Fun (long) day walking around Okinawa and finding things that I enjoy. Turned into a pretty full day, and we say a ton of stuff as we wandered with no real plans (other than to find a stationary store).
- Heading into Town
- National Theatre Okinawa
- Food
- Wandering Further into the City
- Back to Port
- Spoils from the Day
- Views from Deck
- Dinner
- Vibe Check
- Feedback
Photo Gallery: https://pics.mattichan.com/-uwc113
Heading into Town
We set out off the ship after taking it easy in the morning since we had no specific time requirements, and started walking toward town just taking in the sights as we walked.
National Theatre Okinawa
I saw on the map that there was a theatre that looked pretty neat that was close by, so we headed in that direction.
Park
Found that there was not just the theatre, but also a nice little park and garden right outside, and spent a few minutes there. It was starting to get warm as well, so we took shelter for a bit inside the theatre.
Theatre
The theatre was pretty spectacular. Lovely lines everywhere, and since it wasn’t super publicized (like the Sydney Opera House) there was virtually no one there, so we got to just wander around ourselves and take photos. Really enjoyed both the outside and the inside, especially without other people around, it was sort of like a playground for photography too.
Photoshoot
We did do a little bit of a mini photoshoot since there were no people around. Particularly like some of the candid shots of Nate with his pups.
Food
We were starting to get hungry, so we stopped by a FamilyMart and a 7-Eleven which were right next to each other across the street from the theatre to get a little bit of food. Love some convenience store food thats so cheap and so delicious.
Wandering Further into the City
After eating our snacks, we continued our journey toward the stationary store (my one goal for the day), I told Nate and Mom they could go anywhere, but they wanted to follow along.
Electronics Store
We stumbled on a huge camera store, and it turned out to be an electronics store of sorts with multiple levels. Really interesting, and was fun to just wander the aisles.
We found this section of race car tracks and all these parts that kids and adults were tinkering with their cars, like taking out different axels and wheels and greasing them, and then they just go on their own and are pretty fast. Really neat, and as far as I could tell, the track itself was free, and people could just bring their stuff and workshop right there (and buy parts obviously…)
And of course….lots of camera stuff, which I was tempted to buy, but refrained. Nate got some Nintendo games at a pretty good price I think.
Wildlife
Bookstore
Finally made it after a 20 minute walk to the bookstore (ish) with multiple levels of books and random stuff inside, almost like a mini mall.
Maruzen – Stationary Store
Found the stationary section, and had a blast just looking all over for stuff (including some painting supplies for mom). I just love trying out different pens and styles, picking colors and discovering things I didn’t even know existed.
Toys in the Basement
As we were leaving, I accidentally wandered into the basement to find there was a whole toy section, so I went and got Nate and Mom and brought them downstairs. Some of the animals were less than $5, which was confusing until Nate noticed that the sign said they were previously owned…so this is like the abandoned toy section which made the Lotso’s even more cute (or evil?). We thought about it, but didn’t want to deal with bringing stuff back on the ship and trying to figure out how to clean it.
Food
We continued on, and settled on a tiny hole in the wall cafe where we got our meal tickets from the vending machine and then they came and took the tickets and brought us our food. Super delicious (and cheap). Also good to get off our feet for a bit.
Nate wasn’t feeling too great and had a bit of a headache, so it was good to stop. The food helped though and he rallied for a little bit of a second wind.
Market
Stopped by a market across the street after. Got a bubble tea from the street first though, and ran into a Starbucks to check if they had mugs (more on that later). The market itself was pretty extensive, but I personally didn’t need anything, so mostly waited for Nate and Mom to wander through the market before we went back.
Back to Port
Didn’t want to walk all the way back to port, so we took a taxi. When we got out, I noticed there was a heron out in the port, so I went to take a photo, only to notice later through the viewfinder that there was also a black cat diligently watching from above. Good times.
Spoils from the Day
Stopped by a starbucks at some point as well, and got a spring edition of the Japan mug with cherry blossoms, and an Okinawa mug. They also had these adorable kimono bearistas, so added them to the collection. They met the kangaroo bearista, the tiger bearista and the lion dance bearista in the room and have huddled in a corner.
Also got all the stationary (and a couple more puzzles) to add to the collection. Could’ve spent even more time if Nate and Mom weren’t so bored and not feeling so great with the heat.
Views from Deck
Went back up to the deck after a quick shower to catch the sunset, and found a couple jets flying back and forth (presumably to the base). Sunset was spectacular as usual, and was able to see a sea turtle right next to the ship as I saw a dark splotch in the water and it started moving.
Dinner
Got a lovely strip steak and some pumpkin pie and meringue for dinner. Good to cap off the day with some more sustenance.
Vibe Check
5 parts joy
Feedback
Leave a comment or question if you have any thoughts! Anything you want to know about as we go around the world? Any things you want to share as feedback, or any images that particularly spoke to you. I’ll try to read all of them as time permits!
Matti 
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