JAWing On – Life on Okinawa

With the weather being in the usual in and outs of the season, Taki and I were able to take a road trip a few days ago. We drove up north to Eco Park. The flowers weren’t quite in full bloom as we strolled amongst the busloads of elderly visitors viewing the multicolored plantings. As we drove back from the park, I caught a glimpse of rows of spinning wheels not unlike that of an infant’s carousel spinning above its crib. When I was finally able to clearly identify what was spinning round and round, it brought back memories of a simpler time on Okinawa. Each wheel had rows of squid pinned to it as it twirled in the basking sunlight. This is how the locals of this town still make the popular snack surume (sun dried squid). The simplicity of it all reminded me of times when we would go down south for winter concerts and one of the enjoyments of the day was when we could get a hold of tin foil wrapped barbequed cob of corn or hot sweet potatoes to warm-up our chilled hands, and we would all huddle into groups to try and block the blistering north winds and munch down as music blared in the back ground. It is always heart-warming to see the parts of Okinawa that some may call countrified or country hicks; to me those small simple remnants of the past are what give Okinawa its charm.

As expected, the chilly winds and weather has returned for its seasonal finale. It is during this time of year that I am grateful to whoever came up with the brilliant idea of the kotatsu. A kotatsu is a floor table that has a space heater in its center. the kotatsu is usually centered on an area rug or traditional tatami mat. One simply lifts the table top, places a quilt or blanket over the table frame, and then replaces the table top on top of the blanket. The sensation of sitting on throw pillows with your legs being heated by the kotatsu reminds me of soaking outdoors in a Jacuzzi in brisk winter weather. One of the advantages of a kotatsu is that one can line-up several throw pillows, curl-up under the blanket, and just totally relax. Other advantages include the energy and cost efficiency of the table, since it only heats a small given area. So if you ever get the opportunity to experience this unique manner of keeping warm in the winter, stretch out and enjoy.

According to local tradition there is a forty-nine day (also known as seven sevens) passage between this world and the afterworld. Due to the day and time of Jimmy’s departure for the journey, his family decided to make Sundays the seven seventh days of the journey. In celebration of the completion of the journey, there are two tributes to former JET guitarist Jimmy Ginoza scheduled.

The first evening of remembrance will be held on the official seventh seven (49th) day in Naha on Saturday 26 March 2005 at Live House Groove.

The second evening of remembrance will be held in Okinawa City on Sunday 27 March 2005 at 7th Heaven Koza with the music beginning at 8:00 p.m. Various artists will be performing. There is a 1000 yen entrance fee and drinks will be sold separately.

Well we just received another notice that the water will be cut off again on Monday. This is the third notice on the pipeline that was suppose to take from 11 – 21 January. Since the original notice, the roads have been marked, cut, dug, filled, paved, re-cut, redug, re-filled, and repaved. Yet, it seems the job still isn’t completed. Oh well, life goes on.

Here it is a month after the initial “2 week” waterpipe construction began. After being dug and repaved and redug and repaved and recut, the road work still isn’t completed. Taki and I have absolutely no idea why this particular process is used. All we can do is wonder what in the world they are doing, and if they are ever going to complete the “2 week” project?

As the welcoming of the New Year celebrations of January come to an end, the preparations for the Chinese New Year and Valentines Day begin. Chinese New Year is on February 9th this year. Previously, most of the local businesses closed on the Chinese New Year to celebrate the major ties with and influences of traditional China on the local Ryukyu Island culture. As the years have passed, the holiday seems to have been lost in the shuffle to modernize. However, I am told that Itoman – still viewed as “a fishing village” by many of the older locals – has continued the tradition of honoring the Chinese influences and the moon calendar of years gone by.
Valentines Day, on the other hand, continually gains momentum as another one of the major, commercialized, modern events. Forget trying to go on an impromptu date on this day on Okinawa. All the select eateries will be booked well in advance. Whereas the holiday started off as a celebration of affection in the Western culture, as with many things in the local culture Valentine’s Day has been taken to the extreme in Japan. The romanticized view is that office girls slip a little chocolate tidbit into the desks of male coworkers so that no male feels “unwanted.” But the more savvy girls take great care in slipping-in just the right tidbit to the more prominent male workers of the organization. And leave it to Japanese businesses to create a day of reciprocation, White Day, which takes place in March.

Well Murphy is at it again. Okinawa is finally starting to get some of the rain that seems to be being spread everywhere else. Now we will end up with a mud pit in front of the house’s parking. Deja vu? One might think I am over exaggerating or misinterpreting the situation. Well that is always a possibility. This situation of needing a larger waterline and a wider road was created by the land developers when they continuously sold property to build new homes on without providing the necessary access and basic utilities that an increased population would require. Why weren’t the necessary changes in utilities made in the original plans? As far as a wider road access, as I explained earlier, the property that the land developers are trying to widen the road onto isn’t theirs. So what it comes down to is this. If I am wrong and the final product of years and years of construction doesn’t end up with the property in question becoming road, than I am just being an over-protective, ugly-American wife with egg on her face. But if the final product is the small patch of nature in question does become part of the road, than my years of experience have taught me and everyone reading this, that I have learned who these people really are. And isn’t really knowing the people of a culture part of experiencing and understanding the culture itself?

Well, my husband Taki went out front to talk to the workers and find out what the plans were as far as connecting our pipeline to the new system. He, a taxpaying local national and the resident of this property, was told that they were going to hook up the hose on the front side that divides our house and his brother’s house to the new pipeline. He agreed to that specific explanation and stated that it would be unnecessary to remove the old pipe connection since that would entail unneeded destruction of the current planting area on the front of our property and didn’t interfere with the traffic flow of the road that was paved 8 years ago. This old pipe, which has little by little been removed each time new construction takes place, also originally served as a property line marker. Well, being the trusting citizen that he is, he left the workers alone to do their job. These are the exact same tactics that were used 8 years ago when the illegal (according to our understanding the local law that states all new homes must have a 5 meter access road prior to being authorized) building of a home took place. (Check out the Oct 27th post.) Once again even though we were home, the workers did not consult with the resident of the property prior to making changes that directly went against what was necessary. I’m sure they will be able to come up with some explanation by tomorrow. Welcome to the peace-loving island of Okinawa , as long as you are only visiting and putting out lots of money that is!!!

Well back on the homefront, I caught the pipeline workers digging with hand shovels into the flowerbed area that has been under dispute by the land developer for the past 12 years. It is not part of the new pipeline as outlined by City Hall or the subsequent remarked area laid out by the workers on Friday. When questioned as to why they were digging up land on our property that is and was not marked for the new pipe, they quit digging the area, for now.