Day 2: Okinawa

After we landed in Okinawa, we went to the train station and got on the monorail to get to the hotel at which we are staying. Stewart and Kris bought the tickets from a little machine and we boarded the train. On the train, all the locals were silent, as opposed to U.S. trains were there is almost always at least some conversation being had. The train also had many more advertisements than I have seen on public transit in the U.S. We took the train to Naha, where we got off and walked to the hotel at which we are staying, the Hotel Precia.  After a while at the hotel, we took the monorail to a museum dedicated to the history of the people of Okinawa. The museum detailed how the early people of Okinawa were able to trade shells and other objects from the sea, for goods from China, Korea and Japan. It talked about the societies that inhabited the island including the Ryukyu Empire which stretched across Okinawa and the surrounding islands. It also talked about the control of the Ryukyu Empire  by both the Japanese and the Chinese. The exhibits detailed the landing of Commodore Perry in Okinawa and the treaty that was signed between the government of Okinawa and the U.S. It also went on to talk about the effect of the Second World War on Okinawa as well as the history of Okinawa after that.  From the museum we returned to the hotel. We stayed there a while and then we met Stewart and Kris to go to the next activity. We started walking from the hotel. Most of the streets in Okinawa are back streets. These streets are very narrow, far narrower than the streets in any U.S. city I have visited. The side streets are without any sidewalks and enough room for a car to pass while a few people walk on the side of the road. The main streets do have sidewalks and are more typical of a U.S. downtown area. Okinawa has a tropical climate and there are palm trees along the wider main roads. There are many plants that I recognized such as the common houseplant Devil’s Vine, but many more that I have never seen.  After walking for a good while, Stewart and Kris informed us of what our next activity was going to be. We were to interact with the locals for about two hours, get dinner, and then head back to the hotel on our own. Me and four other people formed a group and we went on our way. Many of the shops in Okinawa were very small, some are no larger than a college dorm and many didn’t have a door which you have to walk through to enter the store. All the shop clerks were very attentive. If you look at one of them, they will come over to you and start to talk to you. Unlike in the U.S were shop owners often stay behind a counter and only come if they are called out, the shop owners here were coming right up to us a soon as we stopped at there store. We stayed out for a long while and then head back after getting dinner. Luckily a few of the people in the group could use their phones to bring up a map. We were done with activities for the day after that.  Of what I have seen so far in Japan, it is somewhat like I expected. I was not expecting that the people there would have such good English. At the airport most of the people where we arrived there spoke impeccable English. Even in Okinawa in the small shops, the shop owners spoke at least a little English. I am looking forward to the rest of our time here in Okinawa. I really hope we go to a beach. For the rest of the trip, I am looking forward to visiting many shrines and gardens and seeing all the plants that I have never seen before. I am especially looking forward to going to Kyoto. I have learned a lot so far and hope to learn much more.  Thanks for Reading, Ben Culver Major: Plant Genetics, Breeding and Biotechnology