Okinawa Earthquake

I hadn't planned on sleeping really late today, but ended up getting out of bed at 5:30 AM anyway...Well, "getting," probably isn't the most descriptive word to use for my exit from this morning's slumber; "shaken," is probably more accurate.

We had a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that was centered about 50 miles from us this morning. No real damage, and everyone is fine. So far, there are no local reports of injuries, and only some broken water pipes nearby.

The quake seemed to last for several seconds, and I recall thinking to myself that it sure was lasting a long time.

Perhaps we were in need of some excitement!

Okinawa Comprehensive Park

I went with my wife to the Awase Home shopping center (also known as the "OK" and "Gracie" stores). While out and about, we headed over to what many Americans call, "Comprehensive Park." I think it is actually called the Okinawa Athletic Park.

The park is huge! There is a nice 5k running course that is well maintained and even padded. There is a freshwater pond, and the large carp and placos will eat anything you throw at them (watch your fingers!).

I hunted for a geocache there, but the only thing I found at ground zero (GZ) was a bunch of garbage and junk. There were plenty of sharp objects in the brush (glass, an old steak knife, discarded cans, etc), so I didn't really poke around in there very much at all. I questioned the cache placement, since there were plenty of other secluded spots in the very large park. With that one quickly placed on my "no thanks list," we soon departed.

On the way to Kadena Air Force Base after a stop at the park, I saw yet another "engrish" sign. I enjoy these, and think that they give Okinawa plenty of personality.

Nago Central Park

Today I drove up to the city of Nago with my wife and kids. We were hoping that there would still be a few trees in bloom, but we were too late. We still had a good time.

We started with lunch at CoCo Ichibanya, an icon among Americans here in Okinawa. I had thin sliced pork curry.


Next, it was off to Nago. At the park, there is an impressive foot bridge, plenty of jungle terrain, and countless trails to walk. The hills are steep, the views are stunning, and the bugs don't eat much.


I went three for three on geocaches today, including picking up one that I had previously "DNF'd," or "Did Not Find." All in all, a good day, even if it was a little wet out.

Routine Maintenance

Another cacher contacted me this past week and informed me that the magnets were coming loose from one of my geocache containers. So, I made a trip to the nearby park where it is hidden, and glued the magnets back in place.

I like this little park. It's a quiet spot in the middle of urban clutter. It's also easy to miss when driving by. The tree above is entirely fake, and I thought it was an interesting item.

This park is located near the following geocache: Shady Character GC1DKJ4 (I think PJ will get a kick out of the hint for that one).
If the weather holds up, I'll be making a trek to the North with my family. We've not been able to go check out all of the cherry blossoms on the upper half of the island, so today might be our best shot.

Cherry Blossoms

It's that time of year again in Okinawa. Okinawans, and Japanese people take their cherry blossoms very seriously.

I took a couple of quick photos at a nearby park today while searching for a three part multi-cache. I found part one quickly, since I recognized the well camouflaged container from another cache, but got stumped on part two.

Oh well; it was a nice day at the park. Here we are in January, and it was 73 degrees!

Happenings of Life, and Other Mysteries

I've seen, on several occasions, the phrase, "Life happens," on the Geocaching forums. How appropriate. Life does indeed happen; it gets in the way of what we want, by presenting us with demands for what we need.

I have neglected this blog for almost three months, and have not done any real Geocaching during that time. It's not entirely due to a lack of interest, but more a result of other influences. School has been kicking my butt, and work has been a bear. I would certainly prefer to update this blog more regularly.

On a side note, when do we decide that barbecue is good barbecue? I know; totally unrelated, but the title of the post also includes, "and Other Mysteries." I took my wife to a neat little barbecue place for our anniversary last weekend, and we're going back tonight. I never dreamed that we could feast on such tasty American cuisine here in Okinawa. What a boon! A friend of ours is also celebrating a birthday, so it's a fine occasion to dine out in town.

How have your last few months been?

Okinawa Dining Out

We went out to dinner last night at our favorite Chinese restaurant. Well, I suppose it's actually a Japanese restaurant (Okinawan to be specific), but they serve their version of Chinese food. The prices are low, the portions are enormous, and the food is quite tasty.



We had to park on the roof of a nearby discount store (parking on the roof is quite popular here; think "up" instead of "out"), and I saw a nifty shirt in there. If you've ever visited Engrish.com, you've probably seen plenty of similar products. I don't know what this shirt is supposed to mean, but somebody, somewhere, thought it was clever!



More vending machines! Some of the drinks look pretty interesting.