2013 Lily Festival on Ie Jima Starts Tomorrow

This Just In: A Million Lilies Blooming !

 

Three days were spent out on Ie Island in Okinawa, checking things out.

We were busy doing other things but, made sure the white lilies were in bloom.

The five photos you see here, were taken this morning.

Weather has been a bit unpredictable but, some blue skies did manage to peek through.

 Sometimes called Easter Lilies, those flowers are native to the Ryukyu Islands.

 They smell real good and will be blooming for about three more weeks.

That means anyone, from anywhere around the globe, could hop on a plane and come see them.

So, if you like nature and flowers, that's exactly what you should do.

What's everybody waiting for ?

When I'm Hungry: Where's the Beef ? Short Rant/Photo Essay

 

Hungry Cameraman Needs Red Meat

 

 

There's nothing wrong with the vegetarian crowd.  I ain't pokin' fun at you.

Fruits and vegetables are an important part of my diet.

But, I'm carnivorous, too.

After hiking a few hills in the northern part of Okinawa, it gets hungry outside.

And, my stomach starts dreaming about woofin' down a big, juicy lunch.

The best hamburger in Okinawa would be nice, is what Map It Okinawa and I were thinking.

Once, I saw a dude eat two of them in one sitting.  

Four or five times we got to the Toto La Bebe place and couldn't get in.

They must have changed their hours of operation.  What a bummer.

With juicy, red meat on our minds and stomachs growling, we headed to Nago City.

Then stopped by the Cafe Gusto.  I've had hamburgers here before.

It's a really fancy place so, I hid in the corner.

When the waitress came by I asked for a hamburger. But, they don't serve them anymore.

What you do then, if you want a decent meal is this:

Point at whatever looks good on the menu that is within your wallet's capability.

Some sort of hamburger-tasting thing was on my plate, covered with a diet sauce.

It tasted alright.  I woofed it down too fast to take a photo.

Probably, should have ordered two.  Because I left there saying...

...where's the beef ?

Wildlife Photo: Black-tailed Gull Visiting Okinawa Japan

This bird is a youngster seen at Red Beach Okinawa, Japan.

The Black-tailed Gull is not a resident of these islands so, I'm guessing it's just a visitor.

More than likely, it followed a ship from somewhere up north.

This seagull's scientific name is Larus crassirostris.

We don't get many seagulls around here.

They may pass through these parts but, can't survive for long.

Something in the corals of this island kills them, I've been told.

So, this gull better find another ship to follow and go to a safer environment.

There's a place in Aomori Prefecture he'd probably like.

At Hachinohe City in mainland Japan, they built a Shinto Shrine for these birds.

And, some brave gal named Rie Hara was dodging bird poop to make this video for you !

What a gal.  Huh ?

Discovered Another Castle and Got a Surprise (Images)

For Now Just Call It Wee Castle

 

Today preliminary investigation was begun on this castle I found a few weeks ago.

The place has been around for centuries, I'm sure but, it's a new one, to me.

Call it Wee, Oui, or whatever you prefer.

The sign at the entrance says, ウイ グシク.

It was the wrong time of day for outdoor photography so, I'll just give you a peek.

 

From this old rickety platform you can look out to sea.  That's the East China Sea.

There will be more on this castle at a later date.

The surprise ?

You will have to examine the next two photos carefully to see what else I discovered.

Going up the hill to the castle there were lots of butterflies, mosquitoes and weeds.

Next time, I will remember the insect repellent.

See that mosquito, about an inch behind the butterfly ?

Well, the dang thing went after it.

Now, I've seen mosquitoes bite people, dogs, cows, horses and even me.

Who would have thought they bite butterflies, too ?

What I'm really hoping, is they weren't mating or, anything like that.

I didn't hang around the castle long enough to find out.

That would be an awful thing if they developed a hybrid mosquito with big butterfly wings.

It would be a lot easier to swat them when you saw them coming, though.

For now, let's just hope the little pest just bit the butterfly.

You'll sleep better !

Look at Some Characters and Faces from the Sanguacha (Images)

Centuries Old Ritual Tradition

 

The Sanguacha is an event that takes place on Henza Island in Okinawa, Japan.

Further research and translation will be needed before I have a complete story to publish.

But, I can give you a peek at some of the folks and things I met during the Sanguacha.

This brightly-colored fish appears to be the village mascot.

Much of the prayers and rituals are dedicated to the success of fisherman.

The whole entourage proceeds to a small off shore island to conduct ceremonies.

Villagers, of every age, participate.

There could be as many costumes as you would see in New Orleans Mardi Gras, for all I know.

Every major brand of camera and video recorder are there, too.

It's always a pleasure running into those who know what they are doing.

These guys cracked me up.

They knew how to stuff a bra but, forgot to shave the armpits.

To keep confusion to a minimum, I won't try to name any of these characters.

It would have been nice to get photos of everyone but, I had to move quickly.

The procession covers a lot of ground so, there's no time to waste, sitting down.

It was a really warm day.

Those people wearing rubber masks must of been awful hot.

When the crowd stopped at a tent for some opening ceremonies, I took a break.

There was a drink machine, in the shade and I bought some cold water.

While everybody in the tent was praying or, whatever they do, I was over here.

 This sweetheart invited me to sit down and cool-off.

And, we just entertained ourselves.

Everywhere you go at the Sanguacha you run into friendly people.

Sometimes, I pop-up from behind the camera and blow a kiss, to see what will happen.

Hah.  I better not let the wife see this one !

 The Henza Community Center is where everything started and ended.

There were plenty of dances and performances, that probably lasted all night long.

One of my favorite characters, is the Shishimai; that purple guy above.

The two youngsters, under that fur, had to be roasting, dancing in that contraption.

This was where I took my parting shot, for the day.

Some Photo Printing Needs to be Done

 

 

A pile of photos of these faces and characters will be made for my return trip to Henza Island.

Maybe, I should just burn them to a CD for the village office.

Out of all the faces, I took photos of, I only came home with one, signed model release.

That means, I have to track some folks down for signatures if I want to get them published.

Can you guess who, from the photos above, already signed one ?