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wandering Naha's sprawling market

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one million words

We arrived in Okinawa today for a four-day visit; our first family vacation in about 3.5 years (aside from last summer's working trip to Ontario).

One odd thing that happened on the flight down. They asked me to prove that my drink was what was on the label by drinking some of it. This, despite the fact that they issued our tickets without confirming our identity in any way. By this, I mean they didn't ask for any sort of identity any way. I'm not sure that domestic air travel security in Japan has their act together. Anyway, we found Okinawa warm but not hot, with moderate wind and tolerable humidity.

We headed to Naha, the main city, and visited the market. We had a meal from one of the food stalls. I had sea grapes and a nice tofu dish, and we marveled at how much one of the ladies running the place reminded us of our friend The Chako.

We piled back in the rental car and headed to the island's unique castle grounds. There was a fire some five years prior, and I was expecting an open bailey grounds where the castle had once stood. Instead, we found a new structure going up. We couldn't see it yet of course, but it seems they've been at a rebuild since the terrible fire, and now are some three years away from completing the new one.