new adventures in japan

Muruku Beach, Hamahiga Island

It's been about a week since I arrived to Japan; and what an amazing first week it has been. Aside from the 16 hour time difference - which has certainly taken its toll on my body (and mind) - I am adjusting quite well. Japan is such a beautiful place and I am overwhelmed by everything there is to see and do here. It feels incredibly surreal. I am so happy, and the family I am living with is so good to me. My dear friend Christine who is in the Marine Corps has two girls (Maggie-6 and Alexis-14) who I help take care of. I never thought I would be a "nanny" at the age of 29, but I have to say, I am really enjoying it so far. It's nice to break away from the monotony of a 9-5 and the hustle and bustle of life in general. The change is good. I have time to do things that I enjoy - things I found difficult to make time for (like writing) while working a full-time job. Of course I have lots of job responsibilities that keep me busy for most of the morning and evening, but I still have the afternoons to basically do what I want. And not to mention this wonderful gift I've been given to travel and learn more about the world. 

This past weekend Christine, Maggie and I went exploring for the first time since I've been here. We drove to Hamahiga Island just northeast of where we live in Chatan. There are a handful of islands that connect to Okinawa via bridges (there are a few dozen islands that make up the entire Okinawa Prefecture - lots of traveling, diving, sight-seeing opportunities!). In a word, this place was paradise. It is hard to believe that this beautiful and exotic place is only a 45 minute drive away. Of course it took us considerably longer due to the simple fact that we are in a foreign country and have yet to get comfortable way-finding around here; but, you'll be pleased to know that we made it (and made it safely - drivers here are on a whole different level and deserve a blog post all their own). A few wrong turns later and many wonderful discoveries along the way made our trip a memorable one indeed.

I really don't have the option to drive here (which I really don't mind at all) so Christine drives and I navigate (or at least try to). In her four weeks here, Christine has become extremely effective at giving the Japanese a run for their money on the road. I certainly wouldn't want that job. So off we go, in our little Cube (so cute!) zipping around town like nobody's business. 

Snow cones are huge in Japan (not as big as the vending machine, though - you'll be hearing about those, too; they are a-mazing). Our first stop on our trek after having been lost for some time brought us (conveniently) to an adorable little snow cone stand. I say conveniently because, well, they are one of Maggie's favorite frosty treats, she loves them! It's hard not to when they are the size of her cute little head. Of course I had to try one, too. Yummy!

Going anywhere in a foreign country is very exciting. It doesn't matter if you are driving down the street or many miles away, everything is new and different and it's hard not to be giddy ALL THE TIME. Okinawa in a way reminds me of Mexico. It's not fancy by any means and every house/building is different from the next. But I like it. It's not pretentious. Practically every parcel of land in the city is accounted for. It's still beautiful, though. And it's so green. Huge trees hang over the streets and pockets of thick forests spread their roots throughout town. They are so dense that they let hardly any light in. Christine tells me all about the slimy, slithering creatures that live in them. I don't want to go there.

We stopped at several beaches along the way to Hamahiga Island - we couldn't resist. They all looked so amazing. The water here is a stunning turquoise and so clear. And holy buckets is it warm. Much different from home (San Diego).

Maggie striking a pose! She is ever the sassy one. We spent some time here at this first beach shell searching. It was also here that we each encountered our first "close call" with the ubiquitous box jellyfish. They were everywhere. And they are very hard to see (from now on we will be carrying an emergency supply of vinegar in the car at all times).

This was just the first of the many exotic sea critters we would find on our journey. We thanked the jellyfish for not stinging us and went on our merry way - on to the next beach! We almost cut our journey short at this next beach (am so glad we didn't). Maggie was really adamant about staying here, but it was mostly seawall save for a small sand beach about the size of our living room. The crab, sea urchin (which Maggie almost stepped on), and octopus we saw here was enough to make Christine and I eager to keep looking for our tropical oasis sans our scary sea friends. Of course Maggie didn't care. Oh to be young again. I will say that if you have never seen a sea urchin on the move I highly recommend searching it on the web. They are extremely graceful, despite their deceptive exterior.

Our final beach destination (the one we had originally set out to find) was called Muruku Beach. It's hard to put into words the beauty that exists here. I couldn't help but feel like I was dreaming the entire day - one awesome thing after the next. You think you've seen it all and then there's another surprise waiting for you around the next corner. I could explore for days.

All of the treasures we collected along the beach. Our patio is full of shells for projects! We even went "digging for gold."

A success! These little suckers made me work for them. Keeping your balance on a small wooden plank while laughing hysterically is not an easy feat. It was well worth the effort, though! I think a celebratory tea party is in order.

A day of trekking around the island and we were spent. It was such an amazing day. And we were extremely pleased with all of our unique findings. We ended our day at one of our favorite little Japanese restaurants just down the road from where we live - Sushi Gens. Most of the Japanese people we've exchanged communication with can speak at least a little bit of English, which helps. I am slowly learning the language here, and try to make it a point to at least learn one new word a day. Reading and writing Japanese is a whole different story. So far, my vocabulary consists of the following:

Hello/Good day: Konnichiwa

Good morning: Ohayō  gozaimasu

Good evening: Konbanwa

Goodbye: Sayonara

Thank you (very much): Arigatō (gozaimasu)

Banana: Banana

More to ensue!

Until next time, Sayonara!