T-shirt wearing day

Date: Monday 30^th December 2013

MP3 track of the day: The Sun has got his hat on - Ambrose & his orchestra

Weather: Cloudy in Ishigaki; sunny in Naha.

I woke up at 6am and was ready to leave by 6:45am. As I had mentioned yesterday, I booked a taxi and, within a flash, a man who was way too happy for 6:50am beckoned me into his cab. He asked where I wanted to go and I told him. Within seconds we were off into the night.

Though out the trip this 'happy' taxi driver kept chatting to me about all sorts. My attention was split evenly between him, and the meter (plus road signs indicating how far the airport was). Doing some reasonable mathematics, I worked out that the trip shouldn't cost more than 3,000 Yen and, given the 'short cuts' we seem to be taking (at one point, I thought we were going to drive through a sugar cane field), I felt as though we should be at the airport in no time. At one point during the trip, I saw the airport from an elevated position; due to still being dark, the runway was lit up like a Christmas tree. The driver stopped and asked, no told me to take a photo. I agreed that the airport did indeed look beautiful however, with this level of light, I knew the photo wouldn't come out well. Still I took a photo so that the taxi driver could hear my camera's shutter close and, with that, he seemed content to drive on.

We arrived at the airport shortly after 7am where I gave the driver 2,800 Yen (£20) and thanked him. In return he smiled and wished me a safe trip.

Now you know when you've arrived a 'tad' too early to an airport when you, and the cleaner, are the only ones there. I sat down looking at my flights check-in desk which, unbeknown to me at the time, wouldn't open for another hour (just in time for the bus to arrive). I therefore sat down, ate chocolate and watched the cleaning lady go over the same area over, and over again. Either she was a perfectionist, or her 'area of cleaning' was the smallest area known to man. Either way she cleaned it with an array of cleaning tools.

Once the check-in desk opened, I checked-in and proceeded to the waiting lounge. I didn't have to wait long and soon I boarded my flight. On-board was a beautiful flight attendant and, luckily for me, she was the 'designated English speaker'. I therefore made more inquiries than anyone has ever made in the history of passenger aviation travel (I really need to learn the Japanese for: 'doing anything tonight?').

I had a window seat and, though the flight was empty, both seats next to me were occupied by a man and his wife. My lovely cabin attendant came past and said that some of us could move to the plethora of empty rows in front of us. The man told his wife to move and then he remained to chat to me … until he fell asleep. As the plane pulled out of it's 'lot', I looked out of the window to see the ground crew lined up and standing to attention. As we rolled past they all bowed, and then waved us off. I waved back, having never witnessed this 'act' before, wondering if it was a good sign.

Once we had taken off I started to read my book keeping one eye on where the cabin attendant was. She soon came around with drinks and I had whatever she was offering (I have no idea what it was, but it was nice). I then continued to read my book, with my tray down, until an announcement came over the speaker saying that the plane expected some shaking. I, of course, did not understand the announcement but my friendly cabin attendant translated for me and put my tray away. I said her English was excellent, which is always a winner over here.

I soon peered out of my window and noticed that we were very low indeed. I hoped that there wasn't a problem because, it was way too early for my flight to land. Maybe the flight was calling into Miyako-jima. In fact we were just about land at Naha but I couldn't work it out; it had taken forty minutes to get to Miyako-jima, and another forty to get to Ishigaki-jima and, here we were, forty-five minutes into the flight and we were landing. I checked my flight ticket and yes, forty-five minutes was the flight time. I therefore found myself back on the main Okinawan island at 9:45am.

I don't think I'll ever get used to just how fast 'domestic arrival' procedures are but, once I'd said thank you to my cabin attendant, I picked up my holdall luggage and walked straight out of the door and onto the monorail heading towards the hostel I'd stayed in a week ago.

I arrived at around 10:30am, put my bags within my dorm and checked the internet. Within half an hour I was back on the streets armed with my camera and a coat. I intended to spend the day walking around and getting lost however, my first 'port-of-call' was Naha's market. On the way I went into the largest bookstore on the island to discover that they only had one 'Okinawa photo book' (which was the same one I'd bought yesterday).

Once at the entrance to Naha's market I wasted no time at all and dived straight into a hive of activity. The market was made up of a labyrinth of individual streets all enclosed with a large plastic roof. Within the centre was a food market which I will get to later. First though, I walked around the outer-streets peering into the many tourist shops which lined each side of each street. Sure there were other shops (restaurants, supermarkets and such) but tourist shops outnumbered the others 4:1. It was here that I bought a few more gifts as I walked this way and that, viewing many different kinds of garments and 'tack'. After thirty minutes I was sure that, if you wanted something that didn't have a useful purpose, it would be sold here.

After looking around every side street, I forced my way through the crowds and into the food market. There was the usual Japanese fish market however, I'd come to see the pork market. Okinawan's love pork (when the American's arrived to occupy Okinawa after WW2, spam became an instant hit with the locals) and here you can buy every part of the pig; the organs, the trotters … even the head. It was all being sold and quickly by the look of it. I watched as the stall workers cut meat to the purchasers requirements before putting it in a bag. I took a few photos when I could however, the place was so crowded I didn't stay long. With all that pork on sale, I then headed to McDonalds for lunch where I ate beef and chicken.

After lunch I went back through the market and out the other side. The reason for this was because, on the other side of the market, was an area of town where old kilns and workshops are still in operation making the pottery I'd seen dotted around the Okinawan prefecture. When I arrived within the area however, you couldn't really tell that the buildings were kilns or workshops; to me, they looked like old Okinawan houses. They were made of wood and had sliding doors; the roof was tiled and inside were home-made goods for sale. I didn't spend long within this area as, frankly, it consisted of a street.

Once at the end of said street I found myself on a main road. I headed south along said main road which would eventually lead me to Naha's bus station and the southern part of town. Along the way I took photos of this, that and the other enjoying the sun that had now made an appearance (though I wasn't enjoying holding my coat).

The walk to the bus station had been uneventful, but fun. Lost within my music and photography, I'd stopped every-so-often to take a snap or two. Once at the bus station I headed back north though this time, I followed the river which split the city in two and had the monorail line running above it.

I soon found myself back at the monorail stop for my hostel. My plan was to keep going north, following the river, until I came to the main street. I would then walk down the main road towards the market to complete my walk around Naha however, first I went into my hostel to drop my coat off. Once I resumed walking I found the north of the city to be the same as the south though, maybe the 'high rising' buildings weren't quite as grand. Once back on the main street I was bombarded with more tourist shops, restaurants and bright illuminated signs pointing to eventing possible. I walked down said street trying to improve my tan before stopping for an ice cream at Mcdonalds. Once eaten I realised that I'd seen all that I wanted to see. Overall Naha is a mess of high rise hotels, government offices and apartments mixed in with a horde of tourist shops selling 'tack' and biscuits with 'Okinawa' written on them. To say that Naha isn't my most favourite place in the world would be an understatement. It's not that I don't like it; it's just that it hasn't got that 'family feel' the smaller islands are absorbed by. I therefore bought a mountain of 'omiyagi' (biscuits / cakes for work colleagues to you and me) for my work colleagues at school, before heading back to my hostel at 4pm.

Once at the hostel I wrote this blog, uploaded my photos and put my expensive 'omiyagi' within a locker, which I had to give a 1,000 Yen deposit to use. Annoying the staff here don't start work until 9am; I have to leave tomorrow at 8am and so I have to hand back the locker key tonight and pray my biscuits don't get stolen during the night. After that I headed out for something to eat before getting an early night.

So tomorrow I leave Okinawa for Tokyo. I wonder if I'll notice the temperature difference.

Toodle Pip!

You can't drive in Okinawa

Date: Monday 23^rd December 2013

MP3 track of the day: Driving home for Christmas -Chris Rea

Weather: Cloudy but warm; t-shirt and shorts weather.

I woke up at around 6am and got ready quickly. I wasn't planning on leaving my hotel quickly, I wanted to update my blog and upload my photos from yesterday. Having uploaded my photos and having finished – but not uploaded – my blogs I checked the time to see that it was 8:30am. I therefore got out of my seat and headed towards the breakfast room for my free Japanese breakfast.

As I approached the breakfast room I noticed that there was a 'breakfast board' with prices on. After inquiring with the first waiter I saw, I soon discovered that breakfast was not free; infact it was over £10! A quick U-turn later and I was soon back in my hotel room packing. I finally checked-out, put my bags within my car and left the hotel, at around 9am, heading for my first destination of the day; Ocean Expo park.

Including a brief stop at a convenience store for breakfast, I found myself at the gates to the park at around 10am. The bizzare thing was, that it didn't cost anything to enter the park itself; you only paid when you did certain activities (for example: visiting the aquarium). This meant that it's grounds, which included a reconstructed ancient Okinawan village, rose gardens and beaches (as the park was situated right along the coast) were all free to walk around. Due to this I decided to walk around the Expo Park in a clockwise direction starting with the village and ending with the aquarium.

The reconstructed village was tiny but interesting. It reminded me of Tono's reconstructed villages due to the buildings being open for view and 'old people' waiting inside to fill you with Okinawan history … in Japanese ofcourse. The buldings themselves were not at all like the buldings within the Tono village and instead, held a closer resemblance to the buildings I saw on the islands of fiji; the roofs were made of thatch and the sides of the building were either stone or woven weed. I enjoyed roaming around this mock village freely however, it all felt a little 'too free'; since leaving the entrance gate I hadn't seen another sole. This continued through the rose gardens (which were beautiful) and the coastal walkways which went along the coast allowing me to take photos of the rocky outcrops, the beaches and the water as they merged together. These three parts made up the parks southern third which meant that I was back in the central area just before 11am. Once there I discovered where all the people had gone; they were all sitting within an open air performance area looking at a large tank of water waiting for a dolphin show to start (which started at 11am). After I dscovered that the show was twenty minutes long and free, I climbed up towards the back of the performance area and stood waiting for the show.

Now, I would lie if I told you that I didn't find the show entertaining. Four dolphins (and 2 larger fish 'things') performed a mixture of tricks including synicronised jumping, summer salts and back flips. My favourite was when the animals dived deep into the tank only to propel themselves into the air, doing a back flip before hitting a ball (with it's rear fin) dangling from a huge height above the tank. However, I'm sure you know what I'm going to say. Is it right to treat these animals in this way; are they suffering just for our enjoyment? They seemed genuinely happy, healthly and well looked after but, who really knows whats going on in their heads. I couldn't help thinking that humans wouldn't be treated like this and so why should animals; it was this thought which prevented a huge smile being projected upon my face each time they successfully performed one of their tricks.

After the show had ended I battled my way through the crowds and past the turtle enclosures to the north end of the park. Most of this part was either under construction or under repair however the beaches were still open, though a stange path had to be taken which went past the biggest building, being constructed, which I'd ever seen. I have no idea what this building will be for however, whatever it is it'll be big.

The beach had beautiful white sand, parm trees and a beautiful light-blue sea gently splashing upon the shore. I didn't spend long here as the beach wasn't that big; I took a few photos before proceeding back the way I'd come to a rest point where I bought a coke and took in the view. Like I said the Ocean Expo Park is built along the shore line; this means that the view was a panoramic one of white sandy beaches and calm light-blue seas. There was a beautiful small island in view too; it had a beautiful mountain right in the centre but sadly, the islands perimeter had been heavily developed.

Once I'd finished my coke I left the rest area and went towards my final attraction within the park; the aquarium. 1,800 Yen to enter was a little steep however, this was supposed to be the best aquarium within Japan. I also had issues with paying to see animals in tiny enclosures however, after wrestling with my conciounce, I paid the entrance fee and went in.

The aquarium was well laid out. It was planned logically with exibitions starting closest to the surface of the ocean and working downwards. First of all, there was an area where people could actually put their hands into a wide, but shallow tank and pick up the creatures within it. As you can imagine, this area was filled with children which, actually, I didn't mind. Sure I cringed as some children were a little 'stong' when picking up some of the creatures however, overall, having humans coming into contact with animals and removng that 'fear aspect' can only be a good thing.

Once past I went into an area focusing on 'coral life'. Though some species were in tiny compartments, a lot found themselves swimming within a large tank where people could walk around and view it from every angle. The fish within this part seemed to be very bright and matched the coral which they swam inbetween.

The next area tackled the 'middle area' of the sea. The excibition consisted of the biggest tank known to man which housed many types of sea creatures including manta-rays and huge sharks. The display was very impressive and became superb when you travelled though a glass tunnel which allowed for the giant sea creatures to glide above you. The three sharks (can't remember their 'type') where huge. There was a restaurant which had tables placed strategically so you could watch the fish as you ate however, even though I was starving the menu didn't appeal. Instead I went into a shark labortory where countless facts where on display to remove the myth of sharks being dangerious. Onced I finished reading all that there was on offer, I went back to the main tank where a diver had just entered with a camera in hand. The shots the diver got weren't any better than I could see myself and, due to all the dialogue being in Japanese, I left bound for the final exibition; the deep sea water area.

This was mainly small tanks, poorly lit, to reflect these creatures natural habitat. This meant that sometimes seening the animal was a little difficult but not impossible. Some creatures that far down are able to make light themselves and with the dark setting, which I found myself in, it was all the more impressive. Once I finished in this section I left the aquarium content that it was worth the entrance cost, that I'd learnt a lot but still concerned for the animals well-fare. I finally made it back to my car at around 3pm; four hours after I'd entered the park. I was only supposed to spend an hour or two tops as I wanted to drive to the northern tip of the island however, this was now out of the question due to time. I therefore left the carpark heading south towards Naha.

This time I decided to drive down the western coast which had it's benefits and problems. The western road, the '58', was a lot straighter than its eastern equlivant and, at leat at first, I made good time … for Okinawa. It wasn't until I got close to Naha (where I passed many American military bases) that traffic ground to a halt and I genually believed that walking was quicker. Due to the sheer amout of traffic lights, one-lane roads, stupid speed limits and a local population consisting of people (Japanese and American) who can't drive, I firmly believe now that you can't drive on these islands for enjoyment. I had longed to open up the full potential of the car however, as I returned it, I knew that I was never given the chance.

I need not have been worried about scratching the car as the collection people never even checked. I handed them the inspecton sheet, took out all my baggage and walked to the local monorail station. Once in town, I found my hostel within no time and although not as 'comfortable' as my hotel room the previous night (though this is only 1,000 Yen a night), it was certainly characterful and 'homely'. I therefore put my bags within my dorm and went out to buy dinner. After I retired to my hostel, with said dinner, I wrote this blog and uploaded all of my photos from the day.

So tomorrow I leave Okinawa's main island for Miyako-Jima, where I shall be spending Christmas. Tomorrow will be a 'moving day' as my flight is right in the middle of the day (3:15pm). So I'll next speak to you from the beautiful island of Miyako-Jima.

Toodle Pip!

When two very different cultures collide

Date: Sunday 22^nd December 2013

MP3 track of the day: Santa Clause is coming to town - The Whispers

Weather: Just right. A little overcast at times but mostly dry and the temperature was perfect. T-shirt and shorts weather without getting sweaty.

Reluctantly I work up early from my sleep and got ready as fast as possible. The night in the capsule hotel turned out to be rather mundane and apart from one man, who woke me with his excessive snoring, I had a great night. My capsule experience was much like my hostel experiences except for the fact that there is a little more privacy, and that you don't really know who will show up (with hostels, nine times out of ten it'll be a backpacker. Capsule hotels house people who have had a 'change of accommodation plan' right at the last minute; be it a businessman who has missed his last train home or someone who went to a party and decided to drink).

After removing all my stuff from said capsule I put it all within my locker and went to the male shower rooms which turned out to be 'open plan'. Being 6:30 on a Sunday morning I that I'd have the room to myself, however there is always someone else around in those tricky situations of uncertainty. After a quick shower I brushed my teeth and found the tap to be slightly bizarre. The tap poured water onto a circular glass plate (positioned at an angle) so that the water poured into the bowl from one direction. Why this plate was needed I will never know, but it has added three lines to this blog entry.

Time was passing on and at around 7:30am I was almost ready to leave. I made a brief stop at a local convenience store (to purchase breakfast) before retrieving my bags from my locker, dropping my key off at reception and walking out into the world.

The morning breeze was strong and, due to this, it was a little colder than I thought it would be. Still I was wearing 'three-quarter length trousers' and I wasn't regretting the decision. As I had arrived within Naha in the pitch black I could now, for the first time, view my surroundings. The stores I passed were the typical stores you see everywhere within Japan, but the architecture was slightly odd. I liked the architecture but I wouldn't say it was Japanese; I'd say it had a Spanish or southern or central American feel to it. The architecture was certainly designed for Okinawa's hot climate and a lot of light colours were used.

Once at the monorail station I ate my breakfast before boarding the train. Once at the airport I found out, rather annoyingly, that my 'car rental' supplier hadn't got a information desk. In fact no car rental company did; I was told, by the airport's information center, that I had to wait at 'bay 11' for a minibus to whisk me to their office. This annoyed me for a couple of reasons. One; I had seen a 'Hertz' shop at the monorail station before I got to the airport; if this is the one I would be transported to then I could have just got off the monorail a stop early and saved me both time and hassle. Secondly; I wanted to get going. Still I had no choice and I soon found myself waiting at 'bay 11' looking longingly down the long road which lay before me, eager to see a minibus with a 'Hertz' sign. Fortunately I wasn't waiting alone; five minutes after I arrived a group of 'other people' hovered around 'bay 11' looking longingly in the same direction as I. What really annoyed me was that this 'other group's' car rental dealers arrived before mine and as I was once again alone; I looked at my watch and I had been waiting for over half an hour. Eager to get going I called the office and within another five minutes a bus came for me and took me to the 'Hertz' office I'd seen over an hour ago. Once inside I realised that 'Hertz' has subcontracted it's work here in Okinawa to Toyota. On the plus side, a shiny new Toyota 'Viz' was waiting for me however, back at 'bay 11', I had waved two 'Toyota minibuses' by, thinking that I had to wait for a 'Hertz' minibus.

I've never hired a car before and I was surprised just how easy the paper work was. One thing that worried me – and has worried my for the whole day – is that if I damage the car I have to pay £160.00 regardless of the damage or who's fault it is (If the car is undriveable it's £400.00). A lady in the office and I went around the car and checked for scratches. Once done she handed me the key's and with a big smile wished me a pleasant time. I thanked her and got to the task of altering the driving position to suit my needs. I also put my stuff in the car, noticed that the satnav was in English (so too the radio) and checked where I was going whilst also checking out a nice Japanese lady washing down the rental car in front of me. Now; my Japanese car's 'hand brake' is operated by a foot pedal. As I pushed my left foot down onto nothing (I continued to do this throughout the day) I looked around the car for a switch of some kind and this must have alerted 'washer woman'. The next moment she was at my window; I rolled down the window (in a very cool way) and explained my predicament. She then smiled and pointed to the big black 'hand brake leaver' which 90% of cars have within the world. I released the hand brake and drove of thinking that after that 'chump' move there was never going to be an 'us'.

On the streets of Okinawa I drove like I had a bubble attached to my car which went out three meters, from my car, in every direction. I was so worried about damaging the car I didn't really enjoy the experience. Unlike my car in Iwate, this one had a proper engine and breaks to boot. It was very nippy with excellent stopping capability and really light steering. The sat nav was very useful; I never set it, I just used it as a map. My first port of call were the Japanese former Naval Underground Headquarters which, looking at my map, were quite a way out of town however, after 15 minutes of driving I had arrived. I gingerly parked my car 4 miles from the museum (but at least 2 miles from any other thing which could possibly damage it) and walked up to the entrance. The time was 9:30am.

For centuries, Tomigusuku-jo has stood on the low hills looking north over Naha. During the Pacific War the spot was chosen for the headquarters of the Japanese navy, but, instead of using the old fortifications they tunneled 20m down into soft limestone. The complex, consisting of Rear Admiral Ota's command room and various operation rooms, is now preserved as the Underground Naval Headquarters.

As well as the headquarters there was a small museum and a small park. I first of all tackled the park which, in all honesty, wasn't worth the time. Next I went into the museum itself. Due to the war rooms being underground, you entered the museum from the top floor. Here there were shocking pictures showing the suffering of the ordinary Okinawan population. There was also a video and, though all of the commentary was in Japanese with no English subtitles, I watched it and could guess at the point it was making. After the film had finished I paid the 420 Yen asking price and went down into the tunnels. Gladly all information-boards had English translations which weren't too big. As I walked through the Operations Room, the Staff room, Code room etc and the main tunnels, thoughts of the Cu Chi tunnels in Vietnam came to mind. These were a lot better built with plastered walls and electrical lighting. They were also high enough for me to stand up in and the width wasn't too bad either.

Once through the caves I went to the small, but adequately filled museum. The thing I love about Japanese museums is that, unlike their communist Asian neighbors, they are honest. During the battle for Okinawa the Japanese military conscripted the population of Okinawa to perform tasks which lead to their deaths. This museum did not try to reflect that criticism and in fact seemed to highlight the wrong doings of Japans previous military leaders. They explained that, in some ways, the US occupying forces gave some relief in the early days as they provided the civilians with more food, water, medical supplies and protection than their own countrymen. One thing to note is that before Rear Admiral Ota and his officers committed suicide, via hand grenade, he sent a last message to Tokyo pleading for the Japanese government to pay respect and to provide protection to the people of Okinawa who, in his words, had put up with so much without a murmur of complaint.

After I had looked around the museum I got back in my car and gingerly drove to the next war museum; the Himeyuri Peace Park. As this was right on the southern coast I felt that, this time, it would take a little while to reach my destination; but no. After about thirty minutes I had parked up and was walking toward the entrance of this museum:

Himeyuri-no-to is a deeply moving war memorial dedicated to more than 200 schoolgirls and their teachers who committed suicide here in a shallow grave. The nearby museum describes how the high-school students, like many others on Okinawa, were conscripted as trainee nurses by the Japanese Army in January 1945. As the fighting became more desperate the girls were sent to a field hospital, gradually retreating south from cave to cave, and were then abandoned altogether as the Japanese army disintegrated. Terrified that they would be raped and tortured by the Americans, the women and girls killed themselves rather than be captured.

Now, I'd say that this museum's creator had an almost pathological hatred for Japan's military government. The museum started with the school before the war; it went into what lessons were learned, uniforms and the students hopes and desires. It moved onto the destructive influence the military government had on the Okinawan education system, by replacing textbooks with ones filled with propaganda, and eventually classes were halted altogether as the students prepared Okinawa for invasion. The saddest fact of all was that these students didn't seem to complain when they were digging defenses; neither did they complain when they were sent to the front lines helping to treat the wounded under constant enemy bombardment and yet, the Japanese army, once they knew they could hold out no longer, did not even try to provide protection for these brave 16 – 18 year old girls. The girls then had to try and escape from the US troops using their own initiative; most died. What hit me on a personal level were the pre-war school uniforms and the mug shots; the school uniforms are not that dissimilar to the ones worn by the students I teach today. Thinking about my students, being in a situation like that, brought me closer to tears than any other thought for a long time.

After this museum I drove to my final WW2 site of the day; the piece park. Again this was quite close but before arriving I stopped for a quick bite, even though I wasn't that hungry.

The final battle for Okinawa took place on Mabuni Hill on the islands southeast coast. The site is now occupied by a cemetry and grassy park containing monuments to the more than 200,000 troops – both American and Japanese – and civilians who died on the islands during the war. A distinctive white tower crowns the Piece Memorial Hall. There is also the Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial museum.

I have been to many war cemeteries however, I feel, that this is the best. The site was a huge park split into three sections. The most southern part was where I started; here there were loads of individual shrines, each one an artistic master piece. Next the central area had beautiful laws with well-kept grass and beautiful flower gardens. It is here that a tower forms the central 'view point' with the prefectures museum to the right. In front of the museum lay a semi-circle of back marble walls with the names of the fallen. It was easy to note that 4/5 of the walls were covered in Japanese names and only 1/5 American. These walls lay within a garden of trees. To the north were playing fields and a play ground for children and it was this that I liked the most because, after all, this whole place was about peace. What can symbolise peace more than children playing freely under the watchful eyes of their loving parents? As I looked out to sea the calmness and beauty of the coastline brought it's own sense of peace. As I walked around I thought about the war and tried to justify the huge sacrifice of all nations involved by finding benefits. WW2 ended colonisation and brought independence to a lot of nations. For Japan, it removed a regime bent around the military and opened this deeply enclosed culture. When War Two started, I don't think the allies and Japan could have been more culturally apart and when two very different cultures collide things happen. It's funny but good can come from evil; even though conflict is still occurring today I'd like to think that unjustified actions in the past have had some benefits for today's war-torn societies (banning of certain weapons, not trying to target civilian areas etc). I'm not trying to Justify the action of war, just trying to see if there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Once I'd finished my thoughts I went into the museum. As I'd read all the information from two previous museums I only stopped when something caught my eye. The museum was excellently put together and I wished that I had more time however, it was 3:30pm and I had to drive north to my overnight stop. I left the peace park glad that I'd seen the three sites in the order I had seen them; after two 'reading intensive' sites it was lovely just to have had a stroll around a beautiful park.

On my way north I decided to take the '329' along Okinawa's eastern cost. This led me along the coastline and through many towns and cities. Okinawa is a lot more developed than I thought it would be, and this meant that my 70km drive took about three hours to complete. I did however stop for tea and to visit two sightseeing spots (a coastline and an old house – which I didn't actually find) but still, the constant traffic lights and ridiculous speed limits hampered my progress. During this time I forgot about the 20,000 Yen fine for damage and really got to know my rental car. I found it very 'nippy' indeed with good acceleration and excellent handling. When I could, I had a great time throwing the car into bends and accelerating out. Also, during this time, I turned into the only English speaking radio station on the island. Though this was the American Armies civilian radio station – therefore I can usually only stand listening to 'colonials' for about 20 minutes – it was very interesting. Between the 'top 20 American country count-down' were adverts aimed at American personnel. Things like obey foreign laws, medical advice, mental health advice, people to see to help with family relocation etc etc. It was then I started to ponder about the sheer size, and cost, of the civilian support the American G.I.'s would need. Also, on the radio, were short facts about American history (they were short because America's history isn't that long) which too were interesting. Finally they also gave information in regards to the latest American sports news, which was less interesting. All-in-all, as I pulled into my hotel's car park, I found the journey pleasant and thought provoking.

The hotel was a lot posher than I though it would be and at £32.00 for the night, it was a steal as it included breakfast. I got in my room around 8pm and started work on this blog before getting a well earned nights sleep. Tomorrow is another early start with a trip to an Aquarium (supposed to be the best in Japan), after which I'll drive to the very north of the island before heading back to Naha to return my car (with no damage I hope). Finally I shall try to find my hostel.

Busy but fun times!

Toodle Pip!

A day of tiny mistakes

Date: Saturday 21^st December 2013

MP3 track of the day: Open your eyes – Snow Patrol

Weather: Surprisingly cold in Tokyo. I knew it would be cold, but throughout the morning I thought it was colder than 'up north'.

At about 6am I woke up within the southern suburbs of Tokyo, which for you readers out there presents a problem. How on earth did I get to Tokyo; let alone be there at 6am. Well I shall solve the mystery right now. On Friday 20^th December, I left school and boarded a night bus bound for Tokyo. The bus didn't leave until 9pm meaning that I had a good 4 hours at home before walking to the bus stop at 8:30pm. This was a good thing as, during this time, my Christmas present from my parents arrived (just in the nick of time).

Anyway I digress. So I found myself getting off my night bus, at 6am, and collecting my luggage. The winters day was still young and so I quickly added layers to the jumper and trousers which I was already wearing. The first port of call was to get rid of my bags; due to finding myself on a direct underground line to the Tokyo station where I will be boarding a train to Narita Airport (where I will fly to Okinawa), I decided to head to said Tokyo station and put my bags within a locker. With this done I headed back onto the streets of Tokyo.

With my hat, gloves and mp3 player on I walked into town realising I had made my first tiny mistake of the day. It wasn't the fact that I'd passed a bank without using it (I was in need of money as ATM's on Okinawa can be a problem), it was that fact that I'd left my camera within bag which was now in the locker. Opening said locker would have meant that I would have to pay again, therefore I decided against going back. My MP3 player's camera would just have to do.

After taking a few more steps I felt more positive about my 'mistake'. This was my 5^th time to the worlds largest city and so I knew I had more photos of Tokyo than I knew what to do with; I decided that I would spend the day without a lens in front of my face and just open my eyes. This philosophy carried through to take over my entire days plan. Every time I've been to Tokyo I have always bought an underground 'day pass'. This has meant that I have seen all of the major tourist areas, but I haven't seen how they connect together. Today this would be rectified as I attempted to walk between them.

I started this 'voyage of discovery' at Asakusa's Senso-ji temple complex, an extremely impressive Japanese temple complex which I have visited every time I've been to Tokyo. As I walked down the main pedestrianised shopping street I remembered the first time I set my eyes on this site; even now the massive red gate with a huge lantern in the center, with two guards flanking it, raises a smile. I didn't spend long gazing at the big red temple; neither did I take any photos. Instead I walked west towards Ueno, where I would have breakfast.

I arrived at Ueno at around 8:30am. The walk hadn't been that exciting. I'd seen a huge 'chef head' on the top of a building, some fish which hadn't got a clue that they would soon be 'lunch' and a shop with jars of snail shells and other items I couldn't guess at what their purpose was.

Before visiting Ueno Park I had a quick 'pit stop' for breakfast . Once in the park I found a lot of it under construction and so I quickly strolled down the 'lake path' as I gazed into the water and the buildings which formed the background. Once done I walked south towards Akihabara, the home of AKB48. If I was a betting man I'd say that this part of town is Tokyo's 'old town'. The buildings were very close together and the streets narrow. Akihabara itself is a sea of colour with hundreds of bright advertisements hanging from the many skyscrapers all around. After this I wondered aimlessly through the many streets of down-town Tokyo. Until I stumbled upon the Emperor's Palace. This is a place that I have also visited before and so I had a quick peek at the gardens before moving on. I would have moved on quicker if the pavements weren't swarmed with 'runners'. I hate runners, and this organised group (which took up the whole pavement) were no exception. After battling my way through (sliding in a few elbows and sticking out my foot a few times) I found myself on the road to Shinjuku. The buildings had changed a little and seemed to be more refined; the advertisements attached to said buildings had certainly changed and instead of the bright and 'in your face' yellows of Akihabara, the posters were more refined using mostly blue and white.

When I decided to walk around London (instead of using the 'tube) I found the main tourist area to be quite compact and easy going. I was hoping to find the same with Tokyo's tourist sites however they were very far away. The time was now around midday and my feet were hurting like hell. I was only halfway to Shinjuku and so I abandoned the trek and took the underground back to Asakusa where I had lunch at an Indian restaurant I'd been to before. I was planning on eating fish and chips however, I'd left the map to the pub with my camera in my bag, in the holdall (tiny mistake number 2). Still the chicken curry was delicious and I can have fish and chips on my return journey.

After, I Stopped for cash before picking up my bags. I then found myself on the underground platform for 'trains to Narita Airport'. I had just missed the 'express' by two minutes and the next 'express' wasn't for another forty. I therefore opted for the 'rapid' which stopped at more stations than the 'express', but would get me to my destination (or so I thought … tiny mistake number 3).

Once I'd boarded the 'rapid', from a 'all trans leaving from this platform go to Narita Airport', I soon discovered that this train terminated at Sakura. Sakura is not Narita and so I checked the route map, pretty confident that I could switch trains at Sakura. I therefore found a seat, sat back, and relaxed … until everyone with a large bag got off the train nine stops before Sakura. Instead of sticking to my guns, I asked a 'local' who said I needed to get off at the next station and go back to where everyone else had got off. Great; I thanked the lady, got off the 'Rapid' at the next station and met a ticket inspector for a second opinion. He had just finished telling me to get back on the 'Rapid' and change at Sakura when said 'Rapid' pulled out of the station. I therefore sat down for a fifteen minute wait wondering how many other 'tiny mistakes' would occur.

Thankfully I caught the next 'Rapid' and changed at Sakura with no problems. I also managed to guess correctly the terminal which I was leaving from (Narita has two terminals and I had no idea which was domestic ... terminal 2 as it turned out); maybe my luck was changing.

Nope!

Once at check-in I met a beautiful Japanese woman who 'checked-in' my holdall luggage within a flash. All cabin staff look beautiful, but she was Japanese and had a big smile. I chatted to her for a little while before I went upstairs to use my PC and update my blog. The problem was I'd put, by mistake, my net-books charging cable within my holdall luggage with no way of getting it back. I used whatever power I had left in my net-book but it wasn't a lot; in the end I resorted to old fashioned 'pen and paper' with the hope of writing my blog up later. Out of all my 'tiny mistakes' this was the most annoying as it would take at least another hour to type up my blog.

Once I'd written as much as I could I went through security (which was ace; got in the queue for 'staff' by mistake and then had my baggage looked at by a team of five fit Japanese women … fantastic). I then sat down and waited to board my flight.

The flight turned out to be pretty empty; I had a window seat with the seat next to me unoccupied. An American woman, visiting her sister and brother-in-law on one of the bases, was sat in the isle seat. We chatted for a little while but both of us had been traveling for almost a day. Due to this we kept the talking to pleasantries before trying to get some sleep.

Before I knew it I was landing at Okinawa's airport. Normally I'm not in a rush to depart a flight however, I'd read in my guidebook that the last monorail service finished at 11:30pm. The time was 10:45pm and if I missed the last service then there was no other option but a taxi. Even though this is a holiday, and not a backpacking trip, I still had to watch the pennies and any opportunity to save £10 or so was more than welcome. However, knowing how long airport immigration is I didn't hold much hope.

At 11pm, fifteen minutes after I'd landed, I was walking out of the airport. I'd forgotten that this flight was a domestic one so no passport checks, security or anything like that. My holdall luggage arrived promptly and it felt as though I'd just alighted a bus. I was therefore able to catch the 11:15pm monorail train into town.

Due to it being pitch black I couldn't see much, however it was still reasonably warm given the time. I got off my stop and proceeded towards my accommodation, by-passing a fire crew forcing their way into a restaurant, with 'on-lookers all around'. For tonight I would be staying in a 'capsule hotel'. Unique to Japan, I've always wanted to try one but have always been a little apprehensive. Capsule hotels have a little bit of a seedy reputation but, as I found out, I need not have worried. The lady en-charge spoke perfect English and showed me to the men's locker room. Here I had a numbered locked which matched my 'capsule number'. I opened the locker, with a key fob, and put all of my stuff in bar what I would need for the night. She gave me a quick tour of the facilities however I was eager to fall asleep.

The capsules themselves are just about my height in length. They have a blind, a TV, radio, alarm, shelf, air filter and a futon. The capsules were in rows with one capsule on top of each other. I likened it to a hostel bunk-bed with sides. I rolled out my blanket and put my head on the pillow. I set my alarm for 6:15am and went to sleep.

Tomorrow I need to be at the airport to pick up my car at 8am. After I shall drive south to visit some WW2 museums before heading north for my overnight stop.

Okinawa baby yeah!

Toodle Pip!