Spring Break in Okinawa: Naha

So, Kristin left me and thus began my week of Spring Break '09! A woo-hoo! I had lots of idea for travel destinations. Two requirements: WARM and affordable. In the end it came down to Okinawa (the southern most islands of Japan) and the Philippines. Since none of my travel compadres had any days of nenkyu (paid leave) left to allow for the week of fun in the sun (since it was Spring Break but I was still wearing my winter coat and using a heater in good 'ol Gunma!), I was going solo. My heart was in the Philippines, but my sensible safety meter said Okinawa was the better bet. Always wanting to get 'off the beaten path', I was hoping to get down to the very very southern islands of Iriomote and Ishigaki, which are actually closer to Taiwan than Japan's main islands. But, that was far from economically sensible for the week, so Okinawa-honto (the main island) it was.

Surprisingly, I got the seclusion and lack of tourism I was hoping for on a few islands off of Naha, but the sunshine and swimming I was hoping for was hard to find. Still, a climate where I could feel my fingers and toes was a vast improvement from Maebashi.Flying into Naha.

In Okinawa, dolphins do the construction work... unlike the bears and monkeys of Gunma.

What do you do in Naha? Go shopping for all the souvenirs you're expected to bring back, of course! Kokusaidori is the main drag and is basically just store after identical store of omiyage shops. And they allll have free samples. Jackpot!

Naha's not big on major attractions and I wasn't really interested in paying the entrance fee to go to Shuri castle. So, I just rented a bike and rode around the city to get a feel for it.
Shisa are what these little lion/dog decorations are called in Japanese. It's a traditional Ryukyuan decoration from Okinawan mythology, believed to ward off evils from homes and shops.


Naha's main "beach"... great view, right? I was just excited to see blue water and sand!


Lots of parks in Naha with lots of cute old men playing Shoji.

The usual fare at the night market.

It's interesting to hear Japanese talk about the variances in Japanese culture. They often stress how different people, places, or objects are from prefecture to prefecture. When telling people I was going to Okinawa they all made 'oooohhhhh' noises and said how different Okinawa is from Gunma/Tokyo. When I got there, the differences weren't so apparent. It still felt very 'Japanese' to me. But, as time went on I did notice a definite difference in the people's dress and personalities. Much more chill. Below is another subtle, but significant difference in a Japanese instrument. Probably the most famous and culturally significant instrument on the mainland is the shamisen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamisen). I found out here, though, that these sanshin preceded the shamisen in Japan. I liked it because the face is covered in snake skin instead of cat skin.
Not too many places to 'go out' in Naha, but I did see a sign for a Harlem Bar. I had to go and even recruited a sweet Brit from the hostel to go too. We were the only two people there. It was awesome, though! Great atmosphere and we heard all the original songs that R 'n' B artists today have sampled from. Some, I didn't even know existed!

Bar #2: great bartender who served us up local food and spirits. Awamori is the drink of the region: a rice wine unlike sake because it's not a direct product of brewing and instead is distilled, like shochu. It is far from delicious, but when mixed properly it's aight.

The only 'permanent housing' I had was as I rolled through Naha and stayed at 'Guest House Kerama'. LOVED IT! Great dudes there and super friendly and comfortable vibe. I was an idiot that forgot my tent at home in the rush to get out and get Kristin and I to the airport, but these guys conveniently had their own they lent me. So lucky!
Overall, Naha is not nearly as big or crowded as I expected it to be, especially on a holiday week. Even though it's the capital, it still had a small town vibe and it wasn't too tough to get away from the tourism that is Okinawa. Great food, great people, great monorail (I am thoroughly impressed by public transport in Japan) and great starting point for Okinawan exploration.

It's Miller Time in Japan: Part Six: Kusatsu

After getting some sweet volcano lovin' at Onioshidashi Park, we headed to Kusatsu. It's Japan's #1 rated onsen town and one of my top 3 places in Japan. It's so unique! Here we are in front of the smelly 'yubatake' (source of the hot spring).


Strolling around the town, we make new friends.

That night we stayed at the oldest ryokan (Japanese inn) in Kusatsu, Nisshinkan. It was a recommendation from the Tourism board in Maebashi and it didn't disappoint. No frills, glitz, or glamor. Just a simple, cute, basic Japanese inn with kind staff, warm rooms, a very basic onsen, and (debateably) great food. This was our dinner set meal.
Contemplating whether or not she can get used to this kind of cuisine.
After dinner we got ice cream (because as filling as the meal was, we are still Americans!), talked for ages, and then took an onsen. This was Kristin's first experience with the whole public bathing thing, but since it was a pretty small inn and we didn't actually go until around 10pm, we had the whole place to ourselves. Soooo relaxing.

Breakfast the next morning was... well, not as good as dinner. Kristin pretty much cleared her dinner plates, but I cleared our breakfast plates. Apparently, fish and vegetables are unusual breakfast dishes. Her smile is so deceiving!

I love Kusatsu not only for the unique onsen town/German architecture vibe of it, but also because it's surrounded by mountains. The last few times I'd been up there it'd been warm enough to hike. There are some truly incredible hikes which I got to share with my family. This time around though, even though it was March, was still to cold and the roads to trekking paths were all closed. Kristin had never skied before in her life, but she figured she may as well add another "first" to the list. So, off we went to hit the slopes. My friend Brian (the guy in the neon yellow jacket) met us there for the fun and ended up being a way better teacher than I ever could be. He's got bigger love handles to hold onto. And an Irish accent.

Like any newbie on the slopes, strapping planks as big as yourself onto your feet and hurling yourself down an icy, bumpy hill is not the most natural feeling in the world. One might even say the experience could be frustrating and want to give up. One might be Miss Kristin Miller. BUT, one might also put pride behind oneself and realize that they're actually a bit of a natural at the whole skiing thang and maybe, just maybe, enjoy it for a few moments.

There's that smile I know and love! Could've been because we were graduating from the bunny hills and making it onto the 'big girl lifts', or it could've been the beer.

Brian and I had to take of advantage of all the lifts while we were there so we headed up to the peaks. That is when we realized THIS kind of snow existed here... Hallelujah!!!

The gorgeous view from the top.

After a long, hard, painful day of skiing the perfect remedy was a trip to the onsen. We went to a famous (but pricey) one near the center of town, known for it's variety in mineral composition, and water temperatures. It felt fannnntastic! And after warming up those wearing muscles, the next logical thing is to get some cold tap beer and sushi!


With our bellies content and our Japan adventures coming to an end, we made the trek back to Maebashi. Kristin was headed home, back to the daily grind and hard work and dedication she does at TAB glass and I was heading to Okinawa to bask in blissful lack of responsibility a liiiitle longer. We were both leaving on jet planes and heading to entirely different destinations, but our past and the week we had together will be memories we can share together forever. I can't even begin to express how great it was to have my best friend here to experience all that I love about life in Japan. It felt totally natural being with her and still as exciting and fun as expected! I will miss her physical presence a ton, but know we're only a phone call away. Plus, all of our friends except us are getting married so we will be each others dates for what will probably be a lonnng time. Miss ya, Miller!

It's Miller Time in Japan: Part 5: Volcano? Check!

Kristin loves volcanoes. I don't know exactly when or how the obsession started , but it's pretty full blown and I knew how important it was to her to see a volcano during this trip. Japan is situated along the circum-Pacific volcanic belt, so in addition to me living here (obviously the most important draw) the existence of 1/10 of the world's 840 active volcanoes was a sweet bonus.

Lucky for us, the active Mt. Asama is in Gunma. It's one of the most active volcanoes in Japan and just erupted in February! It was a big enough eruption that the entire mountain and several km surrounding area was closed off. The first eruption though was on May 9, 1783. It was a huge eruption and lava and volcanic ashes sprayed everywhere. The result was like an avalanche and the debris gathered surface water and transformed into a hot mud flow. The lava that cooled down formed Onioshidashi, the park that we went to check out.


"Oni" means devil. Awww, Kristin, you 'lil devil, you!

Ring my belllll, lllllllllll, lllllllllll, ring my bell!

Mt. Asama in all her glory!

It's Miller Time in Japan: Part 4: My Maebashi

Kristin's only requests for this trip were 1)seeing me (check!) 2) seeing big buildings in Tokyo (check!) 3) seeing my 'hometown' and schools (wait for it) 4) and seeing a volcano (wait for it!).

Since I'm extremely proud of where I live in Maebashi and all the people in it I wasn't bashful about taking Kristin anywhere and everywhere for show and tell.

One afternoon we took a nice bike ride along the Tone river, and I FINALLY got to play in this park that I've wanted to, but hadn't because I didn't want to be that creepy adult stranger talking to small sweaty children.

For dinner, going along with the "Kristin's firsts" theme, we went to Mahatma's Indian restaurant, my favorite in Maebashi. Where the nan comes hot and as big as your head!

The next day I took her to two of the schools I teach at for show and tell. The kids LOVED her and she was super entertaining. At least one student in each class asked, "How tall are you?" Sorry I don't have more pictures... I was too busy teaching. This is the teacher's room in my base school below.

That night we went to the student's home I tutor (sorry, no pictures) and then karate class. It was really cool to be doing a sport again with my 'ol tennis doubles partner and basketball mentor. A lot of karate is stretching and muscle memorization, which came really natural to her. I was amazed that she picked up on techniques that took me months to learn so quickly.

Kristin's first: okonomiyaki experience. I think I've written about okonomiyaki a million and one times on here, but in case this is the first time you're reading: okonomiyaki is a type of Japanese savory potato pancake. Sounds bizarre. Looks bizarre. Tastes delicious. I could tell she was scared... real scared. But, that didn't stop her from trying and liking? a Japanese comfort food so close to my heart.

We could order it alright, but we left the mixing and pouring up the professionals! Oh man, I love the owners here. They opened up on their day off, jussst for us.

Also, it was a mini surprise birthday for Kristin, since her b-day was in less than a week. Happy Birthday with a German chocolate and strawberry cake!

Everyone came out to celebrate!

Even my bestest friends, Tomomi and Shyooma:)

This is Mrs. Ohtani, my best 80 year old friend, ever! And like everyone that meets her, these two really hit it off.

Post Japanese okonomiyaki dinner we had to add another first with Japanese karaoke!

The boys starting it off right with some Queen. Classic.

I don't know about Kristin, but this had to be a highlight of the trip for me. So many of my best memories with her are from us going out and singing and dancing (neither of which I do well, but which she dominates). This brought it all back but in the Japanese realm. So much fun!

Oh, it shan't be long until the singing, drinking, and dancing is had again by many (with the help of the Eddie Butts Band!!!) at the Seidemann wedding of '09. I'm already counting down the days!