010: hmm. . .

I think by the end of this trip, I will have mastered my "eeehhhhhhh?", "sugoi!", "kawaii!", and "nihongo wo sukoshi wakarimasu."

:|a

009: iriomote day trip!

I'm about to sleep, so please: just enjoy the pictures for now :) I'll add explanations and stories later on. I promise they're good! For example, I almost got stuck on the island all night. . .  to be continued.

The water was actually that color.

008: to ishigaki!

After spending the entire day at Iriomote, I am way too tired to ramble (luckily for you all, no?) So have some pictures with short captions!

Leaving Guesthouse Kerama for the airport!

At Kabira, I took a bike from my guesthouse and went around for about 2 hours. It was pretty much incredible.

007: agu, shurijo, and beach!

On Saturday, I woke up very early as usual and realized something: I still hadn’t tried a proper meal at Makishi Market! This seemed a great loss to me, so I rushed out to have some breakfast. Noting how much money I had left for food, I decided to treat myself to a local specialty: agu, or black pig. Agu were originally imported from Hawaii, since the war left Okinawa a barren, charred wasteland of its former self. To this day, there are not many animals endogenous to Okinawa. That said, they have a thriving agriculture business in sugar cane, tropical fruits, sweet potatoes, etc.

Agu, or "black pig" -- Okinawan specialty! Part of a ¥1300 set. . . 

The woman who ran the restaurant I stopped at looked a bit surprised when I ordered agu so early in the morning, but the order arrived quickly (and sizzling-hot!). The meat is extremely tender, juicy, and delicious. After a few minutes, she also brought me little Japanese snacks (wasabi peas, mixed crackers) that she wanted me to eat that second. It took a little while of me smiling nervously and gesturing at my stomach to convey how full I already was, but I assured her that I would try later and gave her thanks repeatedly. She then grabbed her English-speaking assistant to translate: “She thinks you’re very beautiful, and that your Japanese isn’t too bad.” J

006: Japan 1, N. Korea 0!

Whoops! I'm a day behind. . . let's try to catch up, shall we?

On Friday morning, I made the wise decision to go sample pastries at Kokusaidori and Makishi Market. I also passed through the artsy street, Heiwadori, and admired some of the goods on display. 

However, the real treat was visiting OIST: Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology. A Caltech alumnus had visited his alma mater in the spring and told me to make some room to go visit this up and coming university, soon to be accredited to receive about 20 graduate students. They currently have strong projects in robotics, neuroscience, and genetics, but they welcome any and all scientists: their mantra is interdisciplinary, collaborative research. In fact, there are no divisions at all! All the labs are interconnected and conducive to cross-field conversations and exchanging of ideas. It doesn't hurt that the campus is gorgeous.

005: kuroshio sea!

4 bus rides (with connections) to Ocean Expo Park: ¥6000 and 6 hours.
Ticket to Churaumi Aquarium: ¥1800.
Churaumi Aquarium Experience: Priceless.

Yup, that's a whale shark! And only one of three in Kuroshio Sea.

004: "ashita kaeru." (part 2)

When I last left off, I was ready to go exploring in Naha City. . . 

Kokusaidori, literally "International Road," is a roughly 2km road that serves as the main street of Naha. Souvenir shops, restaurants, cafés, bars, department stores, boutiques, ice cream stands. . . this place has it all! I spent hours here. But here, I'll let some of the pictures do the talking:

Entrance: "Kokusaidori"