Staying put in Nago near the beach has been both a joy and a luxury. Too often, while cycle touring, the priority can be to push on to the next destination, explore the next horizon. We have been really enjoying our time here with daily visits to the Onsen.
Today we have spent time at the beach, meeting lovely people…and even better, we made the acquaintance of some animals…always one of our favourite things to do.
We met Demetri, from France, living and working in Tokyo. He is here on a Christmas vacation, enjoying a break from the city.
So funny to see this pug proudly prancing around on his red booties.This proud fellow was happy to help his pug pose for us with his Okinawan pineapple jacket and red booties.
An animal of a different sort..this steamed bun from Family Mart Convenience Store is made to resemble a character, the family dog from the Manga series, Spy Family. His name is Bond and fittingly he is outfitted with a black tie, rather than a dog collar. All members of the Spy Family have special powers and Bond has the power of precognition and is able to see fleeting images of the future. You can watch the Anime series on Netflix. Bond is about to be eaten…a pork steamed bun..yum.
The Spy Family including Bond, the dog. Twilight-the dad (a secret agent), Anya, his adopted daughter (telepathic) and Yor, his wife (an office clerk but secretly an assassin, code name, Thorn Princess).
It is interesting to spend Christmas and New Year in a country where the way it is celebrated is so different from our Western culture of gift giving, commercialism. Here on Okinawa, Christmas seems to be more about the food and the pretty light displays and New Years is about honouring your ancestors and returning to your roots and your family for the New Year break.
The Shrine in Nago has been decorated with banners along the street in readiness for thousands of visitors on New Year’s Day and the following 5 or 6 days. The annual tradition is called Hatsumode to visit a shrine to appreciate last year’s good health, and to pray for the coming year. Typically, Japanese people return to their roots and spend the time with family honouring their ancestors.
