Oki Tunnel Rats

We FINALLY got around to taking the tunnel rats tour to see some of the old WWII caves here on the island. SO glad we did! We had seen the Cities of the Underworld episode ("Tunnels of Hell" on the History channel that aired back in Nov 2008) with our tour guide, Chris, showing off the caves. The Japanese used the natural underground cave system on Okinawa to hide from the Americans and as areas to stage attacks on the Americans.

This was the first cave we went into:

Once you got into the caves - it was d.a.r.k. We were glad we brought high powered flashlights and extra batteries! We had to wear our hats backwards (we're so gangsta) so in case we hit our head there would be a little bit of cushion, but you could still "see" where you were going:
A memorial outside of this cave - this cave had a Japanese man that had worked side by side with Americans before coming back to Okinawa (before the war broke out). He didn't buy the propaganda that the Japanese government was telling the Okinawans of how despicable the Americans were. He chose to walk out and talk to the troops - then he went back in and had over 1,000 Japanese civilians follow him out of the cave unharmed. In other caves there wasn't anyone who had ever met an American before and they chose to commit suicide in some form (cyanide capsules, shooting themselves, etc) instead of being taken hostage by the Americans.
Peace! I was thankful for those gloves!
This cave had all sorts of little spaces to crawl through ... I'm not a big fan of small, enclosed spaces so there was only one area that I chose not to contort my body to get through (Michael did though - shocker). Chris told us that the only light the Japanese had in here came from tiny kerosene lamps and that they were in here for upwards of 60-90 days straight:

This area had all sorts of old Budweiser and Pepsi cans ... not sure why someone would go in here just to "hang out":
Leaving the cave:

After the first cave we went to Camp Kinser to see the artifacts that have been recovered on Oki by all sorts of people. There were old land mines, cyanide grenades, uniforms, pottery, Japanese flags with signatures on them, weapons, etc. They still find stuff today - although it is against the rules for SOFA status personnel to go caving/seach for memorabilia.

Michael playing with an old M1:

The 2nd cave had manmade tunnels dug. This was the entrance - look at those tree roots!

We had to wait for a group of Japanese school children to come out of the cave. They take in the kids, immerse them in darkness and then tell them about how it was for their ancestors during the war.
You can see some of the tree's root systems coming through the ceiling!

Manmade tunnels:
Michael up exploring:
I about died when I saw this thing. GIGANTIC, nasty, HIGHLY aggressive centipedes. They are not poisonous unless you are allergic. If they bite you, you will only get the anti-venom if you are allergic since there are so many side effects associated with the anti-venom! We were told to stay far away from these things! Chris told us stories of centipedes chasing Marines who thought it'd be funny to try and kill one ... no. thanks.
Look at the size of this thing on the wall! There was a gecko that I was looking at before I saw "It" - I think he was hiding from his predator!
One of the Japanese Generals was (supposedly) hiding out in this room for a good while during the war. There were cutouts in the walls (shelves?) as well as the backwall:
Michael trying to find more little places to crawl through:
Michael looking through a machine gun nest used to fire on the landing beaches:
Heading down into the DEEP 3rd cave:
This cave was HUGE!!
Once you got to where the guy in white is (Chris), you had to shimmy down rocks and across a stream to get back into the actual cave area. I was so glad I had my gloves on the way out - we were the last ones to leave, Michael went a different way and I had to hang on for dear life (literally) while I moved from rock to rock to climb out:
This was our favorite cave - the area where Michael is looking down is about a 30 foot drop - there was one area where it was approx 50 feet down. It wasn't a solid floor, but a conglomeration of rocks that had solidified.
Heading back out of the cave!

We highly reccommend this tour if you live on Oki! We were covered from head to foot in mud, but had a blast doing it!

Alas, 2 months until we PCS!

Mat's Visit to Okinawa

Our friend Mat came to Okinawa to teach the water survival instructors up at Camp Hansen! We were able to get him out of the lodge on the weekends so he could re-experience the island (he was stationed here back in the 90's). The first weekend he was with us, there was some serious monsoon-like rain. We made it to Four Seasons for some teppanyaki and beer, but that was about it!

ok ... quite a bit of beer :)

The next weekend we first got our curry fix over at Fab on the Sunabe Seawall.

Here is Mat going through the plethora of curry to choose from:

Not too bad of a view, eh?

Michael really likes curry (so do I though, so it works!):We walked along the seawall for a little bit so Mat could really experience the paintings :P I think they were fixin' to trade sunglasses here ... they really enjoyed this part, can you tell?
After a brief stint on Sunabe, we headed north to hit the Nago glass factory. I think Michael is trying to explain something to Mat and Mat didn't really care:
Mat in front of the furnaces where they melt/mold the glass:
I tried to get Michael to stand in the female spot, but sometimes he just flat refuses. I may have a little too much enthusiasm for a true Japanese woman:
The glass Shisa in front of the factory:
Next, we headed to the Orion brewery for a quick (and I mean QUICK) tour:
Guess who the DD was :*(
We literally walked up the stairs, saw some "mash" cyclinder-thingys and then saw the area where they bottle and package up the beer:
That was it. Then the boys got to drink some free beer!
"KANPAI!"
... and a free tea for the DD.
I guess the boys were really cute b/c they got TWO free beers, instead of one, from the bartender lady:
Piggy and her original boyfriend. She went nuts when he first came in the house :)
On Saturday night we went down to Sushi Zen for some sushi. Here is Mat with his plate of sashimi:
Our flower rolls:
Michael with the delicious Zen roll:
The Zen roll is our absolute fave. Its wrapped in bean curd instead of the traditional nori (thats why it is pink).
Mat debating whether or not to help us out with the rest of the rolls:
YUM!
We may get him for one last weekend before he gets to go home to Sara and baby Steven!

Toes and Piggy

New toes :)

Little Dog was so tired after a walk in the hot sun:

She didn't even lift her head when we went back inside!

Catching Up

We haven't been up to much - just enjoying our last couple of months on the island.

I bet you didn't know that Leo promotes tires in Japan:

a close up of his mug hanging in front of the gas station:

Our first black flag day ... bittersweet? Summer is finally here, but it is HOT and HUMID!

I guess I'm a true Crossfitter with hands like these:

... and this is after 3 days of healing!

We've had some BBQ's with our neighbors ... this is looking at the neighbor's decks from our deck:

Matt getting the fire ready:

Michael hanging out before dinner:

Baileycat chillin'

Pigdog playing with her daddy:

she is just too darn cute :)

We're pretty boring ... just biding our time until we PCS!

Golden Week in Oki

This week is Golden Week in Japan. The week where our little island gets even more over-populated with mainlanders (it is one of the 3 busiest holidays in Japan, next to Obon and New Years). Golden Week is comprised of 4 different Japanese holidays within 7 days. It kicks off on 29 April (birthday of former Emperor Showa), **insert well-placed weekend**, then 3 May is Constitution Day (on this day in 1947, the new post war constitution was put into effect), followed by 4 May which is Greenery Day (Until 2006, this day was celebrated on 29 April - this day celebrates the environment and nature), and finally, 5 May is Cinco de Mayo ... oh wait, oops - that is what Michael and I celebrate so we can have tacos with chips and salsa for dinner ... but the Japanese have Children's Day on 5 May (the "Boy's Festival" is celebrated and families pray for the health and future successes of their sons. They celebrate by hanging carp streamers and displaying samurai dolls, which both symbolize strength, power and success in life. The "Girl's Festival is celebrated on March 3.)

Soooo ... there are carp streamers everywhere on Oki! We went and ate some delicious pancakes at Jakkepoes with friends in the morning, and then we set off to find the mass conglomeration of carp streamers.

SUCCESS!

This area is right off the road I take to work every morning:
Michael next to the streamers:

We saw these hidden stairs while walking back to the car:
Afterwards, we went up to the little secluded spot that we found on our FIRST exploratory outing on Okinawa - back in 2007! We were happy to have gotten back there before we PCS'ed back to the states:

Michael trying to pretend like he wasn't checking his crackberry ... busted!
then ... the highlight of the day ... we went to my bakery! I was told by co-workers that they have the best creme puffs in JAPAN - not just Oki, but the entire nation. Michael and I are suckers for some creme puffs ... we were NOT disappointed! Best. Creme puffs. Ever.
... oh yeah - Piglet stole the pillow from Baileycat :P