Earthquake in Oki

We woke up to an all familiar shake we've experienced growing up in CA. A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck out in the sea nearby, so it was pretty sizeable and seemed like it lasted quite a while. I'm amused that my cell immediately began ringing an alarm as the quake was happening. haha. Well we're safe n sound...managed to grab Leyna and hang out in the doorway together, and now just need to go straighten out the crooked artwork on the walls. If only we could translate what they are announcing on the city megaphone we hear outside...

Winter Vacation - Day 2 (Aquarium)

Yikes I'm so behind, we never finished posting about our winter vacation when Ila and Danny came to visit us! (some day I will finish!) So here's to rewind...Day 2 was spent at the Aquarium. If you can remember, the first time we went Leyna was tiny and only 3 weeks old, so it was great to see her actually start looking at things...what a difference!We decided to buy annual passes since it costs the same as visiting twice, and we're sure to come back again and again, especially with Leyna. Here's some new things we got to see this time around...

...the shark exhibit, which we completely overlooked the first time...

...We got a behind the scenes tour of the gigantic tank. With the vast open surface of the water, we felt even closer to all the animals with them swimming right beneath our feet. The guys made great tour guides for Leyna......the turtle & manatee exhibits...

...went down to admire the nearby shore...while Leyna napped peacefully, we got a moment to ourselves to skip some rocks and check out the water. =)...and just before the sunset, we got to see the dolphin show...

Overall it was another great visit, and especially fun to have friends enjoy it with us.

We finished the night trying a new all you can eat yakiniku at a place that has a reputation for good kalbi. Clearly it's intended for the locals being that the menu is only in Japanese, and you have to actually write out your order on a little notepad! Good thing we had Ila there to help us out with translating the menu and writing our orders! It was oishi! (delicious!)

Next up...last day in Oki until we're off to Tokyo (finally!)

Look Daddy, No Hands

Managed to get a pic of her standing all by herself...and trying to call daddy to tell him about it =)

OkiLiving: Sakura Season

Late January to early Feburary, Okinawans enjoy the blooming sakura (or cherry blossom) trees sooner than other regions in Japan where they typically bloom later in March and April. There's a short window of time that blossoms stay at full bloom, about a couple weeks, so people swarm to the cherry blossom festivals on the weekends at key viewing locations to celebrate the season. We didn't make it to any of the festivals up north in Nago, and dismal, rainy weather kept hindering us from taking the drive. Fortunately, Danno had a day off work for "Super Bowl Monday," so after the game when the weather seemed to improve a bit, we decided it was our only chance to venture north to Mt. Yaedake and try to get a view.

Luckily, the rain ceased and even gave us some moments when sun broke through the clouds. Going on a Monday meant we avoided the huge crowds and a bumper-to-bumper drive up the mountain, so it turned out to be a very relaxing time. The cherry blossom trees hug the windy path, and you simply pull over and take photos anywhere along the road.

Leyna enjoyed getting a closer look.A nice passerby took our photo.

After exploring the mountain road, we stopped off at the park where the festival was held. It made for a nice stroll and more photos since it was empty!Mission accomplished. Maybe we'll try to catch a festival next year. The sakuras are so beautiful we want to grow a tree back in the states!