Things towards the end of the week got a little hectic, so I missed a few posts. However, those last few days were some of the most fun, so I didn’t want to leave them out. After Boot Camp Thursday, I thought I was near death, but I have to say it felt good to get in a few work outs during vacation.

There were no major plans for Friday because my sister had to go into work for the morning. To busy myself while she was at work, I decided to go for a jog around the base. She suggested a great trail that goes around the flight line of the base. It was a gorgeous day, so I put on my iPod and took off. Running around the base is a great way to become familiar with your surroundings and see the entire base. I will say, it is slightly intimidating with the uniformed military all around and huge airplanes and heliocopters flying around. For those of you that choose to run around any of the bases keep in mind that headphones are not allowed (something I was unaware of before my jog). They enforce this rule to prevent people from getting hit by cars. It is just one of the many rules and expectations of living on a base.

Friday afternoon was one of my favorite afternoons. In Naha, the main city in the southern island, is Shurijo Castle Park. It was part of the Ryukyu Kingdom over 450 years ago. The castle that currently exists in Naha, is not the original because much of the original was destroyed in World War II, along with many other parts of the island. Even with much of the architecture and details being replicated it was still breathtaking.

One of my favorite things to do on vacations is to absorb as much of the local culture as possible and being able to witness this part of Okinawa’s history was a great experience. One unique aspect to touring this particular castle is having to take your shoes off upon entering the inside of the castle. An employee hands you plastic bag to put your shoes in and when you exit the castle at the end of the tour, you give the bag back and put your shoes on.

Walking through the castle, I was expecting not to be able to read any of the captions because of the language barriers. However, the majority of the explanations were also in English, as were several of the hand outs throughout the tour. I have not been to any other eastern countries, but I am curious if English is so greatly incorporated everywhere, or just on Okinawa because of the large English speaking population?

I enjoyed comparing Shurijo to other castles around the world I have seen. There is obviously going to be differences between an “eastern” castle and a “western” castle, but to see it in person is amazing. The differences in architecture and design are unique and beautiful in their own ways. Witnessing how royalty lived, whether in England or Japan is fascinating.

For anyone who appreciates the detail and beauty of art will find the decor of this castle pleasing. It is beyond elegant and is an expression of Ryukyuan architecture and artwork. The technique is evident all over the castle, in the woodwork, sculpture and stone. Many of the methods displayed originated in China and mainland Japan, but quickly became identifyable with Ryukyuan techniques. You can see some of these techniques in the pictures I was able to take during my tour of the castle.