日本のMOS BURGER がきですか？

わたしはMOS BURGERがとてもすきです。とてもおいしいですね！

アメリカはMOS BURGERがぜんぜんありまえん。 :(

My Okinawan Experience, Pt. 2

This is a continuation of my last post. Inevitably, there will probably be another. Three months is hard to encapsulate in two blog posts.

I quickly became accustomed to Okinawan life. I had a lot of questions about Okinawa and what the native culture was like. Luckily, my host family had a lot of answers. My host sister spoke very, very good English for a student who had never left the country. Her determination to learn English was really inspiring. She was really quite good at it, despite being entirely self taught. My host mother also was learning English. As an older Japanese woman, I assumed it was much harder, but she tried at every chance she could to try to improve her language skills. Anyways, my host sister was pretty much my means of communication throughout my stay, since most people in Okinawa did not know English whatsoever...

Slowly my host family brought me around Okinawa, showing me the sights and sounds that truly represented the tiny island. You know, apart from the whole military base and Americanism, there was in fact a lot to Okinawa. The beaches were sights to be truly admired. Imagine the clearest, bluest waters you've ever seen. And not disturbed by the bustling tourist industry. Well, I guess you don't really have to:










There were tons of private beaches like this one. They were quiet, serene, with only the occasional group of people relaxing along the water.




This was not the life or surroundings I expected to find in Japan. But this was indeed the life I had become enamored with.

Obviously, other than beaches and wonderful scenery, Okinawan culture was especially unique. Here are some snapshots that I took - so you can get a taste of what it is like....

Some images from a Taiko Drum show that I attended in Nago, a city in Okinawa about two hours from where I lived in Naha. Taiko drums aren't exclusive to Okinawa though.



















Okinawa is somewhat famous for their glass blowing.
I went to a factory that made it:

















Some more scenery for you:


















How could you NOT love this place?

To be continued.... (Again.)

Come again!
Tiffany

P.s.
Just a note: I'm really into photography, so clearly this trip was realllllllly conducive to taking lots of pictures.

My Okinawan Experience, Part 1

Two summers ago, I had the opportunity to live in Japan for roughly two months with a host family, through a scholarship program called Youth For Understanding (via Panasonic).

I expected to be placed in some major city, like most of the kids in the program, such as Tokyo, Osaka or one of the little cities outside of either of them. My previous experiences in Japan had consisted of city living; it was almost what I came to expect from Japanese life. Little did I know I would be placed on a tiny island, two hours off of mainland Japan.

Needless to say, the news of my assignment in Okinawa was somewhat shocking. I had no idea what kind of "life" I was in for. This island is somewhat considered the "Hawaii" of Japan by mainland residents. In addition, the military base on the island led me to believe I wasn't going to have quite the "authentic" Japanese experience. I wasn't sure if this was an entirely good thing - tourism and Americans? Is this what I had signed up for?



I was placed in Naha, Okinawa's capital city. Its on the southern portion of the island. See the picture to the right! It is highlighted in red.

To further clarify: this wasn't really a city in the sense that we see New York, or even other major Japanese cities. It was a lot more... quaint.

Downtown Naha (see my photo at the top of this post) was mostly government buildings, one department store (not like the hundreds you see in Tokyo) which really didn't have much, and a simple rail system that allowed you to get around Naha. Not to say that there were that many places you could go within the city. Well. Especially since I couldn't speak Japanese at all - a small caveat... Of course, learning the bus system became a real challenge, since I had no idea how to identify the stops that the driver was calling out. Anyways, Naha only really had one main street, sort of like New York's Broadway I suppose, called Kokusai street, which essentially only sold touristy goods to visiting Japanese people and military personnel.

At first I really struggled to accustom myself to life in Naha. I sought to see the culture of Japan, rather than that of a city who drew many tourists and much American influence.....


These were just the beginnings of my experience in Okinawa.
I have so much to say about this experience that I'll probably have to split it up into several posts.


Here's some of my photography from the trip in the meantime.







This is the top floor of the Okinawan Prefectural Office. As you can see there's a little cafe...







A little model of Naha city, also on the top floor of the Prefectural office.













My Japanese cell phone. Slick.













I hope to continue this soon!

Tiff