Several weeks ago we had the amazing opportunity to attend the world’s largest tug of war in downtown Naha in Okinawa! The Naha Tug of War is an annual event held in Okinawa that can be traced back to the 1600s. It is held on Route 58 and is a battle between the east and west side of the island. The competition began between the two rulers in the Naha area in the old days.
In 1997 this event was first put in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest tug of war in the world. The rope used in the tug of war is the biggest rope made from natural materials in the world. The rope is 186 meters long and weighs about 40 tons. It is carried in on a large truck and lifted off by these large trucks with cranes!
The tug of war was so exciting and the east side won this year! We were happy because we live on the east side of the Island!! After the tug of war is over, they cut pieces of the rope off for you to take home as a souvenir!
We had the best time at the tug of war! If you are ever in Okinawa during this time of the year, you should definitely take your family to this event! It’s something my boys will remember forever!!
Sorry I haven’t posted in awhile, but life has been a little crazy with summer coming to an end! All the boys are back in school and loving all their new teachers and classes! It has also been baseball season and with three teams it has been crazy with all their practices and games! I am thankful for all my friends that help me shuffle all the boys around. It definitely takes a village here in Okinawa when you are so far away from family! I did have one day with just me and Colt! He was out of school for the day but all my other boys had school. We decided to head straight for the beach since that is all he ever wants to do! We went to a new island off of Okinawa that you can reach by car. I have been wanting to visit this island for awhile. Hamahiga Island is a really small island that is not too far from our house. We packed up all our snorkel gear and beach toys and headed for the water!
Bridge that connects Hamahiga Island to Okinawa
Colt had the best time playing with his new friend he made. They didn’t speak the same language but they swam and hunted for crabs together! It was so cute!
Colt spent the rest of the day snorkeling around. He is getting so good at it and had so much fun looking at the fish and bringing me shells he would find!
On our way home you have to cross another big bridge to get back to the main island of Okinawa! There were a lot of cars stopped on the bridge and everyone was out taking pictures! I looked over and saw such a beautiful sight of the ocean at low tide.
Colt and I had the best day just the two of us!
Every weekend we try to explore something new on the island. Brandon and Bryson have been doing a lot of diving and we have had a lot of baseball games on the weekends! This past week we had a typhoon circle around Okinawa! It didn’t actually hit us but the winds were really strong and the waves were huge. On Sunday we decided to get out and explore a little and have dinner on the seawall. It was the perfect evening and it was fun to watch the waves that were still big from the typhoon that was making its way up to mainland Japan.
Sunabe Seawall
After moving to Okinawa, I realized that I should have done more exploring in the United States. When we get back we are going to explore as much of our beautiful country as we can! So go out this weekend and find your own beautiful place to explore!
We decided to head up north to Cape Hedo to celebrate Father’s Day. We drove all the way up the west coast of Okinawa passing beautiful views of the blue and turquoise water set against the lush green of the forests and jungle. We passed fishing villages, farms, and little cafes along the way. It turned out to be a beautiful evening to explore the cape. The views were like something out of a movie. It was absolutely beautiful. Formed by an elevated coral reef, Cape Hedo is the northernmost point of Okinawa. Cape Hedo lies where the East China Sea and the Pacific Ocean meet. As you stand on the rocks facing west, you are looking out at the East China Sea and as you face the east, you are captivated by the immense Pacific Ocean.
The boys had the most fun running around and exploring the rocks and jungle. I was a little nervous trying to keep up with all of them high up on the cliffs overlooking the beautiful ocean.
I am so thankful my boys have such a strong man of God to look up to and learn from. We had the best Father’s Day exploring Cape Hedo!!
Ever since we got to Okinawa we have been wanting to take a trip up north to Pineapple Park! It’s a fun and unique theme park where you ride on pineapple shaped cars through a pineapple farm. Did you know that pineapples grow out of the ground? I guess I always thought they grew from trees!
After taking a tour through the pineapple farm, you walk through a beautiful botanical garden that is filled with beautiful flowers and plants. There are even a few small waterfalls. The boys loved exploring the gardens.
What would a trip to Pineapple Park be without pineapple ice cream!!
And the best part of Pineapple Park was sampling all the pineapple wines and treats at the market at the end of the tour. Everything was so delicious! We had the best day exploring this park!
After we left Pineapple Park we decided to try out The Hammock Cafe that was not far from the park! It was such a neat restaurant! You each had your own private cabana with mats to lay on and a hammock to relax in. The food was absolutely delicious!!
We ended the day watching the sun set over the East China Sea! I am so thankful for days like today!!
In Texas we celebrate May 5th as Cinco De Mayo but here in Japan, you will find these beautiful and colorful fish flying around to celebrate Children’s Day. The celebration is known as Koi Nobori. The Japanese use these colorful fish to represent the virtues they believe children should aspire. The fish symbolizes perseverance, energy, and strength. You will find these fish flying all over the island of Okinawa. These pictures are at Colt’s international preschool.
Each flag has a specific meaning which represents the family that owns them. The largest fish, which is black, is called “magoi” and represents the father. The red fish, which is called “higoi”, represents the mother. The other fish, which are smaller represent the children in the household.
This is a picture from the town next to the base we live on. Its beautiful to see all the colorful fish flying in the sky!
