Japan

Babies in Japan

The port information desk gave us a map with our route highlighted to get home and then put us in a taxi to go to the Castle.  They even gave us a taxi card that had two animated characters with huge eyes saying “Take me to my cruise ship” in Japanese…just in case we got lost.  The taxi driver parked illegally (and talked down the police who came to tell him to move.  I’m not sure what he said.  Likely something like, “look how helpless these tourists are?  Do you really think they can find the entrance on their own?”) so he could walk us into the ticket booth.  He didn’t even ask for a tip although I was reaching in to get him one when he bowed and jogged back to his taxi.

Castle—a fairy tale

A long time ago Okinawa was the kingdom of Rukuyu.  It was the center of trade and emperors from China and rulers from Japan came with banners and silk-draped attendants to negotiate trade agreements.   For four hundred and fifty years the city of Naha was the epicenter of trade in southern Asia.  The King who ruled Rukuyu built a strong castle and a palace and ruled over peace and war.

But kingdoms don’t last forever and eventually Rukuyu was swallowed up by larger more powerful neighbors.  And Okinawa became Japan.  And Japan went to war.  Beneath the strong castle they built tunnels to house soldiers and generals.  Maybe they thought the history of the castle would keep them safe as the walls once had.  But history doesn’t count much in war.  And the when the bombs stopped, and the smoke cleared, people emerged from the tunnels to find the Castle was gone.  Japan signed away its own rights swallowed up by a bigger and more powerful neighbor.   But Japan was rebuilt.  The castle was rebuilt.  And now tourists come in busses with cameras and maps.  And learn that A long time ago there was a kingdom called Rukuyu and it thought it would last forever.  And it didn’t.

Monorail

I wanted to ride on the monorail and despite the heat the kids were willing to walk the hour to get to and from it.  On the way we found two shires and one rather lovely garden.  We walked past packs of school kids who giggled and asked “how are you today?” over and over again.  Generally walking through hot cities is not my kids favorite thing to do.  But this hot city had everything figured out.  Every few blocks they had a vending machine stocked with cold soda--genius people, shear genius. 

The monorail itself was as much a disappointment at the monorail in Disneyland always is.  Just another metro above the city moves a little slowly.  If the walk hadn’t been so awesome I would have been disappointed.  Proving, once again that the joy is in the journey.