It feels good to wake up in Naha after having planned and dreamt of coming to Okinawa for some time. But it is also disorienting waking up in a new place, especially after arriving in the dark on an overnight ferry. We are staying at Tissage Hotel which is very close to the ferry and have booked a second night here. Our plan is to get out for a ride today, enjoy the sunny warmth and visit the Japan Naval Underground Museum.
Naha has a monorail running through the city. It is significantly warmer here…no coats, just bare feet in our sandals, short sleeves and shorts.
Baseball is a very popular and much loved sport in Japan. We have seen huge stadiums and facilities for all levels and ages of players wherever we go. This stadium is for Naha’s pro team.
It has been interesting to be here in Japan during the reveal about Shohei Ohtani’s mega deal in signing with the LA Dodgers for the largest contract in the history of any professional sport. His image is everywhere and he is much beloved. When we ate at Mo’s Burgers in Kagoshima, the restaurant had several of his signed jerseys on display, each worth over $130,000.
We have seen children of all ages participating in baseball. It is perhaps like hockey in Canada where boys and girls also yearn to play the sport at any level.
Riding today has given us an insight into life in Naha, Okinawa. Something we were not expecting was the size of the climbs we would have heading inland. Just before the final climb to the Underground Museum, we saw a sign to turn left (and up) to The Okinawa Karate Kaikan. We anticipated a brief visit and then on to the Museum, but we didn’t realize that the complex would be so huge with a museum, a massive Dojo, an historic Dojo overlooking the city, expansive grounds and more. Today will be about Karate, as it should be, as Okinawa is the birthplace of karate. There are close to 400 Dojos (Karate gyms) in Okinawa Prefecture alone. Knowing a bit about the significance of Karate here, we were interested to tour this facility. Friends at home, Leslie and Chris have black belts and are instructors, her daughter is on her way as well. We think they would love this place.
The Historic Dojo is a special place, beautifully built and with an expansive view of the area. It symbolizes the birthplace of karate and is used for special events. October 25 is Karate Day in Okinawa and this Dojo hosts special events.
What a great concept …. We have been learning today about the far reaching impact and significance of karate in the lives of Okinawans and people around the world. The culture of Karate feels like a philosophy that welcomes and brings people together.
The Museum was excellent and very informative. We enjoyed the video and then immersed ourselves in the exhibits. We saw a few visitors who appeared to be karate participants who had come to tour the facility and its museum. Each was on a personal tour.
In the museum, we learned about the Okinawans masters of Karate, their style and impact. It was very inspirational. These life size cut outs feature some of the legends in Okinawa…Motuba, Choki, Kenwa, Chotoku..to name a few.
The video screen shows a series of karate moves or training moves - very effective and informative while reenforcing the philosophy of karate and its non aggressive position.
The only sad part of going to the museum was that we took so much time, the cafe was closed for the day. Not a big crisis, as wherever you are in Japan, food is always available…in vending machines, corner shops, Conbenis (convenience stores).
After visiting the Karate museum we continued riding to the Japan Naval Underground Museum and we were warmly received by the woman who works there. She kindly offered to give us all the time we needed as it is supposed to close in half an hour. We decided it would be best to come back another day as we do like to take our time. After the climbing we have already done today, it will be good to come back with rested legs and knees as there are 100’s of steps down to the bunkers.
Food required after our wonderful first day in Okinawa…Hama Conveyor Belt sushi to the rescue. Once again, a few strange choices, but all was delicious…including prosciutto sushi on the left.
4 months ago