Look at Luxury: Ryukyu Onsen in a Photo Essay

Senagajima Gets a New Hotel

 

These photos were taken yesterday on Okinawa's Senaga Island.

The Ryukyu Onsen Grand Opening is today.

What you are looking at is a brand new hot spring resort in the Ryukyu Islands.

 It's so close to Naha International Airport you can see the planes take-off and land.

You could hop off your flight, grab your luggage and be there in less than 20 minutes !

 A friendly staff is waiting to assist you and show you around.

They have over 100 rooms for guests.

 

The place is full of surprises.

Massage Service, Body Salon, Public Bath, Sauna, Conference Room, Banquet Hall, Outdoor

 Swimming Pool  and a Japanese Outdoor Bath, are just a few of the goodies offered.

Pets are allowed, too.

Guaranteed to be popular, is the Lunch Buffet.

Whenever you see a sign that says Lunch Viking style that means:

Help yourself to All You Can Eat !

Lockers are provided for only 100 yen.

And get this.  When you are done using them, your money comes back to you !

Ready for the Grand Opening, bouquets of flowers were on display, everywhere.

When Mrs. RyukyuMike finds out about this resort, I'll have to take her there.

First, I'll have to ask them where they'll keep my Huskies.

Once everybody gets settled, I'm going to jump in that onsen and live in luxury !

Take a Video Tour Courtesy of OkiNinjaKitty !

Visit my homepage for today's Feature Photo

PHOTO ESSAY: SHOOT YOUR PUPPIES

THE FOLLOWING UNPROFESSIONAL PHOTOS

WERE NOT TAKEN BY ME

THEY WERE TAKEN WITH A FILM CAMERA AND DEVELOPED

I SHOT PHOTOS OF THE PICTURES WITH MY CELL-PHONE

TO ILLUSTRATE

WHAT I'LL DO NEXT TIME I GET SOME BRAND-NEW PUPPIES

WHEN THEY'RE LITTLE

YOU CAN PICK TWO OF THEM UP WITH ONE HAND

LITTLE HUSKY MUTTS

THEIR EARS ARE BENT AND DON'T STAND UP

PUT THEM NEXT TO SOMETHING

TO GIVE YOU A SENSE OF SCALE

SHOOT THEM ONCE A MONTH

AND WATCH THEM GROW

LOOK !  THE BLACK DOG HAS ONE EAR  STANDING UP

BEFORE YOU KNOW IT

THEY GET BIG AND UGLY

SO, SHOOT THEM ONCE A MONTH

AND YOU CAN MAKE A NICE ALBUM

FULL OF CUTE PUPPIES

Walking Stick Insect

EVERY PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS BUT I'LL JUST GIVE A FEW TODAY AND LET SOMEONE ELSE TELL YOU THE REST OF THE STORY.

THIS HUMONGOUS BUG CAUGHT MY EYE ONE MORNING AS I WAS WALKING MY DOGS.

WE WERE HEADING TO THE BEACH ALONG THE EAST COAST OF OKINAWA.

MY CAMERA WAS AT HOME.  SOMETIMES, THAT'S WHAT I DO, I GIVE THE CAMERAS A DAY OFF.  AND THAT'S WHEN STUFF LIKE THIS HAPPENS.  SOMETHING LIKE THE BIGGEST BUG I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE SHOWS-UP !

SO, I TIED THE DOGS TO A GUARDRAIL, PUT THE CRITTER ON MY FLIP-FLOP AND SNAPPED THIS SHOT WITH THE CELLPHONE CAMERA, JUST TO GIVE IT A SENSE OF SCALE. I WEAR SIZE 11 CLODHOPPERS. I THINK THAT'D BE AROUND A SIZE 29 IN THE METRIC SHOE DEPARTMENT.  NOT SURE EXACTLY, BECAUSE IT'S REALLY HARD FINDING ANYTHING THAT FITS MY FEET IN MOST JAPANESE STORES.

A FEW YEARS AGO, I WOULDN'T BE CAUGHT DEAD WEARING PINK, ANYTHING. MY GRANDDAUGHTER PICKED THESE GEMS OUT FOR ME. WHAT'S A GUY GONNA DO ?

MY GRANDDAUGHTER COULD BUY ME A PINK-PLAID TUXEDO AND I'D WEAR THE DAMN THING JUST BECAUSE I LOVE HER.  THAT'S WHAT GRAMPAS DO.

ANYWAY, BACK TO THE BUG. IF YOU WANT TO LEARN ALL ABOUT THESE CRITTERS, CLICK ON THE TITLE TO THIS POST.  A GUY NAMED JOHN LOCKE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA IN CANADA HAS THE WHOLE STORY. I'M PASTING A TEASER FROM HIM (HOPE HE DOESN'T MIND) IN HERE:

"Advantages of Walking Stick Pets:


They don't smell, which means that you can keep them anywhere in the house without worrying about "stinking-up-the-place" (eg. a child's bedroom).

They eat lettuce, which means that you don't have to grow exotic plants just to feed the insects.

They can't "infest" your house so you don't have to worry about any "escapees".

They teach children to care for life so they can be an ideal first pet for youngsters.

They have a life span of about one school year, which makes them ideal for a year-long school class project.

They have no wings so they can't fly and escape.

They walk relatively slowly and carefully, so they dont't scurry like roaches which tend to give "insecta-phobes" the "willies".

They can be handled easily by children without fear of being bitten or squishing them.

They don't need daily care. They can be left for several days (up to a week) without care (they don't need a baby-sitter for a weekend trip).

They can be used to teach children (and adults) the value of life.
 
Dis-advantages of Walking Stick Pets:


They breed well if cared for properly.

Special Exotic Pet Permits are usually needed in most locations. In North America and probably most countries, these are usually only given for research or special purposes and not for general pet use."

THERE IS A WARNING ABOUT THESE CRITTERS BECOMING PESTS IF RELEASED INTO THE WILD AND RESTRICTIONS ON HAVING THEM IN THE USA AND CANADA.

TODAY I HAVE A WEE BIT OF A HEADACHE FROM CELEBRATING WINNING ROUND TWO OF THE IMMIGRATION BATTLE. I WANT TO THANK MY STUMBLE FRIENDS FOR ALL THE KIND WORDS AND INSPIRATION. WHAT A GREAT BUNCH OF PEOPLE !

TODAY IN MY SU MAIL I HAD STUFF LIKE THIS:

"I LIKE PRAYING MANTIS"  THAT'S WHAT GOT ME GOING ON THE STICK BUG.

" YOU'RE NOT A NATIVE?"  A RESULT OF ME GROANING ABOUT IMMIGRATIONS.

AND DOZENS OF MESSAGES CONGRATULATING ME HAVING GOTTEN THE VISA RENEWED.  PLUS, A FEW HORROR STORIES ABOUT THE HASSLES OTHER TRAVELERS HAVE HAD DOING THE IMMIGRATION GIG IN OTHER FOREIGN LANDS.

REALLY, I SHOULDN'T COMPLAIN. THE PROCESS OF RENEWING A VISA IS NO WORSE THAN RENEWING AN AUTOMOBILE LICENSE OR REGISTERING ANYTHING IN THE BEAUROCRACY ANYWHERE. A VEHICLE REGISTRATION, REGISTERING A CHILD IN A SCHOOL OR REGISTERING TO VOTE SOMEWHERE, IT'S ALL THE SAME.

KINDA WHY I LOVE MY GRANDKIDS, DOGS, WILDLIFE AND EVEN MY PINK FLIP-FLOPS. THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT A GOVERNMENT IS AND NEVER ASK ME TO FILL OUT A PILE OF FORMS, SUBMIT PHOTOS OR ASK ME WHY I WANT TO LIVE HERE.

THANK YOU ALL FOR DROPPING-IN TO VISIT AND HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND !

CHEERS,
MIKE