When we arrived, Kuniko met us at the entranceway in a beautiful kimono.  She asked where my other aunt was, and Mitsuko started laughing, because she said she had forgotten to get her.  My aunt Mitsuko, who we’re staying with is very eccentric, but has a big kind heart.  Still, I was a bit annoyed because while I filmed Kuniko performing this intricately beautiful tea ceremony for us, Mitsuko kept laughing throughout the entire thing because she had forgotten to get my other aunt.  It doesn’t help that her laugh is loud and kinda obnoxious.  Towards the end, my mom and her started  to act even sillier and both of them were laughing to the verge of tears.  Shish! It was cute.  I got it on all video.  Kuniko was a good sport about it, but pretty much said to me, “what are we gonna do with them?” 

After the tea ceremony, we sat down at the dining table for a multi course meal that Kuniko had cooked for us.  I was just in awe, because it was just like the multi course meals we’ve eaten at the fancy Japanese restaurants.  I took pics of all the dishes, but they looked just as pretty as they were delicious.  One of the dishes was sushi rice topped with fresh cuts of sashimi grade fish.  I’m really getting spoiled on my sushi here.  Everything was so well presented, I need to learn how to cook like that.  After dinner, more cousins showed up and we just hung around chatting.  My brother was a no show, even though he said was going to come. 

Sunday morning we met for brunch and had delicious crab legs.  yum! After brunch, my cousin Chisato, her b/f Taiki, her daughter Shion and I went to an Okinawan bull fight.  These fights are different because they bulls fight each other.  There were a total of 10 fights, and the 6th one had the bull that lives across the street from my cousins Ai and Kuniko.  I was really nervous about that fight because a couple of the previous ones ended a bit badly. 

The winner of a bullfight is the one that doesn’t end up running away.  However, if a bull takes a wrong step or tries to run away while the other one doesn’t stop….that bull may get a horn in the side…or even get lifted against the rails by the other bull…cringeworthy..yes. I think they put those bulls down since I doubt they can fight again. 

I definitely didn’t want that to happen to the local bull.  Funny enough, when the bull did come out with all its handlers, my cousin Hisashi was one of the guys in the group.  Small island, right? He didn’t do much but go sit behind the fence, but he did go grab the two bottles of sake that the winner gets after the fight, but that’s how he is anyway.  I was just happy that bull won.   I took great video of the fights, but it’s amazing when the bulls first come into the ring.  You can see the bulls are excited to fight, and they also don’t attack the humans; unlike the bulls at the rodeo that chase the clowns.

The bull fights were just amazing.  Two giant muscled animals meeting horns, and pushing each other around the ring like giant Sumo wrestles, which their handlers stood next to them and encouraged them.  You could see the intense focus in the eyes of the bulls as they looked toward their opponents and their handlers. 

One bull enters the ring first with his handler.  This bull is very excited, as he bellows out, rubs his horns on the ground then his hooves kick up dirt onto his back.  He lowers his head as if he will charge his handler, but doesn’t.  You then hear the bull’s opponent bellowing from the tunnel and suddenly that bull and his handler enter the ring.  The handlers then pull their bulls towards each other by the rope they have looped through their noses.  There’s an intense minute where the bulls stand there as if studying each other, then the sound of horns meeting echos throughout the ring, as the handlers pull the ropes off their bulls.  The bulls just push back on each other.  Sometimes a horn will cut or stab, and there is blood.  The fights ranged from 4 mins to 30 mins, untill one runs away.  Sometimes the weaker bull gets pushed against the side of the ring and doesn’t have the strength to manuever away.  One of these got pushed and then tried to run but was side when the other bull rammed into it lifting up against the fence, a horn piercing it’s side.  The loser gets walked out of the ring first, while the winner gets a banner thrown over it’s back, music plays and the handlers celebrate for a minute, then it exits the ring. 

It’s strange watching the Olympics over here.  They mostly focus on the Japanese athletes, but they also have this great program on afterwards that studies the athletes and it’s fasinating because it goes all the way to the gene level.  Even though it’s in Japanese I understand most of it.  They were able to locate the gene for those who had the potential to be the fastest sprinters.  Apparently they used to do a gene test in Australia that let you know which sports you were best engineered for, however this stopped when some new laws were made against gene discrimination. 

This weekend is my trip to Kyoto.  I’m very excited!  Tanoshimi desu!

It’s amazing still to have met, been in the same room with, exchanged bows, even breathed the same air as someone who wrote a song that has become Okinawa’s anthem of sorts and is one of the most famous Okinawan musicians ever.

After eating we went up on the sea wall and watched the waves for a bit.  I loved the smell of the salt in the air.  There was even a father and his two children fishing.  I really want to fish here! That’s something I hope I get to do.  There are lots of houses and apartments along the seawall with balconies.  I’d love to live in one and just relax outside and watch the ocean.  Another thing I want to do is go whale watching, because the whales come to breed nearby, but my mom and brother won’t go because they say it’ll be too cold and we’ll get seasick.  I really dislike the party poopers…it’s whales!!  Who cares if it’s cold. 

Anyway, It was a rather musical day yesterday.  Originally my mom, and cousins Suchiko and Kuniko were supposed to watch Kenichi Makawa’s concert.  He’s one of my mom’s favorite singers on NHK, who sings traditional Japanese songs.  The interesting thing about him is that is a crossdresser.  He wears elaborate kimonos, outfits and makeup; pretty much a drag queen who sings really well.  Anyway, Kuniko ended up being too busy to go and gave me her ticket to go enjoy myself.  I figured why not, I knew who this guy was and it would be fun.   His target audience is mostly older women no younger than 50, I would say. His outfits were expensive and he paraded around the stage showing them off as you’d expect from a drag queen.  He even had funny monologues.  The concert was in a medium sized banquet hall of a hotel, so it was rather intimate, that he walked through the crowd to shake everyone’s hand.  That was surprising, and it made my mom’s day to shake his hand. I have to say, I was happy to shake his hand too, since I see the guy on tv often.  It was funny to see all the old ladies get so excited as he made his way down the aisles. 

After the bus ride home, we headed over to Suchiko’s house where her daughter’s (my cousins) Chisato and Yui had prepared this amazing sushi dinner for everyone.  I took pictures.  You can’t get fish this fresh at home, otherwise I’d make sushi for my friends and myself at home.  However, we had shrimp, shell fish, tuna, salmon, scallop, octopus, red snapper sushi.  So delicious! I’m in sushi heaven, being able to get restarant quality sushi at home.  I was very much appreciative. 

Then Yui showed me her contacts that make her irises look larger.  It’s almost anime-like, but it does make her eyes stand out more.  Large eyes are one of the markers for beauty here, just like blonde hair is at home. 

My brother was supposed to have taken this week off to be my chaffeur.  His words, which he spoke when I first arrived, however I’ve not been able to see him untill lunch today, and I felt like I had to pull teeth to get him there.  He’s either been ill with some stomach bug, had salsa rehearsal, had to make cupcakes with his girlfriend, take a friend to the airport, or I had to go to the concert yesterday.  Even tomorrow, he’s busy, since he has to get ready for Valentine’s Day….whatever that means.  It’s been annoying, but I guess I should have expected it; it is my brother, after all. 

Today he wanted to take me to a place that served American breakfast, but I didn’t want American breakfast in Japan.  I told him that I wanted to go to this place for lunch, but he said he wanted to play basketball at that time.  Finally got him to go to lunch, but he was in such a foul mood he said he was feeling sick and wanted to go sleep.  So much for that….

I’m going to see a bull fight on Sunday with Chisato.  I’m pretty excited.  This isn’t the Spanish version where there’s a bullfighter and a bull.  This is the bloodsport variety where two ginormous bulls go at it on each other.  Should be bloody exciting!!  ;o)  Also, on Saturday, my cousin Kuniko has invited me to watch her perform the tea ceremony at her house. I’m looking forward to that as well.  You have to take certain classes to perform the tea ceremony, since it’s such an intricate and beautiful ceremony. 

Well, here’s to not letting my brother get me down in beautiful Okinawa.  Mata ne?

The first place we went was to eat at the Terrace Four Seasons hotel.  You pick a main dish from the menu and the salad, appetizers and desserts are set out buffet style  in the front of the dining room.  I love Japanese salad dressings, my current favorite being a sesame dressing with hints of ponzu.  Anyway, there was a variety of cheeses, breads, salad makings, quiche, variety of Japanese cold seafood salads and little pizzas.  Now the pizzas had my favorite Japanese pizza topping ever; CORN!!  Japan and BJ’s in the states, are the only places I’ve found that serve corn on their pizza and I love it. 

For their main dishes my mom and Suchiko picked Abalone, while Chisato and I picked sirloin steak.  My sirloin steak was comprised of 4 large tender cuts of medium steak on top a foie gras potato croquette with some sort of sauce reduction decorating the plate.  It was my first time having foie gras, in any form.  Not sure how I feel about it, since I find it cruel for the poor ducks, but I just wasn’t a fan of the main course.   It was okay.  I think with the myriad of awesome food Japan has to offer, and being from Texas where I’ve had fantastic steak, I know that the steak could have been better.  Even Chisato thought the steak she had at Chili’s was better. (There’s a Chili’s now on one of the bases so my brother took her and her brother Katsuma there, so they could have steak.  (There’s even a Macaroni Grill on another of the bases.))

The dessert was another story.  They had bread pudding, creme brulee, coffee gelee, strawberry cake, passion fruit cake, home made ice cream, almond tofu, and cookies.  I stuck to the strawberry cake and passion fruit cake.  I love how they make little individual cake slices.  These aren’t the huge cake slices from home.  These are cute and wrapped with care.  I wish I could post pictures.  However, they’re small enough to leave room for more desserts or just for the sensible eater. 

Anyway, after we had our fill on lunch we headed over to the DTS Galleria.  It’s basically a gigantic mall full or upscale designer goods that you are able to buy duty-free.  (tax free)  People stop in to buy the goods, they pay, and then the products will be waiting for them at the airport for them to pick up before their flight.  It’s really neat, since the airport can only hold so many stores, and here you have a giant mall full of goods you can buy.  Lots of people come from the mainland, just to buy designer goods tax-free then fly back to Japan.  Now while it was fun looking at Louis, Chanel, Coach (yes I took pictures), Tiffany & Prada; my cousins, mom and I only bought a few things from the Chanel makeup counter.  I bought this cute lipgloss, my mom bought some lipstick and my cousins bought some lipsticks as well.   I can’t wait till my trip so I can get my lipgloss in my hands,  shopping duty free before a trip does nothing for instant gratification. 

After there, we headed to a regular large mall, called Senye.  The mall here is different that it just has different sections for clothes.  The stores aren’t really seperated like they are in the States.  While you walk into one store, then out, then walk down the hall and walk in another store in the States.  It’s more like walk across the aisle and you’re in the men’s section, walk across the aisle and you’re in shoes.  The mall is more like a giant department store; think a large 4-story Kohl’s but more awesome.  All the malls have a grocery store on the bottom level, so it’s always fun to head down there to look at things. 

On this shopping trip, I bought some long underwear to keep me warm on our trip to Kyoto, since it’s snowing there.  I also bought this cute white hat.  I’ve always bought a purple knit cap, gloves and coat here, on a previous shopping trip.  All are so cute in their Japanese way, I’m sure I’ll take lots of pictures in Kyoto.

Fashion here is very different from the states.  Since Asian women aren’t very well endowed and are very tiny; there is little focus on the cleavage line, so shirts and dresses are cut high and girls clothing has a layered style to it.   Buying shoes here is different as well.  The shoes come in S, M, and L.  I tried on a M size and it was doable but slightly too small, and the L was slightly too big.  I guess you are SOL if you’re in between?

If you try on clothes, they have invidual fitting rooms at various places, and they’re usually set up from the floor a couple inches, so there’s a step up to get into one and you have to take your shoes off before going into one.  So in order to try on clothes, you slip off your shoes, step up into the booth close the door, and try on your clothes.  They sometimes  have a paper from a sort of tissue box thing to put over your face, so make up doesn’t get on the clothes you try.   I think that is an awesome idea, since how many time is there a white shirt you want to buy, but someone’s put their yucky brown foundation all over the neckline of it?

The traffic was already congested when we were done at the mall.  It’s interesting to see business women and men on scooters, but it’s the quickest way to get around.  At stop lights, the scooters buzz by the cars to get to the front of cars at the intersection, instead of waiting behind a car.  Chisato says that even when it rains, the business people will  probably still ride their scooters to work, and wear a rain coat, since it is faster. 

We got lost on the way back to the highway.  My mom was supposed to know where to go, but gave Chisato (who was driving) the wrong directions.  Suchiko was trying to help with the directions too but we then got more lost.  I told Chisato, that my mom was horrible at directions in the states, and she exclaimed her mom is bad at directions too.  We laughed.  Somehow we ended up at the highway and then it was an hour and 15 mins to get home.

We had a thunderstorm here last night.  My brother says it rarely ever happens.  I told him I bought a little Texas to Okinawa for him.  We were supposed to play tennis this morning, but he caught some stomach flu that has him puking and such.  Hope I don’t catch it from him. 

I have yet to walk on the beach.  Even if its cold I want to feel the sand between my toes and the salt water beating against my legs.  Soon, I hope.

Well mata ne?

I definitely have always wanted to get married here.  The Japanese weddings are beautiful. 

The Japanese love their flowers.  There are flowers everywhere. New flower arrangements set up everyday in hotels, shops and stores.  There is a true appreciation for them, like artwork; people stop to look and talk about the colors and forms.  I saw some of the biggest orchids I’ve ever seen today.  Orchids are everywhere. 

 Orchids are notoriously tough to care for.  I bought some Whole Foods, many moons ago and took care of them, just as instructed, but they still died.  My mom’s, however, are still alive. 

Anyway, gots to go…mata ne?

Yesterday I went and had yaki niku with my cousins; Chisato, Yuka, Ai and her daughter Anri. It was my first time seeing Yuka yesterday, while I’d seen Chisato and Ai last week, since they  live closer. 

Yuka works in microbiology at the hospital, looking at cancer cells.  Apparently she’s been so busy that Ai and Chisato hadn’t seen her in a year.  She lives in Naha, which is about the distance Dallas is from Ft. Worth. 

I wish I could post pictures, but the internet connection is utter crap and stalls out. 

Yaki niku was delicious.  It’s almost like Korean bbq, but the meat isn’t marinated before cooking it on teh charcoal grill.  You dip the cooked meat into a sweet soy sauce right before eating. 

Later that night we all got together again to go to an izekaya to eat and drink.  The big event was that my brother was going to meet up with us and bring his girlfriend that everyone has been talking about.  Katsuma, Chisato’s brother also joined us. 

I’ve decided that this trip is about trying new things, so I tried a new drink called a chu hai.  Its basically a sake cocktail with juice.  I had ume chu hais, peach chu hais, and grapefruit chu hais.  Pretty tasty stuff.  I also tried a yuzu liquor on ice.  Yum!  Lots of food was ordered…from sashimi, to filleted fish, to french fries, gyoza, seaweed salad, and then there was the pig tongue. 

Katsuma had ordered it because he thought it looked good from the picture on the menu, however it looked completely different, in person.  Well, he passed it around the table for everyone to try, and I was going to pass it up, but then decided, ” why the hell not.”  I took my chopsticks and reached tenderly for a rectangular piece of the dark, liver-looking chunk of cooked meat and paused briefly, as my brother lectured me on tongue being a muscle just like all the other meat I eat from a cow, and how it’s not going to be any different.  The smell of it was different, however, and I turned my head away to gag at both the smell and his lecture. Before I could change my mind I popped it into my mouth and chewed the very very tender meat.  I tried not to remember that fact that the thing I was chewing on was helping a pig slop of a disgusting mess of slew a couple days before, but it was all too late and as I gagged a bit, and tried to chew it as fast as I could but the meat was just not going to break down fast enough.  I didn’t end up spitting it out, but I did make a bunch of agonizing faces until I finally got it down and was able to take a swig of water.

After the izekaya, we went to go do karaoke.  Our karaoke room came complete with a little shiny disco ball.  My brother chose a bunch of Matchbox 20 songs.  I sang a little Lady Gaga, then my brother sang Fly Me to The Moon and Yuka was so impressed she got up and started dancing.  Lots of Japanese songs were belted out.  I was impressed with everyone’s singing ability, but then again this is a musical family so it’s in the genes.

It’s been rainy and chilly here, but nothing as cold as back in Texas, I’m sure. 

Oh! I’m going to get to go see the mainland!  I’m going on a 3 day tour of Kyoto!!  I’ll see a castle and a shrine or two….I’m super excited.  It’ll be with my mom and a couple of my older cousins.  Tanshimi dasho! =)

Well the flights were long, but not crowded so everyone on the plane could spread out.  I had a seat empty next to me on both flights.  It was nice not having someone breathing on my or in my elbow space. 

It was a 14 hour flight to Narita (Tokyo) then a 4 hour layover.  There was an issue with the cargo door not closing before the flight took off, then there was an issue with the cargo door opening after we landed.  So those were little delays…thank God that nothing more major was wrong with the plane.  Anyway, next was the 4 hour flight to Japan.  It was night time then and it was pretty to see the city lights of the mainland against the blackness of the ocean.

My brother picked me up from the airport and took me to an izekaya.  Basically a bar with food better than the bar-food in the states.  He introduced me to this sake called awamori.  You pour it over ice, then pour water over it, then mix.  It’s super strong.  I have to see if I can bring a bottle back with me.  It might be illegal like abstinthe, but more research has to be done on my part.

I didn’t really sleep much on the plane rides.  I passed out two hours into the flight to Okinawa and awoke 10 mins before landing…that was a nice surprise.

It’s surreal being in Japan.  There’s a part of me that feels like I never left, but I think that’s how it is with family and close friends.  No matter how long you haven’t talked or seen them; you just pick up from where you left off.  Still, ten years is a long time.   My cousins who are my age are married and have had at least one baby.  We were talking  yesterday and they realized that it was the first time that I’ve seen their daughters, who are super cute btw.  

The food here is amazing.  The cherry blossoms are blooming.  I’ve been to the aquarium here, and pineapple park.  I should note that everyone is tiny here.  I’m at least a head taller than the all the women, and they’re all stick thin, so I feel like an ogre.  Still, I’m having a great time.

Let’s cross my fingers that I don’t forget something important.  I’ve already had glimpses of being at the airport and realizing my passport is still at home.  How troublesome would that be?

Pray for a safe trip to Japan and that it’ll be a good one without much of the things I’ve been stressing and worrying over.