Okinawa Adventure Seekers

I recently found out about a LDS Facebook group called Okinawa Adventure Seekers. This is a group of ladies that wanted to see more of the island during the day so they get together once a week and go somewhere new. 

They had their first adventure this Thursday and my friend Claire texted me about a half hour before picking me up - and when I say I found out about it recently - that was when I learned about the group! lol. I got ready real fast and we headed up to a sister's house that lives off base. 

We went and visited her neighbor named Kinjo. He is a famous sculptor that sells his work for hundred of thousands of dollars on the mainland! 

Here is a little of his personal history: 

He and his family were forced out of their home by the Japanese military when he was 7 years old. He had to live in a cave with his mother while his father went and fought for the Japanese. 

He was forced to give up his language and speak Japanese. The Japanese really were horrible to the people of Okinawa. After America 'gave' Okinawa back to Japan, the Okinawan's, or Hamahigan's (those from Hamahiga island, Kinjo's home) felt very bitter towards both countries. 

You can see that his past has influenced a lot of his work but he is a very sweet old man and was cute asking to take pictures with all the little kids. When we asked him a few questions, I found out that he started doing art 40 years ago around when he was about 30 years old. He has had no formal art training but his pieces were very good. Some were a little weird or gruesome (depicting the Japanese killing the people in his village) but all were interesting and well made. 

I think these are really good pics of me! In the first picture, the boy on the horse is supposed to be Kinjo when the Japanese came to his little village.

After visiting Kinjo, we went down to the beach that was close by and searched for seashells. It was low tide and there were lots of crabs and little critters. In the last pic, the black line in the middle is actually a really bad picture of a sea cucumber. 

I found some nice seashells. Unfortunately, when I got home, I found some were still alive!! Oh no! I even checked all of them so carefully. It is okay though, because I took them back to the beach today and they were ok. The coolest one was actually the smallest hermit crab I have ever seen! I seriously didn't know they even started out that small! 

Before coming back, Claire and I went to the cookie factory near by to try some samples. Okinawan cookies I found out, all taste about the same and most of them are made with the purple sweet potato. Oh and they don't look like cookies. The do look very cute though. My favorite were actually lime and mango flavored. The have some amazing looking desserts too. 

There were nice ladies helping give out the samples and when I left, one was saying "good bye" in English and put her hand on my shoulder discreetly to touch my hair. I have actually been surprised not many people have thought much of my hair here - not that I think they should but I know it is unique. I did notice that a little girl in the parade last week couldn't stop looking at me and waved until I waved back (so cute!). But Claire said that most Okinawans are very accustomed to Americans because there are so many of us. She said it would be very different in the mainland.