How we got here (and a little history)

Maeda Flats

On an afternoon in January while I was working, Wade was trying to call me to say that we finally had options to move overseas. This is something that we both really wanted for several years. We were currently living in North Carolina and after having spent 4 years there ( 5 for him) we were really ready to move on to ... well anywhere! Wade had continuously been checking in with his overseas options and suddenly there were three big options ; Italy, Germany and Japan. Now a little tid bit about me, I'm not a person that is attached to my phone, in fact I often misplace it. Wade had to make a decision quickly to not lose out. I'm talking make a huge life decision in an hour quickly and I, of course, was unreachable. When I finally found my phone and responded back the decision had been made. "Okinawa, Japan". A few excitable tears came out before I asked my first question " wait can the dogs come?"

Soon after the shock of finally being able to live overseas wore off I realized I actually had no real idea what or where Okinawa was. Sure it was in Japan, but how close to Tokyo, could we do day trips to Kyoto shrines?

Well Okinawa isn't anywhere near the traditional travel destinations of Japan. Okinawa is 955 miles from Toyko, which is about the distance from New York city to Atlanta. Totally drivable right? No, Okinawa is a subtropical island located between mainland Japan and Taiwan. The East China Sea lies between us and those main islands. This makes Okinawa a beautiful place to be but not quite the best jumping off point to explore Japan and the rest of southeast Asia that I hoped. Nope instead I learned that I get to live in a place that looks like this....

Nuchi Masu- Okinawa Salt Factory

and this.....

Shurijo Castle

and has gadens like this....

Tropical Dream Center

Yea I can't say that I was sad.

Now for a little history

Okinawa, originally call the Ryūkyū kingdom, was a state of imperial China. They were brought under Japanese control in 1609 and used for trade between the two countries. Okinawa consist of 160 islands but only 49 are inhabited. Most people know of Okinawa because of WWII. Okinawa was heavily hit by the US and the Japanese used fear tactics to control the people. Both countries contributed to 120,000 deaths ( 1/4 of the population). The US occupied till the early 70's. Due to its history Okinawa is vastly different than mainland Japan. The culture, food and even the dialect is different. It is now a popular vacation destination for many Japanese families. Birthplace of Karate and home of the largest population of people over 100 years old, Okinawa is an incredibly interesting place to learn about.

#history #Okinawa