Our first destination was the very popular Churaumi Aquarium. We have been to some great aquariums back in the US, so we weren't especially excited about visiting this one in Japan. But we thought it was a good rainy day activity.
Jellyfish are always among Kai's favorites at any aquarium.
He also enjoys hands-on exhibits, here touching starfish.
This aquarium is not among the largest we have been to, but has a nice variety of unusual fish.
There is a giant lobster in the next photo.
And here are more jellyfish. It was nice to see Kai taking a lot of photos here; usually he only takes screenshots of Pokémon or other similar things.
While all of the fish we saw were interesting, the star attraction here are the three Whale Sharks, the largest fish species in existence.
The aquarium has a gigantic tank for the whale sharks, rays, and other fish. The enormous acrylic windows allow a breathtaking view.
There is even a place where the tank extends overhead so you can see the fish from below.
I love the following shot of one of the whale sharks swimming by.
Kai enjoyed the hands-on exhibit where he can feel sharks' teeth.
And this one of a fetus of a great white shark.
The stomach of the fetus gets swollen due to all of the food it feeds on in the uterus, but gradually gets smaller as it grows. When born, the pup has a similar shape to the mother.
The following is a fetus os a spotted eagle ray.
The following photos shows the view off the coast outside of the aquarium.
The aquarium is located in Ocean Expo Park, which also has a Native Okinawan Village. The rain had subsided so we walked to a few of the houses in the village.
The first house was the largest, as it represents the house of the village leader. An Okinawan woman served us green tea and talked to us about Okinawa.
This next house is representative of a house of a farmer. They were forbidden from using tile on their roofs.
There is a separate structure for sleeping...
and for cooking...
We took a break for lunch just as heavy rain resumed. Okinawa is famous for a particular noodle dish with pork so we all tried it. As this was only a quick-service version, it probably wasn't as good as it would be at a restaurant, but I thought it was tasty.
Here's a photo outside the aquarium as we are about to leave Ocean Expo Park. The park also has a botanic garden, but the weather wasn't conducive to seeing it.
Instead, we drove to nearby Kouri Island which is said to be one of the most beautiful spots in Okinawa. From photos we saw online, this view of the bridge to the island is a prime photo spot on a sunny day. Unfortunately, the sea was dark and gray when we were there rather than the bright aquamarine in the pictures we saw.
On the far side of the island is Heart Rock, which is why the island is referred to as the “Island of Love.”
As the rain had subsided again, Kai and I waded out to the Heart Rock and surrounding areas. Kai enjoyed getting into the water and we saw numerous sea urchins, star fish, and a few small bright blue fish in the tide pools.
We got back to the condo late in the afternoon. After showering and resting for just a bit, we headed back to American Village for dinner. This time we went to a place that served a variety of Okinawan food.
After seeing the pigs feet in the market yesterday, we wanted to try it.
It tasted okay but it is mostly bone/cartilage and there is not much meat to eat.
Kai enjoyed the pork ribs more.
The service here was very slow and we had to wait forever for the fish. It was butter yaki red snapper.
After dinner, we went to Blue Seal, an ice cream establishment found all over Okinawa for some ice cream. Kai had sugar cane flavor and loved it.
Nothing like ice cream to wrap up the day.
How would you say the weather was? Like Hawaii?
ReplyDeleteI hadn't gotten just how large the tank was until the pics with the large window with the people standing in front of it.
I see that the diet there is quite different from the mainland. Did you notice anything about the people there. Did they differ in stature or in any other discernible features? I had often heard that the people of Okinawa were more Polynesian in blood line.
The weather feels very tropical. In Hawaii, the weather often seemed to vary depending on whether you were on the windward or leeward side of the island. Here it has rained the past two days and feels humid all the time.
DeleteThe food items we see a lot are pork, bitter melon (goya), sugar cane, and tropical fruit.
As Okinawa was not always a part of Japan, there seems to be as much Chinese influence as Japanese. And yes, there seems to Polynesian influences as well. It is kind of hard to tell about the people themselves as so many people we have run into who work in retail seem to be from China or other countries, and it is not always obvious who is native of Okinawa.
Kouri Island is so beautiful. Views are simply stunning
ReplyDeleteSounds like you have visited there, Shane. We wish it would have been sunny on our visit but could see how beautiful it is.
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