Okinawa World

What do you get when you mix caves, snakes and drums? A great day off! Last Monday was Columbus Day so there was no school or work. We decided to take the day and go to “Okinawa World.” It was our first time and it was a unique experience. They have three main venues, you can pay for each separately or do a package deal. We opted for all three and it started with a 35 minute walk through a really cool cave. The cave seemed to be never ending with the trail just winding its way through. The kids were a bit leery and kept saying it was “too spooky,” I had to carry Alyssa most of the time but it was also really neat and overall they enjoyed it. Tom took advantage of the rare opportunity and got some great shots.
After the cave you ride a HUGE escalator back to the surface and walk through some gardens before coming into a replica of an old Okinawa village. We watched glass blowing, shisa making and traditional dancing with really loud drums! Lastly we went to the Habu Museum. Habu are very dangerous poisonous snakes that inhabit Okinawa. We have to constantly warn the kids to stay out of bushes and secluded areas in the summer. The museum was fascinating, I only wish I could have understood more of it since it was all in Japanese. The kids enjoyed looking at the all the snakes and they even had an area where you could touch turtles. Danica says that touching the turtles was her favorite part. We went with some new friends who have three kids and all around had a good day!