Station Hotel Makishi Naha

... learn in person!). Each plant only produces one pineapple and it takes around 2 years for the fruit to ripen. No wonder it's difficult to compete with low-cost producers! I also did not realize that there were so many applications for pineapple -- from cakes, to wine, to vinegar. For those of you that have been to Hawaii, this is probably not a revelation. For me though, it was interesting.

Today is our last day in Okinawa and it is with mixed emotions that we leave ...

... was only completed during the early 1990's. This was another interesting spot to take in. Okinawa was for centuries influenced by both China and Japan. Before becoming a vassal of feudal Japan, Okinawa was largely a vassal of Imperial China. The influence of both cultures can be seen in the castle -- there is definitely lots of Chinese influence here from the layout to the colours.

The Gyokusendo Cave was another stop along the way. Unfortunately I don't ...

... this though, I probably would not have noticed this at all -- the signs that this prefecture is a bit behind others are subtle. A shabby building here, some litter in a river there -- things that one tends not to see to such a degree in other parts of the country. Nonetheless, this is quite a nice place and definitely a sub-tropical paradise.

We will definitely see a lot more of rural Okinawa over ...

... did all of our shopping in fast forward. On our way home, we stopped at the military exchange, the small American-style mall on base. My mom and I went inside to buy silk robes, like the one Julia gave me for Christmas. We also got books for our respective plane rides, and then went to dinner at Macaroni Grill nearby. It was absolutely delicious, and Riley was very funny. While Julia packed at home, my mom and I took Riley ...

... from the Chinese Fu dogs. They are a pair or lion-like dogs that sit on top of houses or in front of them. The one on the left, the female, has its mouth shut to keep in all of the good things. The one on the right, the male, is roaring to scare away the bad. Shisa dogs are everywhere; many of my souvenirs are shisa-themed.

After walking through the village, we made a pitstop at the Oceanic Cultures Museum, which ...

On Friday, I woke up on the couch at around 6 am when Riley woke up, but was way too tired to get up, so I went back to sleep. My mom tried to rouse me to watch Riley's last swim lesson, and later to go work out, but it was impossible. When I finally did wake up, the sky had turned ominous, but it didn't matter because our only scheduled event was pedicures. Julia had booked us appointments at Cocok's (pronounced Coco's), where we were to get foot massages as well. I was nervous ...

... through the sports section, through a giant kids section, and into a cruise terminal, without finding the place we first explored the day before. We had to leave the mall and walk around the exterior to get our bearings, and by that time I had about 20 minutes to shop before I had to head home. Nat and I said our goodbyes, and I hit the road. It instantaneously started raining when I stepped outside, and I managed to get good ...

... and a World Heritage Site recognized by UNESCO. The garden had some Okinawan tastes and it was more like Japanese garden than Chinese one. There were twin limestone bridges on the pond: one bridge on the pond was interestingly rock-made and the other bridge was beautifully stone-made, which may have some meaning I don't know. Finally, I encountered Deigo, the Okinawan prefectural flower blowing in the spring. Usually I am not ...

bienvenue en amerique. Naha , capitale de okinawa, ne ressemble a rien a une ville japonnaise, excepte pour son marcher de poisson frais. Ici, c'est le festival des chemises a motif fleurit, des kiosques de souvenirs tipique du sud avec des coliers jamaicain et d'autre fait de de coquillages. L'armee americaine a elu son camp de base japonais a okinawa, il parait que c'est un ...

... because a few hours later I found his friend. But he is little too. So I am letting them keep me company until they A- get big and I notice them pooping and making noise or B- well I don't really have a choice because the little ***** are damn fast! His friends name is Pepe incase you were wondering. Yes, they are Hispanic geckos- they can't be Japanese because then we would really have problems communicating. Hmm....I was just thinking that I don't care where they ...