Wordless Wednesday: Don't Wash Shoes Here

10 Photos - An Unforgettable Sakura Hunt

Shortly After 10 AM

We arrived at Mt. Yaedake to see how the cherry blossoms (sakura) were doing.

The festival (matsuri) officially ended this past weekend.

Flowers, don't always blossom in accordance with the festival calendar.

It's been sort of a scattered blooming season, island-wide this year.

A sakura sign, at the entrance, indicated 70% bloom, at the top of the mountain.

Things, weren't looking too shabby, halfway up the hill so, we stopped for awhile.

It's always best, to ask tourists for permission, before taking photos.

Some, are happy having their picture taken. Others, are too shy. Like me, for example.

The blossoms were kind of sparse, unless the lens was zoomed in on them. 

The weather was nice, not too windy but, a little bit cloudy.

When things are calm, it's fun composing close-up images of the flowers.

No glaring sun and strong breezes shake the blossoms and, you get awesome colors.

Just about the time, I decided to shoot these gals, doing selfies, they quit doing it.

"Hey. Could you do that one more time so, I can take a picture?"

They didn't understand my Japanese. We got it done with hand signals.

They were sweethearts. I would have bought them ice cream but, didn't know where it was.

About ten-thirty, it was time to head to the top of the mountain and, check things out.

Ideally, there would be a couple of trees, loaded with those pink and red flowers.

This photo was taken from above, to show the winding road and scattered blossoms.

During peak Sakura Season, it would be a breathtaking scene.

There's no sense, cursing about the situation. Dang it Things won't get any better. 

Shortly before 11 AM, a big rain storm, blew across the mountain.

The professor and I, had to wait under shelter, before we could get back to our ride.

We've lived on island for many years and, know these things happen sometimes.

Ten minutes later, we were back on the road again, headed downhill.

There weren't many tourists left so, I concentrated on cherry blossoms again.

A few stops were made, to snap images, as we meandered off the mountain.

Then, we decided to hop over to another island and, eat some pizza.

That's a story, I'll save until, it gets a Google Map review.  Think vegetarian !

A Search for the Minamoto Tametomo Monument

A Typhoon Sent Him Here

 

Tracking down legends and folktales is what led me to this hill overlooking Unten Port.

Tametomo was an exiled warrior from medieval Japan, stuck in the Ryukyu islands.

The port, in Nakijin is named Unten because, Untenko means fate of heaven.

This, I learned at Okinawan Folktales which is on a Chicago website.

The author, mentioned a monument to Tametomo, being in Unten so, I had to find it.

Driving around the port a few times, we couldn't find any monument.

 So, the next thing to do, was go inside the port and, ask around.

Hah. Most of the people hanging around the place, were Chinese tourists.  Would they help me ?

A Light Came On

 

 

A look in the gift shop, when it wasn't busy, might provide some useful information.

Before going in, I noticed a nifty poster, taped to the store window.

It had a couple of hundred fish pictures on it, labeled in English, Japanese and Uchinaguchi.

The shop was comfortably cold so, I poked around like, I was looking to buy something.

Then, when the shopkeeper wasn't busy, I tried some uchinaguchi (Okinawan) on him.

That got him smiling and, babbling back at me.  And, he knew of Minamoto Tametomo.

While the professor and I, were shooting the breeze with the guy, I noticed something.

The fish posters were rolled up in cellophane and they were selling them.

One had about 250 pictures on it and, another maybe, 295 of them.

The damn things cost 19-20 dollars; that's insane.

So, I joked with the salesman and told him the prices were outrageous.

Not being a filthy rich tourist, I told him, I don't have that kind of money, to waste.

He noticed the big camera I was carrying and said, "Take a picture of one."

He pointed us in the right direction.  We thanked him and headed for the hills.

 Far Above the Port

It was beginning to look like, we would never find this historical marker.

It was hot and muggy outside and, it was getting close to lunchtime.

We had parked at intersection and done some hiking and, were about to give up.

A farmer, driving up the hill, slowed down to take a turn and, I hailed him.

The good old guy, told us the monument was farther up the hill.

We thanked him and hopped back into the air-conditioned vehicle, to keep searching.

As we rounded a bend, the farmer was waiting in his truck, to guide us to this sign.

Rough Translation: Minamoto Tametomo Monument. Yay.

 Not Flip-flop Friendly

 

 

The spot we were searching for, isn't visible from the paved road.

It's about a two minute hike uphill, over some ankle-twisting terrain.

Well, I was wearing my trademark, yellow flip-flops so, five minute hike, for me.

At the top of the hill and, end of the trail, it was nice to see this canopy; it provided shade.

The hottest days in Okinawa are tolerable if, you get out of the sun and, have an ocean breeze.

 Standing on a bench, I shot photos of the harbor below, to create a GIF.

 At the end of the trail is the Minamoto Tametomo Monument.

It looks as if, it's a few centuries old and withstood many, heavy winds during typhoons.

 Historical Significance 

 

Tamemoto, would  eventually move to the south of Okinawa to live.

He married the daughter of the Aji (Lord) of Ozato and, fathered a son.

The boy, would become King Shunten, ruler of the Ryukyu Dynasty.

Having a Ryukyu ruler from the Minamoto bloodline gave Japan a significant claim.

It was reason enough, to annex the Ryukyu islands into Japanese territory.

China Wants to Claim the Okinawa Islands

 

 

It's the 21st Century and the Chinese want to claim some of the Ryukyu islands.

They better start checking their DNA and, figure out, they aren't Japanese.

Quit rattling their swords and, just be nice tourists, visiting Japan.

I'll go back and ask the guy in the gift store to lower the prices of his posters.

Like, let the tourists have them for, let's say, um something like, fifteen bucks !

Travel Shots -- Heart Rock of Kouri-jima

A whirlwind tour of Kouri Island, today had us visiting this rock at low tide.

Named the Heart Rock, signs reading ハート ロック lead you there.

With the publicity this stone formation has gotten, it gets plenty of visitors.

A second parking lot had to be built to handle the volume of cars and buses stopping by.

My recommendation would be, check the tide schedules and, visit during high tide.

Some travelers, like to walk up to touch the stone or, pose with it.

It wouldn't surprise me if they built a boardwalk around the thing, one of these days.

That way, wedding photographers could bring brides in their gowns for photos.

Take a look at this YouTube video to see it when the tide is in.

Some photos from my first visit to this famous rock formation are also, here.

Hydrangea Report #2 from Izumi, Okinawa, Japan (Photos)

They Are Still Blooming

 

The hills are covered with those pink, white and blue blossoms.

And, there must be another dozen beautiful flowers I haven't identified, yet.

Good things, like this, can't last forever.

Even, the tourists know that.

If you haven't been to see the hydrangea, you'd better hurry.

A few years ago, we had a big typhoon, the day after I went to shoot photos.

As soon as the typhoon blew over, we went back to check on the flowers.

They were all gone, I guess.

That's mostly because, the typhoon hit so hard, we couldn't find the place !

Hurry and get up there before the end of the month, would be my recommendation.

And, wear something besides blue or, your friends might lose you in those hills !

Camera Stroll Through Heiwa Dori Naha Okinawa (Photos)

12 Photos to Inspire the Shoppers

 

At least once a month Yahoo emails asking for shopping articles to be written.

They are asking the wrong person.  Because, I don't like shopping.

Photos of what you see in the local shops may help you decide if you want to become a shopper.

They have some colors in the materials that just scream at you.

"Take my picture!"

So, after I ask permission, I shoot them.

Heiwa Dori is just one of the side streets off of the International Avenue.

There is a maze of covered streets that you can get lost in walking around down there.

Back in the old days, after the war, lots of people called this Black Market Alley.

Some enterprising GI's could get rich, smuggling stuff off the base, to sell.

Those days are gone.  Who wants an old Hershey's bar from Christmas ?

Both sides of the street are lined with these kinds of shops.

It's best to go through early, before crowds of tourists start showing-up.

The people are all friendly.  Some, don't mind posing for a photo.

Others, I just wait 'til they aren't looking, then, shoot.

That gal, I showed her this photo. She was a beauty.  That's all you need to know.

Those dimly-lit places get to me after awhile so, I shot some kimonos, to wake myself up.

Glassware, pottery and seashell trinkets are hot-selling souvenirs, I guess.

Herbs and spices seem to be popular with travelers from other parts of Asia, too.

You can buy ready-made kimonos or, material, to make your own.

It got me thinking when I saw this character on a kimono.

Wouldn't that look cool on a tuxedo ?

For anyone who would like a video tour of the Naha Market, I found this:

TheBladeChef guy who made it cracked me up !

Exclusive Tour Ryukyu Dudes Do the Caves (Photos)

Matsuda Caves in Ginoza Okinawa

These photos give a quick review of the day's events.

Today RyukyuRusty, Map It Okinawa and I got a special treat.

We had a guided tour (what I call it exclusive) through this cave.

Shinobu Miyahira (blue shirt) briefed us on everything.

He knows the history of the place, the wildlife that live there and the dangers you may face.

Standing to his left, Lorenzo Ken Tumacder, was our English translator.

Safety was everyone's concern. There are plenty of places you can slip and fall.

The guides outfitted us with boots and miners hats.  It gets real dark inside the caves.

And, there are plenty of places to accidentally bang your head.  So, that's what I did, a lot.

The guy wearing the white jacket is Terumasa Ikehara.

White stuff is easier to see in the dark so, I stuck close by him.

Kei Hamahiga and Hayato Nakama were in black shirts.

If they got too far in front of you, they would disappear, in the dark.

Everyone, there was helpful.  They held our cameras while we climbed.

And, caught us when we slipped.  Or, warned us about banging our heads.

All the way through, I kept wondering about the place.

Like, when they were preparing for tourists -- did they find any signs of humans were ever there ?

 

 Sure enough.  Look what Emi Kinjo found.

She was An Orion Beer Campaign Girl.  And, found an old Orion Beer can.

 After about two and a half hours (that seemed like one) of cave exploring, we were done.

Probably, I collected more mud that anyone else.

So, you don't see me in this photo.  I was busy smoking and shooting.

It looks like some sort of farewell photo, but, we weren't done, yet.

When you get an exclusive tour, like this, some paperwork has to be done.

It was really like a questionnaire.

We could rate the tour and guides.  And, make suggestions.

Well, I'm a grandpa and I don't like writing.

So, I said to Lorenzo, "Here, you do it".

 And, we gotterdun.

Look Forward to the Grand Opening 

 

A few days ago, I was worried about the impact tourism would have on the Village of Ginoza.

More than anything else, I am concerned about the environment.

From what we saw and heard today, this cave is in good hands.

They are knowledgeable about the stalactite and stalagmite formations and their preservation.

They are concerned about the wildlife within and around the caves.

The caves will open to the public sometime in Spring.

Standby for an exclusive-exclusive report if they let the Ryukyu Dudes in again !

Wildlife Photos: Birds The Great Cormorant

NOTE: This is a correction. Originally ID'd as a Japanese Cormorant we have an update.

These photos depict the GREAT CORMORANT in Okinawa, Japan.

Their scientific name is Phalacrocorax carbo and they may be seen around the globe.

For informational purposes, only, I will leave the links to Japanese Cormorant here.

It is not my intent to mislead anyone reading this blog.

So, I gladly go back and edit whenever necessary and apologize for any inconvenience.

 Thanks to the good folks at BIRD FORUM for their assistance.

It is a big relief, knowing the birds in Okinawa aren't some sideshow for tourists.

Read About Those Other Cormorants Below:

The birds named Japanese or Temminick's Cormorant may be found in mainland, Japan.

In Japan, they are known as Umui (ウミウ) or, Sea Cormorant.

Phalacrocorax capillatus is the scientific name for them.

There are a few dozen more photos of these birds waiting to be developed.

Then, I'll be able to do a post of these comedians in action.

 While the sun is shining, I have to hurry back out there, before it's too late.

Up in mainland Japan, they became a major tourist attraction.

Now, I'm all for travel and tourism but, ain't so sure I want that happening around here!