Where in the World are Dave and Elizabeth?

  We followed our sea day schedule today.  We entered the Kanmon Straits about 4:00 PM, and the cruise director narrated via loud speaker all of the famous points.  Dave and I went outside to take pictures, but missed most of her talk. Commercial ships use the Straits as a cut through from Korea and China to Osaka or Tokyo. We passed through it on our way to Fukuoko and, ultimately (March 7), to Shanghai, China.  We have been warned not to use our phones or other devices in China. Not only is there a danger of interference, many common apps, like Google or Instagram, won’t work there. Once we arrive in Hong Kong on the 16th, we should be able to communicate again.  Sayonara

Look who got his haircut at a Japanese barber shop! While I waited, I was the only woman in this very male space, and Dave and I were the only foreigners.  Dave and the barbers tried hard to communicate though the barbers knew no English and Dave knew no Japanese.  Luckily, another patron spoke both languages and bridged the gap.  Before cooking We wandered around and wound up at a cozy Kobe beef restaurant. The chef and staff were great, and the food was beyond delicious.   After running a couple of errands in the shopping district, we decided to walk back to the ship rather than riding the monorail. We wanted to see more of the city on foot. Along the way, we ran into some kind of protest? Parade?  If you read Japanese, we would love to know what the signs say. Two women on a car drove ahead of the crowd and spoke slogans through a megaphone. Police came along beside the unhappy looking line of people and made sure that the protestors and traffic were orderly....

Our first stop was the Imperial Palace, a compound of buildings and gardens built around old castle ruins.  The current emporer lives there, along with his family. No, he didn’t invite us in for tea. 😆 The next stop was a Buddhist temple compound.  Here is where you buy your fortune.  If your fortune is a bad one, you tie it to this rack — I suppose so that some one can pray for better things on your behalf,  The air all around and in the buildings was scented with incense.  It took me right back to World Bazaar in Atlanta when I was in seventh grade or so.  There were many little shrines in the grounds like this one.  If a mother loses her first child, she will come to One of these to pray to the Buddha.  If it is winter, she will clothe the statue with something warm.  This is thanks in return for the prayer, but also demonstrating motherly concern for her late child.  The grounds let out in a pedestrian shopping area that spans sever...

Across the enormous, beautiful Pacific, there is a shadow, and that is the effects of WWII.  Dave and I took a taxi about 40 minutes from Naha to the Okinawa Perfectual Peace Memorial Museum, where the names of the 200,000 people who died in the bombing of Okinawa are etched in granite.  There is no way I can show by photo how huge the memorial is. Of course, it made me think of the Vietnam Memorial in DC.  It was only in the 60’s today, and it was misty and cloudy.  That only added to the serious ambiance.   Inside, we learned of the horrendous suffering of the Okinawan people.  The exhibit traced the beginnings of the conflict in Asia and the Pacific, and gave a brief history of the Japanese domination of the original Ryukyu kingdom of the Okinawan islands in the 1870’s. Thereafter, the Okinawans were propelled through Japanese conflicts in Asia toward the events of WWII and its aftermath.  The things that happened are too many and too sad to blog ab...

 Happy Emperor’s Birthday Weekend!  We were welcomed by a group doing a lower energy form of the  Yosakoi dance. Emperor Naruhito was born February 23, 1960.  He turns a year older today, and Japan is celebrating with a three day national holiday.  Two things I didn't know about Japan, but probably should have, are that 1) The Japanese drive on the left hand side, a la the Brits.  2) Okinawa, itself, consists of 160 islands!  We boarded a cheerful red bus for a 45 minute drive across Igishaki Island. This was after the long immigration process for Japan, which included checking our fingerprints.  Apparently, neither Dave nor I are wanted by Interpol or anything like that. 😆 Our destination was Kabira Bay.  Kabira Bay is known for its black pearl production.  Despite its gorgeous golden white sand and beautiful water, you are not allowed to swim there for fear that you would interfere with the pearl production. Also, there are strong cur...