 Most viewed - OKINAWA 沖縄県 |
At Naha Airport, the jet way after getting off the plane. One thing I love about Naha Airport are the orchids.2 views
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Orchids inside Naha Airport. 胡蝶蘭2 views
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Orchids inside Naha Airport. 胡蝶蘭2 views
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Outside the arrivals lobby are buses taking you to nearby rental car agencies.2 views
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If you won't rent a car, take the Yui Rail to central Naha.2 views
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Yui Rail Naha Airport Station tickets. There is only one line and two directions. Easy to figure out.2 views
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Orchids on the concourse to the gates.2 views
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Orchids on the concourse to the gates at Naha Airport.2 views
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Naha Airport departure gates.2 views
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Naha Airport gates also have gift shops for last-minute gifts. 2 views
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On a later trip to Okinawa, I noticed that the window is now frosted and no longer transparent...2 views
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We flew on a Japan Transocean Air (JTA) Boeing 737-800 to Ishigaki, Yaeyama's main island. JTA is jointly owned by JAL (majority stake), Okinawa Prefecture, and others.2 views
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At Naha, Japan Transocean Air (JTA) Boeing 737-800 to Ishigaki.2 views
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Gate 23 at Naha Airport.2 views
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Even the pilots of our plane wore masks. Partially visible is the plane's slogan, "Uchina no Tsubasa" (Wings of Okinawa). ANA also serves the Okinawan islands.2 views
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Aircraft door.2 views
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The Yaeyama Islands (Ishigaki) are a one-hour flight from Naha. Japan's most remote islands, but easy to get to on flights from Naha or Tokyo. We simply call them "Yaeyama."2 views
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Back at Naha Airport for another flight. Leaving for Haneda.2 views
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Naha Airport gates have large pictures windows perfect for plane spotting.2 views
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Japan Airlines Boeing 777-200 at Naha Airport. Our plane to Haneda.2 views
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Gate 23 at Naha Airport again. (Same gate as the flight to Ishigaki.)2 views
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Entering Japan Airlines Boeing 777-200 at Naha Airport. Plane to Haneda.2 views
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Japan Airlines Boeing 777-200 to Haneda.2 views
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Approaching Naha Airport.2 views
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Naha Airport over 10 years ago.2 views
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To get to Okinawa World, I took a bus from Naha Bus Terminal. There are many buses and bus stops, so ask the bus information booth inside the bus terminal. Say where you want to go, and she will tell you which bus to take and where to get off.2 views
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Map of Okinawa World. Many attractions above the cavern. When you buy your ticket, find out when the next habu snake show will be. See it first if it will start soon. 2 viewsSee the habu show or cavern first which are near the front gate. Also find out the Eisa drum show time. Largest building is the shopping mall and restaurant complex which you can see last.
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Entrance to Gyokusendo Cavern or Cave. 玉泉洞2 views
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Steps down to Gyokusendo Cavern.2 views
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"Ceiling of Spears" 槍天井2 views
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Where the stalactites are too long, they had to be cut to make way for tourists.2 views
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Blue Spring limestone dam.2 views
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Golden rock2 views
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Habu Museum Park is another major attraction of Okinawa World. Habu is a venomous pit viper endemic to the Okinawan and Amami islands. There are a number of species.2 views
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Habu Museum Park has an educational museum about the habu, a zoo of habu and other snakes, and a small hall for the habu snake show. First find out what time the next habu show will be.2 views
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The trainer explained about the habu while handling it with a hooked pole.2 views
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The trainer mentioned that in the past, they had a mongoose and habu snake fight each other in the show. But due to animal rights concerns, it was discontinued. These are only stuffed animals on display in the Habu Museum.2 viewsThe mongoose was introduced to Okinawa in 1910 to control the habu population. But the mongoose instead preyed on other native species.
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The stage also had two partially filled water tubes for the show's climax (?). This is the Snake and Mongoose Show. Instead of fighting each other, they race in the water.2 views
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Also showed a cobra and tried to provoke it to show its expanded neck.2 views
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First-aid for a habu bite. Suck out the venom and spit it out.2 views
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Boa constrictor.2 views
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Inside Nanto Brewery producing habu-shu liquor. 南都酒造所2 views
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The extract from the snake supposed to be good for you. The snake's venom is somehow neutralized by the alcohol, so it's not poisonous when you drink it.2 viewsSo what do they do with the snake after drinking the habu-shu? Would a bird of prey eat an alcohol-soaked snake?
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Red hibiscus.2 views
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Eisa Plaza is where they perform the eisa drum show. エイサー広場2 views
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Large taiko drum.2 views
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Okinawan shishi-mai lion dance.2 views
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Great show! Saw it twice.2 views
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Okinawa World also has an architectural park called "Kingdom Village" with a few traditional Okinawan homes which were moved here. This is the grandest home, called the Uezu Residence 上州家2 views
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Stone walls in front of Uezu residence.2 views
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Stone wall for privacy in front of Uezu residence.2 views
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Paper craft workshop. 紙漉き2 views
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Okinawan bingata kimono2 views
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Pricing for renting Okinawan bingata kimono.2 views
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Indigo fabric goods.2 views
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Okinawa Culture Center is a small history museum in Okinawa World. 王国歴史博物館2 views
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Shisa made of ivory.2 views
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Lots of different shisa displayed in the museum.2 views
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Another room of exhibits.2 views
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Scale model of one shisa in front of Okinawa World's main gate.2 views
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Okinawan children's toys.2 views
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Masks, handkerchiefs, neckties dyed green with sugar cane leaves. Very nice green color.2 views
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Sugar Cane Hall also has a Sanshin exhibit.2 views
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Tin can sanshin.2 views
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Little fish clean off your skin on your feet.2 views
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Bingata Okinawan kimono.2 views
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Side of the noborigama sloping kiln2 views
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About the noborigama sloping kiln.2 views
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Pottery workshop in Okinawa World.2 views
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Ryukyu Glass Kingdom Studio is where you can make your own glassware. 琉球ガラス王国工房2 views
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Stone wall2 views
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Stone wall2 views
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Orange hibiscus2 views
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Shisa (シーサー) guardian lion dog statue on the roof.2 views
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Okinawan red roof tiles2 views
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Okinawan red roof tiles2 views
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Happy shisa gifts2 views
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Gyokusendo-mae bus stop back to Naha. Buses are infrequent. Typical bus stop sign on Okinawa. Simple, metal panel with a grunge look. Must be like this to withstand frequent typhoons.2 views
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Sloping path up to Urasoe Castle site. This south side of the hill is a gradual slope, unlike the sudden and steep cliff on the north face.2 views
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Historic cobblestone path part of the way up. Excavated in 2006.2 views
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Cobblestone path restored from the 16th century when it was made as a path to Shuri Castle.2 views
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About the cobblestone or stone-paved path. Built by King Sho-nei in 1597 as an improved path from Urasoe Castle to Shuri Castle2 views
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Former site of the Aikoku Chiso Memorial Monument erected here in 1965 in memory of people from Aichi Prefecture who died during the Battle of Okinawa. In 1994, the monument was moved to the Peace Memorial Park in Itoman.2 views
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Chinese banyan or gajumaru tree (ガジュマル) at Urasoe Castle site. It's a good tree for shade.2 views
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Yui Rail Urasoe-Maeda Station.2 views
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The Ryuchu dragon pillars are Naha-Fuzhou Friendship City Exchange Monuments.1 views
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Tomari Ohashi Bridge goes over Tomari Port. f泊大橋1 views
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Map of Naminoue and Tomari areas.1 views
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About Naminoue Shrine in English.1 views
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Near Naha's beach, Naminoue Shrine (波上宮). Major Shinto shrine in Naha. Looks very Okinawan. http://naminouegu.jp/english.html1 views
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Hibiscus1 views
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The Commodore Perry Landing Monument is also in the Tomari International Cemetery, seen here toward the left.1 views
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At Tomari Port, ticket window for Kumejima island.1 views
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At Tomari Port, ticket window for Kumejima island.1 views
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At Tomari Port, ticket office for Tokashiki island.1 views
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Today's boat schedule. Check this to make sure your boat has not been canceled due to the weather, etc.1 views
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Orchids and shishi lion inside Naha Airport. 胡蝶蘭1 views
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Overpass passageway from the airport terminal to Yui Rail's Naha Airport Station.1 views
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Yui Rail Naha Airport Station turnstile.1 views
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Yui Rail schedule for Naha Airport Station. It's quite frequent from 6:00 am to 11:30 pm.1 views
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Yui Rail train 1 views
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Japan's Air Self-Defense Force base is also at Naha Airport.1 views
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Naha Airport departure counter.1 views
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Orchids on the concourse to the gates.1 views
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Naha Airport departure gates.1 views
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Waiting area at Naha Airport gate.1 views
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Japan Transocean Air (JTA) Boeing 737-800 plane painted like a whale shark (blue). There's a pink one too. It's advertising the Churaumi Aquarium which has a whale shark. ジンベエ ジェット1 views
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Blue whale shark Japan Transocean Air (JTA) Boeing 737-800 plane taking off from Naha Airport.1 views
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Blue whale shark Japan Transocean Air (JTA) Boeing 737-800 plane taking off from Naha Airport.1 views
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Pink whale shark Japan Transocean Air (JTA) Boeing 737-800 plane taking off from Naha Airport.1 views
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Japan Transocean Air (JTA) Boeing 737-800.1 views
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Ryukyu Air Commuter DHC8-Q400CC (DH4) turboprop plane taking off from Naha Airport.1 views
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Japan Airlines Boeing 777-200 taking off from Naha Airport.1 views
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Japan Airlines Boeing 777-200 taking off from Naha Airport.1 views
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Ramp Marshall signaling a Japan Airlines Boeing 777-200 arriving at the gate at Naha.1 views
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Ramp Marshall giving the "Stop" signal to a Japan Airlines Boeing 777-200 arriving at the gate at Naha Airport.1 views
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Jet way with orchids.1 views
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For Okinawa World, take the No. 83 bus. The bus leaves only once or twice an hour and takes about 45 min.1 views
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Okinawa World front gate.1 views
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Okinawa World's front gate is decorated by five seesaa/shisa to ward off evil and bring in good fortune.1 views
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Chinese-style tri-color shisa with glazed finish. Made in China and originally decorated the Chinese Pavilion at the Tsukuba Expo '85 in Ibaraki Prefecture.1 views
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Okinawa World charges ¥2,000 admission. Open 9 am to 5 pm. Note that the park might be closed if there is a surge of Covid cases on Okinawa.1 views
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Pair of shisa after entering the Okinawa World gate.1 views
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Red hibiscus at Okinawa World.1 views
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The main attraction of Okinawa World is Gyokusendo (玉泉洞), one of the largest limestone caverns in Japan. It's cooler in here (21˚C), so it's great in summer.1 viewsThis section is called Toyo Ichido. 東洋一洞
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The part of the cavern open to the public is 890 meters long. Takes about 30 min. to walk through it. Diverse features and stalactites everywhere with colored lighting.1 views
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"Buddha statues"1 views
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"Ceiling of Spears" 槍天井1 views
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Ice on the walkway.1 views
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Rest house in a cavern.1 views
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Deer bone fossils.1 views
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Deer bone fossils.1 views
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Take a selfie here.1 views
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Platform for a higher shot/view.1 views
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Banyan tree formation1 views
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Nearing the cavern exit.1 views
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At the end of the Gyokusendo Cavern is a long escalator going back up to ground level for the exit.1 views
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Habu zoo.1 views
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The Habu Museum has live habu on display. Nocturnal, so they were sleeping. Habu are venomous vipers in Okinawa.1 views
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Also popular in Okinawa World is the Habu Museum Park and Habu Show. Habu is Okinawa's venomous snake. Habu Theater for the 20-min. habu show a few times/day.1 views
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Habu ready to attack. If you see this pose, run away quick.1 views
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Two balloons to irritate the habu. 1 views
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The habu didn't care for the white balloon, but went for the green one in a split second. Very dramatic...1 views
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It was to see which would reach the other end of the tube first. The tubes were about 5 meters long.1 views
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The snake didn't understand it was a race and wandered back and forth in the tube until it finally reached the other end after correctly thinking that it was the way out. So that was the main highlight of the show...1 views
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Habu Museum has many interesting exhibits about the habu. There's also some English.1 views
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Brewing Habu liquor or habu-shu (ハブ酒) made with awamori or brandy.1 views
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Old tortoise.1 views
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Super Eisa Show is performed three times a day for 30 min. スーパーエイサーショー1 views
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Confusing signage, but still photos are okay, but video prohibited.1 views
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Okinawan shishi-mai lion drinking awamori.1 views
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Shisa on the roof.1 views
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About Uezu Residence. 上州家1 views
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Rear view of stone walls.1 views
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Inside Uezu Residence.1 views
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Uezu Residence1 views
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Okinawa World's Kingdom Village also has other traditional Okinawan homes converted into gift shops and craft workshops.1 views
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Weaving workshop.1 views
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Leather crafts.1 views
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Okinawan bingata kimono1 views
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Shisa (シーサー) guardian lion dog statue on the roof to ward off evil spirits. 1 views
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Indigo dyeing workshop.1 views
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Indigo fabric goods.1 views
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Okinawan children at work.1 views
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Okinawan children babysitting in the old days. It was a common sight on mainland Japan too.1 views
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Sugar Cane Hall is mainly an exhibition space. No sugar cane. It's also the entrance/exit for the Kingdom Village. サトウキビ館1 views
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Different sanshin1 views
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Parts of the sanshin.1 views
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Different shapes of the sanshin.1 views
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How bingata kimono is made.1 views
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Weaving Okinawan fabrics.1 views
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Diverse fabric dyeing in Okinawa.1 views
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Small shisa for sale.1 views
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Botom end of the noborigama sloping kiln where the fire starts and the heat climbs up the kiln.1 views
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Pottery workshop in Okinawa World. 陶器工房1 views
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Pottery workshop in Okinawa World.1 views
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Pottery workshop in Okinawa World.1 views
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Ryukyu Glass Kingdom Studio1 views
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Ryukyu Glass Kingdom Studio1 views
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Ryukyu Glass Kingdom Studio1 views
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How to make glassware at Ryukyu Glass Kingdom Studio.1 views
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Tropical Orchard is what you see after exiting the Gyokusendo Cavern. 熱帯フルーツ園1 views
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Tropical Orchard has pineapple. 熱帯フルーツ園1 views
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In the gift shop, bought this kariyushi shirt. Kariyushi is an Okinawan-style Aloha shirt. Most designs are muted in color, similar to showing the reverse side of the material. 1 viewsThis design shows the deigo, Okinawa's official flower or tiger's claw (デイゴ). I made sure that it was made in Okinawa. Cheaper shirts are made elsewhere. かりゆしウェア
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Urasoe Castle is the site of Hacksaw Ridge, made famous by the recent movie.1 viewsHacksaw Ridge was a WWII battle site where the Japanese army fought off US troops encroaching from below the cliff. The Americans named it "Hacksaw Ridge." It was part of the defense of Shuri Castle where the Japanese Army was headquartered.
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Hacksaw Ridge has thick vegetation growing on the cliffside, so we cannot see the hacksaw shape. The Japanese name translates as "Maeda Escarpment" (前田高地). This is a National Historic Site.1 views
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Based on a true story, the movie is about combat medic Desmond Doss (1919–2006) who was on Hacksaw Ridge with many killed and wounded. 1 viewsInstead of evacuating the top of the ridge, he remained and rescued 75 wounded soldiers during the night without being detected by the Japanese. He dragged them one by one and lowered each man on a rope down the cliff to other soldiers at the bottom who transported the wounded to base camp.
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Below the ocean, the slither of green is a low hill called Kakazu Ridge (嘉数高地). After landing on Chatan and Yomitan unopposed on April 1, 1945, US forces had a relatively easy time advancing south toward Shuri Castle until they got to Kakazu Ridge1 viewsabout a week later. And then here at Hacksaw Ridge which was also fortified. Bloody fighting ensued for about 3 weeks. Both ridges are now peaceful parks.
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