Okinawa (Naha) Japan

Naha is the capital and largest city of the island Okinawa with a population of 1,457,000. The island is the southernmost Japanese prefecture (state) of Japan which lies 400 miles south of Kyushu and is only 66 miles long and 7 miles wide. It is known for its tropical, humid climate, broad beaches and coral reefs, as well, of course, as a World War II invasion site.
Our first stop on the 4.5 hour excursion for today was at the UNESCO World Heritage site, Shuri Castle, the residence of the Ryukyu Royal family for more than 400 years. It’s surrounded by tall, curved walls of intricately, cut and placed limestone blocks. The bright red castle is a mixture of both Japanese and Chinese architectural styles. The Shureimon gate, the entrance to the castle is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and has become a symbol of Okinawa.
There were well over 100 steps with a higher rise than normal, which made walking strenuous.
The original nine facilities of the castle, including the Seiden (main structure) were burned down by a fire on Oct.31st, 2019. As a result, we could not see the actual castle but along the way, there were big picture boards surrounding the reconstruction area showing what the building would look like when it was finished. There were windows to look through to see the construction progress. When we got to the ticket office, there was a live, colourful cultural show but due to time, we couldn’t watch for more than a few minutes. The pathway eventually led to a high observation area where we could take pictures of the impressive landscape below. From there, we returned to the bus.
Our next stop was at the Shinkiba-en gardens. Shikinaen contains many architectural and design elements borrowed from both Japan and China. Shikinaen is a circuit garden, a traditional Japanese layout centered on a pond. The pond is fed by a spring known as Ikutokusen, enclosed by low, curved walls of coral limestone. Two stone monuments near the spring are engraved with commemorative messages from two envoys from China. A Chinese-style arched bridge crosses over the pond, and a smaller bridge leads to the Rokkakudo, a hexagonal, Chinese-style pavilion. The Udun, a statehouse with a traditional red-tiled roof, is on the opposite side of the pond. We walked, often over uneven and winding pathways, through a very pretty setting towards a central pond fed by crystal clear mountain springs. Our guide said the paths were curved because evil spirits can only go in the straight lines. Another passenger beside me said I wonder who made that up so I asked Mr. Google and here is what I found. The idea that evil spirits can only travel in straight lines is a myth in Japanese culture. The fact is that zig-zag paths and bridges are often featured in Japanese gardens simply because they are attractive and fun to walk over.
The final stop for the day was free time on the Kokusai-dori boulevard, Naha's main street, lined with fashionable shops that carried a huge variety of merchandise. Before setting out on our own, we found a washroom in a modern department store and in the process discovered a very nice restaurant. We pointed at the pictures on the lunch menu that we wanted and it was another lovely adventure into Japanese cuisine.
Before heading back to the street, we wandered through the store and Lee found a pleated skirt which she bought to compliment the beautiful leather jacket that Rob and Karen gave Lee when we were visiting with them in Victoria. Just after walking out of the department store, we saw an extremely busy, caged in dog play area, combined with a veterinarian clinic. Once we were on the streets, they were, as described to us by our guide, full of colourful, but largely touristy products. Because today was a National Cultural Day holiday it was quite busy on the street even though the street was totally closed off to traffic which made browsing much safer. We finally made our way back to the shuttle bus that took us back to the ship and enjoyed some lovely time by the pool.
At 5:00pm the captain made an unexpected announcement over the PA system. Because of a typhoon approaching Taiwan, which was to be part of our 2 next stops, we would encounter waves of over 35 feet. It was decided that it was unsafe to continue to Taiwan and we were told that at 6 o’clock we would head out for a two-day, open water cruise to Hong Kong. The weather during this trip was promised to be sunny and warm with smooth seas. We were disappointed in not going to see Taiwan, but we were relieved to be spared the waves, having toughed through 30 foot waves the day before.
At 6:00pm, the captain held his thank you cocktail party for returning passengers and honoured those with particularly long stays on Regent Cruises. There were two people who, over the years, had accumulated over 900 days each at sea on Regent cruises!!
For dinner we went to the Compass Rose restaurant and, at a shared table, endured boring conversations with a former chiropractor. I had a hard time finding topics of common interest because when I asked him what his hobbies were and what he did after retirement, he said he didn’t have any.
The show tonight was over the top fantastic with dancing and singing, representing countries from all over the world. The talent is extraordinary. After that, we wandered about looking for dance opportunities and found one in the observation deck lounge, had one dance to Lady in Red and called it a day.Weiterlesen