Have a look at photos of wildlife, festivals and travel sites here. Sharing tips for travelers with a twist of humor is part the life I enjoy in Okinawa, Japan. Photos and text Copyright © Michael Lynch. All photos contain traced digital watermarks. You may contact:http://www.ryukyulife.com/ for licensing.
Tuesday, June 6, 2017
Sampling the Ultimate - "Sparky Burger"
Not for Calorie Counters
Returning from the expedition to Motobu and the Hydrangea Gardens, it was lunch time.
The Map It Okinawa dude and I decided, we'd check out Captain Kangaroo.
It's been almost five years, since the last time I'd eaten there.
Providing, the joint wasn't crowded with tourists, we figured, they'd get our business.
Disappointed with the last meal I had there, I gave them a 3 star review on TripAdvisor.
Just in case, they had a Bad Chef day, I promised to review the place again, in due time.
Food and Service Now 5 Stars
The building was probably, halfway full. Plenty of staff on hand, greeted us as we entered.
The airconditioning was on and, felt great, after having been outdoors all morning.
We figured, even if it was half an hour wait, for our meal, at least it would be comfortable.
My selection, off the menu, was the Sparky Burger and an order of fries.
There was even enough time, for me to go out front for some nicotine replacement therapy.
It was 1:07PM when I snapped this photo with the smartphone. It's a huge meal.
The wooden stick, poked through the burger, must be 6-7 inches long.
No way, was I going to try picking that monster up, for a bite at a time.
I asked the waitress if, I could have a fork and knife and, she hooked me up.
My guess, would be, the difference between Sparkies at 900 and 1000 Yen is the burgers.
Once, I pulled the wooden sword out and started chopping, I couldn't tell.
A pile of crispy baked onions, lettuce, bacon and tomato, were the first things I saw.
Hacking away with the knife and fork, revealed lots more, meat and sauces.
Map It Dude, was done eating his regular sized burger, way before, I got done.
My hamburger meal, looked like some sort of Smorgasbord salad, the way I did it.
The whole plate was covered (overflowing) with my grunting, carving, slurping and burping.
Here's what my plate looked like at 1:33PM. I could have done better.
A few specks of meat, were left on the plate so, they wouldn't feel like I was going home hungry.
Licking the dish clean, would have been fun but, I didn't want them to think, I was an animal.
If, there aren't a bunch of pretty women and children in there, next time, we'll give it a try !
Monday, June 5, 2017
15 Images from Yohena Hydrangea Gardens
Hydrangea Are Ajasai Flowers
In a bit of a rush, I'll be short on words tonight. The hills were exploding with colors.
A quick tour that lasted about an hour, netted me over 100 photos.
Near the entrance to the gardens, you can see orchards in the background.
About a hundred yards up the hill, I look across towards Mrs.Yohena's house.
She is 100 years old this year and, I was more interested in seeing her than, the flowers.
My wife knows, I like to fool around, hug and kiss elderly ladies. So, that was the plan.
Young women, posing with the flowers, were taking photos together.
I got their permission, to photograph and, continued to travel uphill.
They have all kinds of flowers in those hills, not just hydrangea.
The name of those ping ones dangling in the wind, slips my mind at the moment.
Flower experts, know that sort of thing so, you can go ask, one of them. I'm in a hurry.
Mrs. Yohena's son, had met me going up the hill. I call him Yohenasan.
That's because, were friends but, I keep forgetting his first name. Yehonasan is alright.
He knows, I'm an old guy and probably, forget names every chance, I get.
He said, his mom was in the hospital and, wouldn't be at the top of the hill, this year.
What if Yehonasan, was trying to play a trick on me ? I kept climbing up the hill.
In the photo above, there's a gal, wearing a black hat. Can you find her ?
If, these flowers were edible, I'd like them a lot more. They smell good.
Not, like some perfumes girls wear, that give you a headache.
OK It's Halftime Break
A guy can only say so much about flowers so, let's talk about something different.
Just a minute and then, we can go back to flowery stuff. OK ?
A long time ago, I was taking night classes at a community college, outside the USA.
During the day, I worked. To get educated, I had to take nighttime courses.
It was one of those 101 Psychology, Anthropology or, whatever classes, you need to get started.
There were maybe, 25-30 students in attendance and, I sat behind this pretty girl.
She turned around and said, "You want a little pussy?"
That shocked me awake. I'll bet my face turned as red as that tree in the photo above.
Then she says, "My cat had kittens and, I want to give them away."
So, I relaxed and said, "No thanks, I'm a dog person."
Break time came along and I went outside to have a smoke. She started coming towards me.
It was the first time, I really got to look at her from up front. What a beauty.
She she had, (How do you say?) Two huge, I mean humongous....
Salami sandwiches on Seedless Jewish Rye Bread. And, she gave me one !
Now, that I got that out of my system, we can go back to Yohena Gardens.
For those who like to walk the steep paths through the hills, there are handrails.
Me, I prefer to stay on the paved walkways and, not climb stairs.
People are friendly and, you never know, where they may have traveled from.
Some speak Chinese, Japanese, English or Korean, you just have to ask.
This couple, gave me permission, to photograph just, by using hand signals.
It was like, "OK" and they "OK'd" me back. Click, click, click.
Yohenasan was taking photos of this Okinawan family, as I descended the hill.
They had heard me, talking as I went uphill and were surprised, I spoke their language.
No problems, getting their consent, to photograph.
The plant, hanging from that tree, reminds me of Spanish Moss.
That will require some research, as it doesn't seem like local vegetation, to me.
There's the gal, I came to see, up in the rafters of a building.
The photo was composed in this fashion, for a reason. I wasn't going home without it.
Wife said, I could give Mrs. Yohena a kiss and a hug and, that's what I'm gonna do.
Plus, I'm trying to teach my better half, what rafters are; rafters and eaves.
I'll tell her, the eaves are on the other side of the wall and, see if, she turns the picture over !
Sunday, June 4, 2017
Flower Photos and Facts: Misty Plume
Scientific Name: Iboza Riparia/Tetradenia Riparia
This one's been in the pending identification files for a few years.
It taught me a lesson: Never start thinking the wife and her sister, are crazy, again.
They kept insisting the name of the plant was Mayflower (メイフラワ-). Huh ?
Before posting anything , botanical online, I like to insure accuracy.
Three or four years ago, I first noticed these blossoms, starting around February.
They bloom in cities, along rivers, up in the hills and all over the countryside.
Ask any Okinawan and, they don't what it is or, they say Mayflower.
If, you go online and search for Mayflowers, ya ain't gonna see anything like this.
The Plant Experts Live in Holland
The wife, her sister, librarians, everyone, I apologize for thinking they were nuts.
It took a few days, after submitting some photos but, I got it now.
A Facebook Closed Group, some sweetheart hooked me up with, nailed it.
Determinatie van planten en dieren is my source. Bless them all.
A Latin, Scientific or, Botanical nomenclature, does the trick every time.
Only in Okinawa, Japan is this called a Mayflower.
Common Names
English: Ginger Bush, Misty Plume
Japanese: Fubukibana
Okinawan: Mayflower or Fubuki-sou
Country of Origin: Africa
Medicinal Uses:
Respiratory problems, headaches, malaria, Influenza
Headaches, stomach aches, swollen legs, fever
Gotta Love Survivalist Stuff
Once, I have a Latin name, the research goes on, in English and Japanese.
No sense in boring the non-gardening readers with details.
Like, fragrance, soil conditions and propagation instructions.
Links provided below, will get flower fanatics, whatever they need.
This is a mystical plant and, I must quote from the source:
"Mrs Doom was ill with swollen glands, sore throat, headache, sore ears, blocked sinus,
and was generally miserable.
I made a very simple concoction which was gargled, and then drank (I will detail the
recipe and treatment later). Immediately the sore throat was soothed and the
headache dulled, shortly after her sinuses cleared, about 30 minutes after treatment
her headache was gone, not long after her glands went down, and finally her ears
stopped hurting. She felt fantastic. This plant is magic."
Certainly, the man did some deep research probably, more thorough than, mine.
Not sure whether Mrs Doom is his wife or mother-in-law.
Suppose, he just puts a Mrs. Doom name tag on the poor gal, for scientific studies.
Anyhow, everything seems to have turned out just fine, I'm glad to report.
Visit the Doom Survival Guide for more. It's fascinating !
RESOURCES ENGLISH:
JAPANESE:
Friday, June 2, 2017
Okinawa - The Middle of Last Century
Images from Okinawa the 50 Years of the Postwar Era
Some folks are itching to get into another war, these days so, I dug this up.
When two or more nations, can't settle things peacefully, things like this happen.
The bustling capital of Naha, was turned into rubble back in 1945.
There are plenty of civilians, women, children and elderly, who aren't involved in the quarrels.
But, they get to feel the ground rumble, smell the stench and, get blown away, too.
Not wanting to show the really gory things, I took a photo of this camp.
A few miles from where I'm sitting, was the Yaka POW holding area.
It would take some time, to sort out the bad guys from the good (Okinawan) ones.
A few thousand Okinawan prisoners, were sent off to Hawaii. What for ?
Many of them had been forced to fight alongside the Japanese Imperial Army as conscripts.
And, there really wasn't enough food left on the islands, to feed everyone.
These poor souls, got to return home about a year later. Some of them are still alive.
Japanese, told locals that the Americans would kill, torture and rape if, they were captured.
Fortunately, Okinawans who spoke English, talked folks into surrendering peacefully.
They saved plenty of people from, taking their own lives. That's heroes !
Here's another place, down the road from me. It's the Ishikawa market back in 1952.
It took a few years, to put things back together again. You wouldn't recognize the place now.
It has paved roads with sidewalks and, new, shiny buildings everywhere.
Nowadays, Itoman City is a sprawling metropolis, you could get lost navigating.
Someday, I may have to try and duplicate this photo for a Then and Now.
The photo was taken in 1951 and, doesn't resemble today's Itoman rotary, at all.
To survive, many people had to be imaginative and, create their own industries.
Any scraps of metal, wood or foods, from the bases, could turn a profit if, you knew how.
An enterprising GI or two, sometimes helped the marketplace, I imagine.
If, ya got caught sneaking goods off the base, a person, could go to jail.
Things like that still happen, today !
Outer Islands
The war took place on many of the Ryukyu Islands, not just this one.
While, I was poking around in the historical records, a few new things were discovered.
Allies from the British Royal Navy bombarded the crap out of the southern islands airfields.
That way, when the US Forces arrived, they didn't need to fight anybody.
Y'all Brits done a bloody good job. Bravo !
Lord only knows, what the Imperial Monsters were doing with a train, on this little island.
But, once the civilians, got ahold of it, they had a sugarcane express and shuttle bus.
Sometimes, I wish we had one of those locomotives on this island. Stupid monorail, ain't no fun.
Whenever these wars end, the winner gets to make the losers disarm themselves.
Nowadays, I think they know better than, to throw trash into the ocean.
Back to the Civilians
Going through this book, which is really a photographic history of Okinawa, reminded me.
It brought back memories, I keep locked away in dark recesses of my brain.
Deliberately, I passed over images, depicting the slime, scents and gore of ground warfare.
Not what you could call an active pacifist, I believe there will always be wars.
Getting up there in age, I don't/won't start a fight with anyone in this world.
Nobody, has any business, killing innocent civilians or, destroying their countryside.
The Battle of Okinawa, destroyed homes, farms, chickens, pigs, cows, goats and horses.
More than 100,000 civilians died and, the living were left starving.
I read a narrative about a young woman, collecting the belts off of dead Japanese soldiers.
That was, to cook for her family, as meat because, there were no animals left alive.
What did those civilians do, to deserve the hell that descended upon them ?
Before anyone decides to start shooting weapons at another country, think about it.
Win, lose or draw, someone has to put the civilian population, back together again.
Photos from "Okinawa The 50 Years of the Postwar Era."
Book jacket ISBN4-89095-085-0 does not appear in Google Search
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)