Hydrangeas (Ajisai) in Izumi Village

Rainy season in Okinawa is over; not yet in many parts of Japan. So if you are living or visiting places other than Okinawa, you might want to visit parks or gardens with lots of hydrangeas. Ajisai, as it is known in this country, comes with many colors, especially many shades of blue.

Memorial Day of the Battle of Okinawa, June 23

66 years ago from today (June 23rd) Japanese Imperial Army's coordinated resistance against U.S. military ended as General Ushijima committed suicide in a cave in the south point of Okinawa Main Island. The area is called Mabuni, where annual Memorial Day for the victims of the Battle of Okinawa was held today. I drove about two hours from the city I live and visited Okinawa Prefecture Peace Memorial Park in which "Cornerstone of Peace" has been established in order to inscribe all of the war victims. (Currently, over 240,000 names are inscribed on monument walls like the one you see in the below photo.

What is so special about those monuments is that the prefecture tries to inscribe all the victims of the Battle of Okinawa, including those of the Allied Forces. There are many walls with inscriptions of American, British and other foreign soldiers who lost their lives in Okinawa during the battle.

Inscriptions are organized based on the victims' hometown.

Many flowers and incenses were offered. I found some candies

and sweets offered at the memorial for young victims. 

The trees planted between monument walls are locally known as

"Kobateishi Tree." (Tropical almond or Indian almond in English)

It's said Kobateishi Trees grow by absorbing tears. The trees' broad

leaves provide shades for visitors.

This round space is named as "Peace Plaza." Visitors are treated with

spectacular view of ocean from the cliff. It was so beautiful and peaceful

today. Hard to imagine this was a suicidal cliff some 66 years ago; many

victims threw themselves off the cliff as they were taught to do so rather

than being captured alive by the enemy. Very sad story.

This cone-shaped torch, named "Flame of Peace," at the center of Peace Plaza,

has been lit since June 23rd, 1995. Flames from three places including 

Hiroshima and Nagasaki were combined to lit the torch. The light blue and 

dark blue under the torch represent the map of East Asia with the torch

at the center where the message of peace starts to spread like ripples

throughout the world.

On the occasion of Memorial Day of Okinawa Battle, I meditated for

a moment watching this magnificent sight. Had a mixed feeling that

once a place of such horrific event is now providing us with this great

scenery and peace.

Roofed with Okinawa's traditional red ceramic tile, Okinawa Prefecture

Peace Memorial Museum features five permanent exhibition rooms

according to the different historical stages of the Battle of Okinawa as well

as a booth for grade school children to learn about peace. Most of the exhibited e the

panels and photos come with English translation and audio-guide service/device

 which come in English, Chinese, Korean and Spanish is available at the ticket counter.

Okinawa Pref. Peace Memorial Museum Web Sight: http://www.peace-museum.pref.okinawa.jp/english/index.html

Museum Leaflet in English (PDF): http://www.peace-museum.pref.okinawa.jp/annai/osirase/image/English.pdf

小冊子(中文) Museum Leaflet in Chinese (PDF): http://www.peace-museum.pref.okinawa.jp/annai/osirase/image/chinese.pdf

팸플릿(한국어) Museum Leaflet in Korean (PDF): http://www.peace-museum.pref.okinawa.jp/annai/osirase/image/Korean.pdf

Museo del folleto en español (PDF): http://www.peace-museum.pref.okinawa.jp/annai/osirase/image/spanish.pdf

Dragon Boat Race in Okinawa and Hong Kong

Sorry for being "absent-minded" for a long period. The last time I uploaded was April 7th. So, it't been over two months that I haven't written anything on my blog.


Well, many things have happened around me. But, please allow me to write only two things this time. One thing is that rainy season is over in Okinawa last week or so. We've been enjoying the clear sky and the arrival of long summer season, which is expected to last well until October. If you are an aficionado of water activities, Okinawa is one of ideal locations you might want to take into consideration for your summer travel plan.


Another thing I want to mention is that people of Okinawa, like people in many other regions on the peripheries of China, cerebrate dragon boat races. The history of dragon boat race in Okinawa dates back long before the modern age and many fishing communities in the southernmost prefecture of Japan organize dragon boat races.


I'd like to introduce Takara Dragon Boat Club from the town of Tomishiro in the southern part of Okinawa because this club has been invited by Hong Kong Tourism Bureau to take part in the international dragon boat race there. 


I remember the team well because they are the regular finalists in Nago City Mayor's Cup dragon boat race in August every year. So, there is no doubt this team is certainly one of the strongest in Okinawa. According to Okinawa Times, a local news paper here, reported the team was invited two years in a row from the tourism bureau on behalf of Japan. Such an honor to take part in the international race in Hong Kong.


If you are lucky enough to be traveling in Hong Kong this weekend, today is the second day of the 3-day international boat race event there. For the details, please take a look at Hong Kong Tourism Bureau's homepage.
http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/events/sports-dragon-boat-race.html


Nago City Mayor's Cup is coming up in August. We had a dragon boat race team a few years ago from Hong Kong Institute of Technology and they did very well on the race. This kind of cultural exchange has been taking place in Asia and in the rest of the world. What I want to say is that there are many types of boat races throughout the world, and dragon boat race can become, I believe, one of Olympic sports, since the rule of the competition has been clearly set up and there are so many teams around the world.


Good luck for all the participating team of Hong Kong Int'l Dragon Boat Race.

Kaiensai Fireworks Display in Ginowan City, Okinawa

A friend of mine told me of his having a chance to talk with a photographer from the main land Japan, who specialized in nature photography. Japan is a country known throughout the world to have four distinguished seasons as well as to be a birthplace of haiku poems with lots of seasonal expressions. This photographer was visiting Okinawa with his keen sensitivities for seasonal charms. The season he was visiting the southernmost prefecture was an early summer, yet there he saw a scene of lush green forest with an open space with Japanese silver grass growing all over the place. He was mesmerized by the early summer represented by the young green leaves of the thick forest in juxtaposition with autumn symbolized by the silver grasses.

"How come it's possible to find Japanese silver grass at this time of the year?" the photographer was asking himself. He didn't know how to categorize the picture of the scene in terms of season. "Kisetsukan," or the sense of the season, becomes weired, the photographer told the friend of mine. 

I have another example to illustrate this peculiar season in Okinawa. On the 16th of April (Sat.), in the city of Ginowan, there will be a beach opening festival with fireworks. Since it is still the beginning of spring, where other parts of Japan have barely started their cherry blossom viewing parties, you might think it is a bit too early for us to have a beach festival. "Kaiensai," meaning literary ocean-fire festival, is an annual event organized by Japan Airline Co. Ltd., as an event that will mark "Umibiraki" or the start of swimming season.

With "Golden Week"---a period of successive national holidays in May in Japan---just two weeks away, various tourism-related businesses and the local governments wish to jump into the opportunities for tourism season in Okinawa. Kaiensai is one of those events that take place in Okinawa at this time of the year, and it is probably the biggest and of the most spectacular. Junko Koshino, a worldly famous Japanese designer, will be in charge of designing fireworks. This year, Melrose Pyrotechnics Inc. from the U.S. ---the winner of 2010 Huis Ten Bosch International Pyrotechnician Competition in Nagasaki Prefecture---will join in the event for their displays of designed fireworks.

General information (in English) on Kaiensai Fireworks Festival, go to: 

http://ryukyu-kaiensai.com/pdf/eng.pdf

If you can read Japanese or have someone who can read the language and translate it for you, this is the original Kaiensai homepage:

http://www.ryukyu-kaiensai.com/

I checked the flyer in PDF but this English-language flyer does not mention anything about ticket prices. So here is the information they put in Japanese-language festival homepage:

Advance tickets are available at a Family Mart convenience store chain till April 15.

Same-day tickets are available at the festival area under the condition that advance tickets are left.

Ticket plus Parking fee: ¥3,500 (Advance)  ¥4,000 (Same-day)

Ticket for high school students or older: ¥2,500 (Advance)   ¥3,000 (Same-day)

Ticket for elementary and middle school children: ¥1,500 (Advance)   ¥2,000 (Same-day)

No charge for pre-school children:

There are special viewing seats available with extra charge:

Special "SS" Seats (only 50 seats): above mentioned fee plus ¥7,500 (comes with roof, table and bench)

Special "S" Seats (only 70 seats): above mentioned fee plus ¥5,000 (comes with tabel and bench)

Special "A" Seats (500 seats): above mentioned fee plus ¥1,000 (comes with a cheir)

*Spectators of Special "A"  Seats will be let to the vewing area on a first-come-first-served basis.

**You need not pay for your pre-school child (younger than 1st grader) but there will be no chair for your child; you need to have your child sit on your lap.

I tried to look for any information in regards to parking lots other than the designated lot for the festival, or viewing areas that do not require festival tickets. But there is no information available. 

Okinawa Convention and Visitors Bureau also posts some information on the festival but no details in English are available: 

http://www.okinawastory.jp/en/event/event_110416_fire.html

The URLs below are just extra information not related with Kaijinsai fireworks festival:

If you are not able to visit Okinawa, you can also enjoy fireworks festival at Hous Ten Bosch:

http://english.huistenbosch.co.jp/event/summer2011.html

The winner of 2010 Hous Ten Bosch Int'l Pyrotechnician Competition:

http://www.melrosepyro.com/about_us/

Ryukyu Hanpu Tote Bags Come With Simple Design & Durability

Ryukyu Shimpo, a local newspaper in Okinawa, had an article about Okinwa-noh Kaze, saying those bags are gaining popularity in Tokyu Hands in Tokoy. This company named the brand as "Ryukyu Hanpu" with unique design concept of simplicity and durability for their product line of lifestyle goods.

Ryukyu Shimpo article here (Japanese):

http://ryukyushimpo.jp/news/storyid-175706-storytopic-4.html

I have not been to the store myself, but the shop in Naha is located near Makishi Station. (Find a Yui Rail station nearby and get off the monorail at Makishi Station from Exit 2 to come down on Saion Bridge near the station. Okinawa-Noh Kaze shop is less than 100 meter to the north from the bridge. 

Okinawa-noh Kaze homepage:  http://www.okinawa-wind.com/

(The homepage is Japanese only)

The location of their shop in Naha City (Google Map)

Although written only in Japanese, many colored photos are posted for customers. They say, the material for their bags are made of Kurashiki hanpu from Okayama Pref. This textile has been selected for its exceptionally durable quality. The indigo color used in the logo is made of Ryukyu indigo found in Okinawa.

http://www.okinawa-wind.com/shop/ryukyuhanpu.html

Take Advantage of "Bus-Mono Pass" One-Day Ticket in Naha City

The information below is what I translated from a local newspaper article. I hope this news is useful for foreign travelers who wish to explore Naha City by public transportation other than taxi.


The Okinaw Times, a local newspaper in Okinawa, wrote:


Okinawa Urban Monorail Corporation Ltd.,  and Naha Bus Corporation Ltd., jointly announced, as of April 1st, the start of selling common one-day ticket for both Yui Rail (monorail) and the bus system operated by Naha Bus. This common ticket, named as "Bus-Mono Pass,"  is usable for all the fifteen stations of Yui Rail transit system and all the fifteen bus routes run by the bus company within the city. The two companies hope this new shared transportation service will improve the convenience for users of those public transportations. A common one-day ticket costs 1,000 JPY for adults (junior high or older), and 500 JPY for 6th graders or younger. 


A one-day ticket for Yui Rail (monorail) is currently 600 JPY. Naha Bus also sells a one-day ticket which costs 630 JPY. The price of a common ticket therefore is set less expensive than buying two tickets, one for the monorail and the other for the bus system. "Bus-Mono Pass" tickets are available at each of the Yui Rail stations as well as in each of the passenger vehicles and at the office of Naha Bus. (If you want to use only the monorail system, you don't need to buy a common one-day ticket.)




I also checked the bus company's Internet site; they posted some sample images of "Bus-Mono Pass" tickets. The upper left ticket (blue ticket) is for a passenger junior high or older. The upper right ticket (orange) is for a child 6th grader or younger. 

The lower left (also blue) ticket is a sample of a discount ticket priced as 500 JPY, half the price of regular ticket for an adult. However, I could not find any information on the discount terms in any of the local newspapers or in the Internet sites of the monorail system and the bus company. I'll post the information on the discount terms on this blog as soon as I obtain it.

(I made a phone call to Naha Bus Co. Litd., about the terms for the discount. The office clerk told me that the discount rate is set for adults with disabilities. In Japanese welfare system, prefecture governments issue disabled certificates for people with disabilities. By showing the certificate, disabled adults can purchase the pass at the discount of 50%.)

The lower right is the back of the ticket. The fine print says, before you use the ticket, you have to scratch off the month and the date of usage. There are 12 numbers in the upper part of the ticket for the month, and 31 numbers printed half way down for the date. Say, if you purchase a ticket and want to use it on April 5th, you scratch off with a coin or something, first the number "4" for April (the fourth month) in the upper section of the ticket and then the number "5" for the 5th out of the 31 numbers in the lower half. The explanation in Japanese says if you scratch two numbers in the same section, the ticket will not be accepted. I'm afraid if you let your small kid do the scratch, he or she might think it's a kind of game and scratch all the numbers in the hope of winning number. As long as you are careful with which numbers to scratch off, I think this common one-day pass is a good service for both local people and travelers. 

The monorail connects Naha Air Port with Shuri Station near Shurijo Castle Park, the most visited tourist spot in Okinawa. By getting off at Makishi Station, you are at the heart of Okinawa's largest shopping district with various eateries and shops to choose from. If you are lucky enough to arrive at Naha Air Port at an early hour of the day, using this system to explore both the ancient part of Naha (Shiri disctict) and the vibrant modern shopping street (Kokusai Dori) allows you to see both the old and the new of this island prefecture in a very inexpensive way. Off course if you arrive Okinawa late at night, you can explore the city in the following day.

Okinawan Songs, An Introduction

I collected some YouTube videos featuring Okinawan songs, hoping that people who have never been to Okinawa can hear some portion of this island's music. (Okinawa was an independent kingdom up until 1879 when the kingdom nation was annexed to Japan. Okinawa, a group of many islands, is  the southernmost prefecture of Japan.)

Singer: Suguru Ikeda

Song Title: Shimanoh Hotoyo (Oh, Island People)

His song is a message to islands' people who left their home islands for lucrative life in large cities. Come back to your native island once in a while and let's take part in village festivals we enjoyed so much when we were young. Don't forget our festival songs. Never forget your native island. Oh, island people...This simple but straight message/song moves my heart.

Singer: Misako Koja

Song Title: Warabigami (My Precious Baby, A Gift From Heaven)

Misako Koja used be the leader of a quartet called "Ne-Nez" (Sisters). The first generation Ne-Nez disbanded many years ago, and currently the second generation Ne-Nez are active. Misako Koja came up with this song when she was blessed with her first grandchild. A baby is a great blessing given to a mother by heaven, the lyric begins. Maternal instinct is beautifully expressed in such a simple language. The lyrics are well-translated into English and beautifully sung by Hayley Westenra  from New Zealand (Her YouTube clip posted below). I'm glad that she decided to sing this song so that we can share the music with English-speaking people.

Singer: Hayley Westenra

Singer: Rimi Natukawa

Song Title: Hana (Flower To Everyone's Heart)

Written by: Shoukichi Kina

This song was a big hit almost 20 years ago in Japan, so it could be categorized as a classic J-pop. Where does the body of water that I see in a river travel?  Where do all Let yourself cry, and let yourself laugh. Cry and laughter are all part of your life and all too natural for us as human being...so goes the lyric. This gentle overview of human life duplicates with an image of one of the most beautiful natural phenomena, flower, a universally shared positive image which is nicely put into the English language and successfully sung by Heylay.

Singer: Hayley Westenra

Singer: Rimi Natsukawa

Song Title: Nada Sou Sou

Lyrics by: Ryoko Moriyama

Music by: BEGIN

Ryuko Moriyama is a talented Japanese jazz singer who can write clear messages. Although she is from the mainland Japan, she learned some Okinawan words through her regular visits to this southern prefecture. As she made many musician friends in Okinawa, she asked a famous Okinawan band called BEGIN to set her lyrics to music. The singer Rimi Natsukawa made many travel to BEGIN's studio, pleading them to let her sing the beautiful song. Currently, this song is sung by singers in many countries in many languages, including Hayley in English (below).

Singer: Hayley Westenra

Song Title: Nada Sou Sou (Tears For You)