, count them myself, for accuracy, I guess.


The place is called, Cafe and Restaurant Yoshika

And, you can visit them on Facebook

Cockroach: The Beginning of a Terrific Day

It Doesn't Take Much to Make Me Happy

 

 

Things were looking grim this morning.

The message, I got from Doc, said he would be a little bit late, for our camera shoot.

So, I decided to do some chores around the office.

When the trash was taken out for the truck that comes around, I spotted this out front.

A DEAD COCKROACH

Yahoo !  I've been needing a cockroach for weeks.

And, here's the kind, I prefer.  It's dead but, not squished.

Careful not to touch it, I got it in the office and took some natural light shots.

Then, the remains were (respectfully) deposited in the trash.

Now, I don't have to go looking for cockroaches, dead or alive, anymore.

Before 10AM, Doc and I were at the Kin Dam, shooting birds.

November, has to be one of the best months of the year, for being outdoors in Okinawa.

The mornings and evenings are cool and, the sun feels great; warm but, not scorching hot.

Before noon, we wound up at the 21st Century Forest in Nago.

And, spotted this lone duck, swimming among water lilies.

We don't usually make travel plans on our weekly camera shooting day.

Just look at the sky and try to predict the weather, then follow our five senses.

Does that make any sense, to you ?

Every once in awhile, something like this, shows up in front of our lenses.

It's a statue of a young girl, holding pigeons.

There has to be a story behind this scene so, I shot it, while a cloud passed overhead.

No camera shooting day would be complete without getting sand between our toes.

So, we headed over to Kouri-jima and, discovered lots of tourists.

They were all visiting the beach to see a special rock.

This is something that, I saw on Japanese TV over the past week.

People are flocking, probably, by the thousands to see this.

They call it the Heart Rock.

Hah !  It looks like a big slingshot, to me.

Maybe, my imagination got all used up, somewhere along the way.

But, if it draws travelers and tourists, I guess it's a good thing.

Heart Rock T-shirts, Heart Rock Cafe ?

Think of the possibilities.

Doing what we call, Island Hopping, can make a person hungry.

When we got back to Nago City, Blue Seal Ice Cream, seemed like a good place to visit.

They had a character in there, that looked older than me.

It never dawned on me before, that they served pasta in an ice cream parlor.

Chicken spaghetti and New York Cheesecake Ice Cream, what a lunch.

While we were there, I shot some photos for a TripAdvisor review.

And, I checked the place out closely.

No cockroaches.

A Cave Called Sururu Gama on Kouri-jima Island Okinawa

Where You Can Do Some Adventure Praying

 

 

This will be the 3d year in a row, this culture and camera fanatic hiked down there.

It is an annual springtime ritual that takes place on an offshore island.

The significance to all the activity has eluded me, until today.

 There's not much information (in English) about the event, online.

These photos will give you an idea what it looks like, though.

 Somewhere around 30-50 people hike down this trail.

The final destination, is a cave on the beach below.

 This is what it looks like when a cameraman trips and falls while shooting.

The people in front of and below me, stopped me from falling.

 We continued, slowly and carefully, down the rest of the way.

 One of these days, I might die, doing crazy stuff like this.

That's alright with me. It beats sitting around in the old folks home.

Being outside in nature even beats watching TV.

Some spots, along the trail, you have to hang on to a rope or, fall like I did.

Everybody helps each other navigate the steep parts of the trail.

 

When we finally, hit the beach, it's time to dig and, crawl into the cave.

 

Why this event is held at this time of year, I just discovered today.

It took the use of three different languages but, now I know.

The third day of the third month, by the Lunar calendar is what its all about.

The ocean tides, in spring, reach their highest and lowest points in the year.

Known as Hamakudari, in Japanese, it is a special time of the year.

Depending, where you may be located, in Okinawa, there are other names for the event.

Hamauri, Sangwachi san-nichi and Sanguacha are other terms used.

People, mostly women, pray and bath in the seawater.

It is believed to cleanse the soul and bring about good health.

What's so Adventurous About Sururu Gama ?

 

The event is timed, to take place, starting at low tide.

Remember, the spring tide, on this date, is the lowest tide of the year.

Everybody has to get out of that cave, before the tide starts coming back in.

The photo above, crawling into the cave was taken at 12:07PM APR 3, 2012.

The Motion GIF image was shot  APR 3, 2012 at 2:22PM.

At high tide (peak tide of the year) the cave would be invisible.

More on the  Cave at Kouri Jima

Lady of the Week (Photo) Kouri-jima, Okinawa, Japan

One of the ten or so, islands you can drive to from Okinawa, is Kouri-jima.

While Chris Wilson was photographing this gal, I sneaked a few shots.

It's only Monday but, I'm calling this image my Lady of the Week photo.

That's because, I know, I won't find anyone sweeter, even if I try.

She's only 4 years shy of being 100 and, still laughs and smiles.

The crown on her head, is made from a plant, called Ryukyu Botanzuru.

So, I figure, I should go out and find some of that stuff.

Read more about the Lady of the Week on Chris Wilson's Travel Blog. 

Travel Photo: Okinawa Gals Sabani in the Rain

It's been a long, hard, hot weekend in Okinawa, Japan.

Today, we were at a cultural event, called an Unjami, on Kouri-jima.

The last sanabi boat race took place around two, in the afternoon.

With the exception of one dude, steering, in the back of the boats, the teams were all girls.

Just before the race started it began raining.  But,  I  thought that was pretty cool.

People with Canon and Nikon cameras don't like rain because they aren't waterproof.

They run and hide their cameras so they won't get them wet.

Pentax, makes cameras that work in the rain.

The only thing you have to do, is keep the raindrops from spotting-up your lens.

Mine got water drops on it a few times today but, that doesn't stop me.

All you need is a soft cloth to sponge off the drops.

Then, look at the lens and see if there's any moisture left on it.

If it isn't dry, you know what I do ?

Turn around and look at all the Canon and Nikon people, hiding their cameras.

Then, hold the lens near my beard and I say, "Hah" real loud.

It dries my lens so it looks brand-spanking new.

And, I get back to the business of shooting gals paddling their sabani boats in the rain.



Blooming in Okinawa: The Aloe Vera Plants (Photos)

These aloe plants were spotted on Kouri-jima, Okinawa, Japan.

It was March 21, 2013 so, I guess these blossoms wait for Spring's official arrival.

We used to grow the stuff but, I can't remember ever seeing these yellow flowers.

If you get real close and look, the blossoms resemble miniature bananas.

 Unless you really know you aloe plants, you probably shouldn't eat them.

Learn all you'll ever need to know about Aloe Vera over at eHow.