The whole day was mostly a bust. I went to Onoyama Park on the Yui Rail about 11:30 and saw a few folks walking around but they weren’t open for business yet.
So next I went to Jusco and tried a matcha soft cone. It’s a type of green tea and it was more bitter than sweet. But it was an interesting experience. And the price was right at 100 yen.
Next I continued on to Naha Kuko and did my good deed for the day. I was looking out on the runway and waiting to set up a shot of a plane, when a little Japanese man next to me asked what the islands in the distance were. I told him they were the Kerama Islands. He was most impressed. Well, at least I think that’s what he asked since he mentioned “shima” and gestured towards them. Whatever, he appeared to be happy with what I told him.
I had to do laundry today and the timing couldn’t have been worse. When I got back from Heiwa Dori I had to shower and wash the sweat off. Then when I started the laundry, I heard taiko at Ryubo Mall. So I ran over to watch a bunch of drummers from Kerama, but had to keep an eye on the watch so I could run back to throw my clothes into the dryer.
The dryer ran extra long because of cool down and the parade started passing by the hotel. By the time I got down to the street I couldn’t find a decent site from which to take videos. The first one I chose had a matsuri banner whipping around in the breeze and into my face. The second one had an ugly woman who insisted on standing in front of my field of view and blocking my shots. When I tried to move around her, a man poked me in the back and complained I was blocking the view of his kids. That’s when I gave up trying to film the parade.
But then, this year’s parade wasn’t that great either. There was a lot of dead space between performing groups. And the hatagashira groups kept dropping their poles. And the eisa groups were ones I’ve seen in prior parades. Ryukyu Koku Matsuri Taiko hasn’t appeared in years and I suspect they’ve lost Orion Beer as a sponsor. I enjoy watching Naha Taiko close the parade, but I sure do miss the free beer that Orion used to provide to the crowd.
I hope Onoyama Park is a better fest because that’s where I plan to go tomorrow. Then there are fireworks Monday night. At least that’s something to look forward to. I sure hope it cools down…I’m tired of being sweaty and sticky all the time. I’ll probably have to do another load of laundry before we leave on Thursday. What a way to spend a vacation!