Down in Naha (the capitol of Okinawa) there is a street called Kokusai Street full of vendors and stores and restaurants and fun things to see. We could never quite find it before, and so haven't gone until now. It was quite the tourist trap, as evidenced by the Y1000 ($10) ball the girls weaseled us into buying (that broke within 2 hours of being home), but it was a fun way to spend a Saturday!
One of the themes of the day was Shisa. These are not Japanese, they are unique to Okinawa (with influence from China) and are "lion-dogs" that protect homes and businesses from evil spirits. 
These rooftop Shisa are drinking and playing the sanshin (Okinawan guitar, for lack of a better description).
The other theme of the day was "random" - why not have a massive dinosaur head welcoming patrons to your snack shop?
I think this was either a hotel or a restaurant - either way, gotta love Okinawan architecture.
Habu sake. The habu is a poisonous snake we are taught to keep an eye out for here. Sake needs no explanation, right? I still am not sure why you put them together.
And one final gem. The bus stop sign behind us says Kokusai Street, but the real treat in this picture is that Krista chose to stick her finger in her nose right as Ed said "say cheese." Classic.
3 comments:
I miss Japan. I loved that snack shop you have in your blog. You guys look great.
That looks like so much fun! We actually never made it there! I guess we just need to go back!
When we came to visit, I was a little nervous of those snakes and other creatures lurking in the woods. Their fangs are scary looking. Glad they are entombed in sake.
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