Churaumi Aquarium & Ocean Expo Park

What a fun day! Okinawa's Ocean Expo Park is amazing! There are so many things to do, and a lot of those things are absolutely FREE! Here's a photo of the aquarium. (It's not free, but it's definitely worth the price of admission.) This is what I would call the back side which faces the ocean.



They were having a flower festival on this particular day. If you're a florophile (a word I think I just made up for 'a lover of flowers'), Okinawa is for you! Cherry blossoms, azaleas, orchids, hibiscus, you name it! As an aficionado of blooms myself, I'm loving it!




This here's an octopus made out of flowers. I tell you this so you will not embarrass yourself by calling it a turtle as I did. You'd think the eight legs would've tipped me off...



I got it! I know this one... It's a shark!!!!

And now... a turtle. I'm sure this time. I loved the little baby on top.



It seems I was pretty excited to be "petting" a starfish.


There's something about these guys that's just so cute to me.


This guy... not so cute...



Evidently, I can't believe my eyes!


I'm telling you, this place is nuts. I've been to a few aquariums, but I've never seen a tank like this. I hope you can tell from the photos just how huge it is. Check out this whale shark!






This was our view as we ate lunch. They have a nice little cafe and tables where you can sit and enjoy the scenery. Very cool!


Noah enjoyed it too!


Lunch. Taco Rice. An Okinawan "specialty." It kind of cracks me up because sometimes it's talked about like it's some grand creation, when actually... it's rice. With taco stuff on it. That's it.
It's tasty and all, but it's just... rice. With taco stuff on it. Like I said. There. You now have the recipe.


Emerie J is all smiles. I can't get enough of her sweet face!


The have a great dolphin show outside the aquarium. It's free! Can you believe it? The kids enjoyed it... and so did the adults! It was a great show! We couldn't understand a word of the commentary, but we didn't really need to.



This one appears to be a crab. But I could be wrong. I've been wrong before.


Bye-bye, fishies. (Or as Emerie says, "Ishies.")


And then we found this awesome, roughly 3-story playground by the ocean. Crazy! The kids loved it! A great ending to a great day! (I don't know how Devin didn't get into any of these photos... except he took most of the photos on this trip.)

Ryukyu Mura

Ryukyu Mura is a recreation of what life was like in the ancient Ryukyu Kingdom... which is present-day Okinawa. We were able to hear, see, and taste what life was like so long ago.



Shishimai (The Lion Dance)



Chondara -- he's kind of a strolling entertainer... reminded me of a court jester.




Noah and his Daddy.



Feeding carp. These fish have HUGE mouths! They're actually pretty nasty looking.



Check out the outfit in the background... Okinawan fashion will require a blog entry all its own.



Here I am all geeked out with the water buffalo. This guy is used to turn a wheel which squeezes juice from sugarcane. The juice gets boiled and made into brown sugar. Brown sugar "candy" is seen everywhere here. It is supposedly filled with nutrients and minerals which contribute to the longevity of the Okinawan people. Apparently this "water buffalo" method is still used in a few places today.



Yes. It's a pig face.


Yes, you can eat this.



An interesting fuzzy red flower... don't know what it is... but it and others like it were growing on a tree.


Noah and Marcie being Kijimuna... mythical Japanese characters.




Noah "reading" the map.



Umi-budo (Sea Grapes) for lunch... hmmmm...



Devin examines his before trying...



EJ's not scared!


Yum! She likes them! (They actually were quite tasty... kind of briny/salty/pickle-y... all the tiny globes popped in your mouth -- you could hear them crackle. Tasty and fun! (Of course, Noah would have no part of them.)




Yes, it's just a Coke can... but look how pretty it is with the flowers and shisa on it. The Okinawans have a wonderful way of beautifying the most mundane and everyday items. I love it!



Eisa dancing...



And of course, the shisa...

Mata ne, everyone!

Okinawa International Orchid Show at Tropical Dream Center