Welcome Home Matt!

The Kubasaki wrestlers came home from Yokosuka and the "Beast of the East" tournament today. They flew out of Tokyo sometime after 4 and were supposed to arrive in Naha at 7:00 PM.

We decided to go down and pick up Matt rather than wait for him at the high school- we were too excited to hear about the trip to wait!
We allowed plenty of time to get to the airport since we hadn't been down there before. Didn't take as long as we thought so we drove around for a bit then decided to just park and go in. Found out the flight was delayed 20 minutes so we had plenty of time to look around the airport. The Domestic side of the airport, where we were, wasn't as big as I thought it might be. I would say maybe a quarter or a third of the size of SeaTac. One whole floor seemed to be all shopping. Instead of lots of individual shops in separate spots, it was all open and laid out like a department store...all that separated the different vendors were the walk ways. Great to wander around and see stuff without having to go in and out of shops.

There was LOTS of cool stuff to see! David and I were intrigued with the "Green Caviar". They had samples so we just had to give it a try...although as you can see, it isn't the most attractive looking thing. Taste was...okay. The little "balls" pop in your mouth and it has a salty, sea water taste. Since we couldn't read the signs in Japanese, I'm not sure what the big deal is with it, but they were selling the "Green Caviar" in several spots. I looked it up online once we got home and here is what I found:
It is also called "Umibudo" or "Seagrapes." It is family of Caulerpaceae in the seaweeds genus. "Some species (especially Caulerpa lentillifera and Caulerpa racemosa) are eaten under the names sea grape or green caviar or umi-budo in Okinawa. They have a peppery taste." (Wikipedia). I didn't really taste any peppery taste...maybe a bit of a tang, but not much. I also found that Umibudo is supposed to be "good for beauty and health" and it is often used as a "salad vegetable". Definitely an interesting food! Tempting to take it and pop it like bubble wrap (glad I didn't mention this to David as he would have had to give it a try!) On the way out of the airport, we even got Matt to give it a try. The picture below shows the display of boxes ready to buy- they had large and small boxes available and they looked like they were made of Styrofoam- to keep this stuff cool and fresh I guess. Pretty pricey stuff- 2,100 Yen for these boxes (about $23 right now) As it got closer to the time of the plane arriving we went downstairs to the "Arrivals" area. They had a wonderful aquarium right next to were we were waiting. The fish were fun to watch- especially this HUGE Moray Eel. I am used to seeing the black moray eels- this spotted one was very different, as well as being about three times bigger than any other Moray I've seen.


I would have to say one of my favorite spots of the airport had to be the...bathroom. I know, I know- but they had the coolest toilets! (and a great "nursery" area for nursing moms...a large separate room that even had an area with running water to mix formula). Restrooms here in Okinawa can really vary- from the "Squatty Potties" to the ones like in the airport.As you can see in the picture, these were high speed, low drag, potties! "Flushing Noise" (with volume control) for those with bashful bladders, water spray controls allowing you to select what you want sprayed and with how much pressure you want it sprayed with (and the water is nice and warm!)...and don't forget to use the "Powerful Deodorizer" if necessary (you would have to agree, this is a pretty neat option- and one other patrons can really appreciate!). Top it off with heated seats, and that is one high quality toilet!

I couldn't resist peeking into the stall labeled for mothers. Wow! Where were these when the boys were toddlers? I love that they not only have a safe (and clean) place for the youngsters to sit while Mom uses the pottie, but they also had pottie seats for the kids to use the big toilet without falling in... and a big enough stall to move around comfortably while helping your kids. (FYI- Mike said the men's room wasn't quite so deluxe- not so many "bells and whistles" on the toilets and no "Dad" stalls there.)

Notice the extra toilet paper? All those rolls just stacked there- most of the restrooms we have been in have extra rolls in the stalls. Not in the states- even the rolls in the TP holders are usually locked in! Apparently TP theft is not common here in Okinawa.