909th Dining Out

Alex took me to the 909th Dinning Out, it might of been by threat. We got all dressed up to have an evening of laughter and drinking from the grog bowl. Alex did not have to visit the grog so he was on his best behavior. After the dinning out we headed to the club and Alex let his hair down. He was the dancing king of the floor.

Dragon Boat 2010

I did dragon boat again this year. It will be my last year since we are to be leaving Okinawa before the end of the year. I again rowed for the Army team since Liz and Raquel were on the team. We practiced 3 days a week for about 10 weeks in both the ocean and pool as well as two boat practices down in Naha. This year we again rowed against Navy and Marines. The Air Force team rowed in a separate race. Overall we came in third of the services.

Kyoto

The last city we visited was Kyoto. We went to 3 World Heritage Sites. Golden Pavilion, Kiyomizu Temple which over looks Kyoto, and Nijo Castle with the nightingale floors. One night we went to Gion which is where the Geshias work. We had a zen-tempura dinner, participated in a tea ceremony and watched 7 traditional Japanese performances. On the last day we headed to a temple that has paths lined with Toriis.

Hiroshima and Miyajima

Days 2 and 3 we were in Hiroshima and Miyajima via bullet train. It rained to whole first day. We went to the A-bomb Dome and Peace Memorial Park. The following day we took a day trip to Miyajima and Mt. Misen since our train didn't leave until 5 p.m. We saw the giant Torii out it the water. The island had deer roaming around. We hiked up a mountain and a lot of stairs.

Osaka

For spring break I headed to mainland with Liz. Our first stop was in Osaka. We dropped off our bag at the hotel and headed out to explore the city. We visited the floating garden observatory at Umeda Sky Building. Then we headed to the hotel bar for a nightcap. We had to get up early the following day since we were taking the bullet train to Hiroshima.

Shisa Dogs

I signed up to make my very own Shisa. It was surprisingly not as stressful as I thought since most of you know about my artistic abilities. I'm happy with the Shisa and can't wait for them the dry so I can display them proudly. Another only in Japan experience.
Shisa is a traditional Ryukyuan decoration, often found in pairs, resembling a cross between a lion and a dog, from Okinawa mythology. Many people put a pair of shisa on their rooftops or flanking the gates to their houses. Shisa are wards, believed to protect from various evils. When found in pairs, the shisa on the left traditionally has a closed mouth, and the one on the right an open mouth.

Higashi Azalea Festival

I went to the Azalea Festival in the Higashi Village. The flowers were pretty. We walked around the grounds for a few hours. Another thing to see on Okinawa before we leave in Nov.