Just Call Them Ladies of the Week

Ogimi Ungami 2019

 Ungami is a matsuri (festival) held in northern Okinawa on one of the hottest days of the year.

Luckily, some cloud cover and a gang of cooperative gals helped with the photography.

There is plenty of activity at this festival such as prayers, dance and boat races.

It can be frustrating, trying to compose decent photos at a matsuri.

Sometimes hundreds of photographers show up at these cultural events and, ruin the day.

Yesterday was no exception and we sneaked away from the crowds to find these ladies.

They were practicing dances before entering the congested area of the festival.

Prints will be made and brought to the Community Center, I promised.

The highlight of my day at the festival was being part of an audience of two, right here.

We were away from the crowds and got treated like royalty!

MORE: Festival in Ogimi

Sunday's Silly (Photo) OCT 23, 2011: Drives a Daihatsu Naked

There are still plenty of these hot little cars on the road in Japan.  A few years ago they were flying off the shelves faster than sliced bread and canned beer.  Mostly girls were buying them.

Whenever some dude was trying to impress the ladies with his Ford F100 and got around to asking a gal, "So, what kind of car do you drive?",  she could say, "I drive a DAIHATSU NAKED".



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Half A Million Views Contest

Ladies, Gentlemen and Others, it could happen anytime, now.  That meter up in the corner will turn over and hit the 500,000 mark so, it's about time we had a contest.  It'll be one that's easy to win.

In the past, I had a few contests but, the rules must have been too difficult to follow because everybody kept losing or the counter turned while they were sleeping.  This time, someone is guaranteed to win.

It'll be someone who looks at my photos and doesn't just come here to read, I hope.

THE PRIZE: Any one of my photos chosen by the winners.  It will come right to your house, postage paid.

It doesn't matter where in the world you live, I'll get the photo to you, as long as you have mail service.

There's a madness to my method.  I want a fan of this blog to win, not someone who just fell off a turnip truck or accidentally Googled me today.

A Fan, would be someone who clicked on that Facebook Badge over there and liked my Facebook Page.

Other fans of mine are folks who don't have a Facebook account but, we have each other's email addresses.

There will be two contest winners. Each will receive an A4 size photo, of their choice from:
Ryukyu Life (dot) com.



The Rules:

Guess the date, according to my blog post header, that the view-meter will hit 500,000 views.

Enter by posting in a comment on Ryukyu Life Facebook Page, your guess.

Or, email me with your guess of the date you think the counter will hit 500,000 views.

The winners will be those who were the first to guess the correct date.

In the event no one gets the correct date, the person who is closest to the correct date will win.

Winners will be one from Facebook and the other from my email.

Sounds simple enough, to me.  May the best Lady, Gentleman, or Other WIN !!!

These Gals Paddled Their Fannies Off: NAVY Dragonboat Ladies!

US NAVY Womens Dragonboat Team at Tomari Port Naha Okinawa, Japan 12:27PM 5MAY2011.

Here they are stretching, flexing and smiling in the rain getting ready to paddle their fannies off at the annual Dragonboat Festival.

These gals might be cute and pretty but, don't let that fool you.  They still have people in the US NAVY who know how to row a boat.  They are the Island Champions. They row a boat really fast.

How fast?

How about fast enough to take the 50 foot dragonboat they were paddling and beat every women's team on the island and plenty of the men's teams, too ! CHECK IT OUT, HERE.

YEAH NAVY !   I'm still working on developing the Dragonboat Race photos but, have to go out shooting again today.  I posted a few photos of the Navy Gal's Team in my Festival Gallery.  I don't want to rush developing the actual dragonboats racing.  My plan is to make the best photos I can for printing.

Then, go deliver some to those Navy Gals.  That's if I can catch them!


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Valentine's Day in Japan: An Insider's Tips

         Valentine's Day in Japan is a special day for the men in your life.  Ya hear me ladies !


Here is a photo, I got permisssion to snap, of an American Valentine's Day display in one of my favorite American grocery stores in Okinawa, Japan. 

Humongous heart-shaped boxes of chocolate with fancy words and flowers for the Ladies in your life, Gentlemen.

And little Snoopy Dogs with little heart-shaped boxes of chocolates for the little ladies, like your daughters. It's like a mandatory thing. Buy those special ladies a Valentine or you are doomed.

Forget to bring something special to those extremely important ladies in your life and you will be considered an outcast for the rest of the year and, maybe, even the rest of your life !

The photo above is a Japanese grocery store's Valentine's Day display. The chocolate boxes are much smaller but, there's a heck of a lot more available.

In Japan, half of the chocolate (sold during the whole year) flies off the shelves during the week leading up to Valentine's Day.

Men don't buy the stuff. Women buy it.

That's right, girls and ladies buy the chocolate for the boys and men in their lives.

There's fancy European-sounding names on the boxes of chocolates in Japan's stores, too. But, if you take a good look at the "top of the shelf" stuff, hah ! 

They have Scotch and Gin and Booze, maybe, even chocolate-covered beer candies. Some Dudes, like me, aren't all that thrilled with eating chocolate candies, ya know.

Here's the way it works. Nobody in Japan really gives a hoot about St. Valentine, except maybe somebody who's real interested in Saints.

Like, that song "When The Saints Go Marching In" was popular over here, years ago but, mostly just because it was a catchy tune.

But, the Christian population is probably less than 1 % and Valentine's Day is just a way for the chocolate peddlers to get rid of millions of choclate candies. Saints have nothing to do with it, just like most places around the world. 

It's a merchandising scheme.  And it works so, let's keep doing it.

In Japan, girls give Valentine gifts, not guys. The women give Valentines to classmates, bosses, coworkers, boyfriends, relatives, any man they feel is important in their life. It doesn't mean they love you, or anything like that. Maybe, maybe not but, there is one thing you have to remember.

March 14th is White Day in Japan. That's the day every girl who gave a Valentine to a guy is waiting for. Men: You are supposed to give the ladies in your life a gift on White Day.

Everyone, wherever in the world you may be: HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY !