From Naha to Nago 

5 weeks down and 5 to go, we are at the halfway point of our summer! It is absolutely crazy how time flies. I can now count on one hand how many weekends I have left here in Okinawa, and am making the most of it. This weekend we explored through Naha, since it was Bianca's 21st birthday, and got to experience what a Japanese hostel was like. We had a room of bunk beds to ourselves at a place called The Shell House which was right on the main part of Kokusai street. It was nice to stay off base for a night and experience some of Naha's night life. 

Shell house hostel

On Sunday we took a MCCS tour (Marine Corps Community Services) which highlighted all the main spots up north in Nago. Our first stop was the Glass Factory where we got to see people hand blow glass. After that we went to Fruit Land where we had a traditional yakiniku style lunch, which is where you get to grill vegetables and meat on your own stove. Fruit land had lots of tropical vegetation, birds and fruits throughout, my favorite was seeing the banana bunches on the trees. Pineapple Park and the Pineapple Winery were our next stops. We took a tour through the pineapple plantations on a pineapple cart that drove itself. After we got to go wine tasting through the winery and sample various pineapple cookies and cakes. Our last stop for the day was the Orion Beer Factory, which is the name-brand beer here in Okinawa. Our tour was in Japanese only, but it was still really interesting to walk through the factory and then sample the beers at the end. 

Glass Blowing Factory

Yakiniku lunch

Fruits Land

Pineapple Park

We are supposedly getting a typhoon this week, but hopefully it will pass before the weekend, because we're hoping to go river trekking up north at Tadeke Falls. 

Peace & love from Oki as always!