Something we learned immediately here is that Japan is a country of festivals {matsuri} and Okinawa ~ oftentimes seeming like a different country altogether from it's motherland ~ has countless year-round festivals of it's own. This one is a week long that culminates with 10,000 traditional eisa dancers ~  a dance passed down to pay respect to ancestors each summer by marching through their neighborhoods while playing {taiko} drums. It was awesome to see...and to ... continue reading...

Saturday was a great day.  I woke up to Cam cooking breakfast with the fresh eggs & tomatoes we just got from our neighborhood farmer's market, his huge smile & a "happy 1 year and 2 month anniversary!" (he really is the sweetest husband. ever.) We spent the day exploring ~ drove up the whole west coast past gorgeous inlets of brilliant blue & turquoise water contrasted against the lush green of the forests & jungle that make up the central island,  past fishing ... continue reading...

You may be seeing this beautiful sight quite a lot on here... {from our balcony} {it was so gorgeous when we woke up this morning!} {if you look closely, you can see some of Oki's islands on the horizon}  {some of our neighbor's gardens from our back balcony...on the other side of that fence is an army special forces base where local farmers own and work most of the land on it} {as promised: a shot from inside our honeymoon suite.  we're still furniture-less until ... continue reading...