Pacific Odyssey - Leg 5

Today was our first full day ashore. Trainees are still away from the boat enjoying Naha. The walk into town takes about an hour and passes by commercial and residential buildings and along busy roads. But because it is so different from what we´re used to, it is an interesting walk and there is so much to look at. Everywhere we see small narrow lanes and doorways leading into a back alley or up steep stairs to a home or work area.
Balconies are often covered in lines with drying laundry. The main shopping street has so many small and very brightly lit stores full of things one doesn´t need but are fun to look at, and everything is packaged, everything. Most of the packaging is beautifully done and I think the Japanese take pride in it and see it as an art. The labels are in Japanese and covered in pictures; we cannot tell if the package contains soap, tea, fish, candy or cigars . . . it´s very amusing, a huge guessing game. I´ve never been in a country where I can neither read nor speak the language; it´s a skill to try to get one´s meaning across through pictures, charades, pointing, smiling, bowing, etc. There is not a lot of English spoken here. We are trying to learn some basic Japanese but I´m finding it difficult and one time said ´hello very much´ rather than ´thank you very much!´ Off the main street we wandered down 2 long and narrow alleys (no cars allowed) which are crisscrossed with more minor alleys each lined with hundreds of small stalls like a large bazaar, a maze of shops selling absolutely everything and all in Japanese . . . it´s stunning, fantastic, one is truly far from home. Within this maze there is another public market where fish, meat and other unknown-to-us foods are sold. It is an enclosed area with glass doors leading on all 4 sides to this other larger bazaar market. Everything is neat and tidy and there is no garbage or flies etc. on any of the meat. We saw pig feet, pig faces, pig snouts, lobsters, shellfish, parrot fish . . .oh so much; a lot of seafood we recognized but there was much, much more that we didn´t recognize and were afraid to ask about as they would offer us a sample! People were incredibly friendly and enjoyed watching us wander through and peer at everything curiously, full of questions amongst ourselves. It´s all so fascinating. We´ve noticed that life is efficient here; things run smoothly and everywhere is kept clean, tidy, and working. Recycling is well established in the city with separate bins for plastics, paper, tin, etc.  We have been very impressed. Jose and Jordan tried out a public ´bath house´ this evening. For about $10 one can clean, rinse and sit in a communal hot bath, naked. Men and women are in separate areas but the women running the houses ask clients to follow the rule to not wear bathing suits. Trainees have found internet, laundry, gardens, a Pottery Museum, shops, etc. There are also several world heritage sights worth seeing nearby. The temperature seemed slightly warmer today but it is still cool. In 2 days we have completely switched over to winter wear. Anything to do with our life of a week ago has disappeared, bathing suits, shorts, sunhats, sunscreen, living on deck, rinsing in the ocean, sleeping on deck, sweating etc. It´s quite something. Last night we were cozy in the after cabin playing SCRABBLE with the stove on and enjoying a hot drink! I heard that 4 trainees slept on deck, but most of us are under quilts in our bunks, such a difference from sleeping in very little and with no covers. I´m already missing the heat and our ´tropical life on deck´ and counting the days until mid-April when the Hawaiian sun will hopefully meet us halfway across the north Pacific. Skipper, the Anderson kids and I would like to wish Karen Anderson, Skipper´s sister, a wonderful day on her birthday, February 1st. Happy Birthday Karen from all of us. Sarah B. would like to wish her mom a very Happy 51st birthday for January 31. Happy Birthday mom, from Sarah.Trainees and crew are all well, very happy, and fully enjoying our stay in
Japan. Until tomorrow, good night, Bonice.