These are a Few of our Favorite Things

We had such a good time in Kyoto and Okinawa and were busy every day! We did so many things that it was difficult to choose which were our favorites, but here is what we consider our top five. Amazingly enough, four of the five were free, and we were able to buy tickets to the Aquarium at a discount.

1.    Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium on the north side of the main island.  The exhibits at Churaumi have been designed so that you start at the beach and gradually move down into the deep sea, as if taking a dive.

2.    Nishijin Textile Center in Kyoto, where we saw the complete process from silk worm to kimono and enjoyed a kimono fashion show.

3.    Kitano Tenman-gu Shrine Flea Market in Kyoto.  The shrine itself is something to see, but on the 25^th of the month there is a huge flea market with everything from vintage kimonos and old swords to food and art and just plain junk.  This is how we spent Christmas morning.

Ted bought a dragonfly from this artist

4.    Ryukyu Dance Performances at Shuri-jo Castle in Okinawa. Originally these performances were held by the Ryukyus to entertain envoys from China. We liked this so much that we went back to see different performances on three different days.

5.    Fukushu En Park in Okinawa, an amazing 8500 square meter garden. It was completed in 1992, commemorating the city’s friendship with China and represents the great trade era of the Ryukyu. There was so much packed into this garden park, so much detail in the buildings and carvings.  I especially liked the caves behind the waterfall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Tomorrow I'll tell you about our holiday celebrations.