Where does the time go? All too soon we will be heading over to the ferry terminal to pay for our tickets and wait to board the ferry to Okinawa. We have taken many ferries travelling in Japan and we have learned that each terminal and each ferry line have their own procedure for loading, how they schedule it and how long it takes. Regardless, we still like to be at the terminal early, just in case.
When we checked out of the Dormy Inn, I left these cranes I have been collecting (mostly from the Crane Observation Park in Izumi and Nagasaki) for the woman cleaning our room. She was from Taiwan and seemed touched by the gesture.
On each street corner of the street where we are staying, there are statues of this master and his student doing various things. They are very lifelike.
Barry and I have been without haircuts for well over 3 months. Somehow on this trip, it has never worked out. At this point, if we don’t take time for haircuts, I may tackle them myself. It wouldn’t be so bad, if we weren’t wearing helmets all day. We have decided…today will be the day.
When we bought the used bridge camera the other day, the woman in the shop recommended a salon nearby called Hearts. We will check it out and hope they have time for us.
Voila. I’d like you to meet the freshly shorn couple from Saltspring Island, Barry and Mary Ellen Bartlett. We had a lot of fun with these people at Hearts salon. As I understand it, Miyako (beside me) and Tabaaki (by Barry) are the stylists and own the salon. The two young women at the front, Ami and Rina are assistants and work there as well.
It is so special getting a haircut in Japan. Getting your hair washed is like going to a spa and having an incredible scalp massage. Plus, in this case we were so lucky to have such fine stylists. Miyako had a lot to deal with since my hair was so overgrown and has been exposed to the elements while wearing a helmet everyday. It was a treat watching Miyako work. She is clearly an expert thinning and cutting with a razor. I loved what she did. Another treat was Tabaaki’s love of music which he shared with us by playing LP’s on his stereo. Barry mentionned we have lots of jazz at home…next thing we heard was. Chet Baker singing. Lovely.
Thanks to everybody at Hearts Salon for making our day.
After leaving the salon, we had trouble getting back on the street. There was a long lineup of people with men in uniform managing the situation. Finally we saw a break and they let us through. Today there is a big lottery draw and people were lined up a long way to buy their ticket.
The other big event of the day was an annual fundraiser which schools participate in. We saw the black pig by the sign and I remember someone at the salon talking about it. Schools with high school,students were set up in the square selling frozen pork of the black pig.
The kids were super enthusiastic in getting people to stop and support their endeavour. Even though we weren’t buying anything, they were excited to chat with us.
Hama Sushi is one of the better conveyor belt sushi places we have tried. They are very generous with 5 different types of soy sauce, a tub of pickled ginger, unlimited tea from a spout at your table. The sushi is good and it is so quiet. Some of them rival a Pachinko Parlour. Yikes.
We have several stops at Okinawa’s outer islands and Motuba on our voyage to Naha. Lots of freight and cargo to be loaded. Cars and bikes will be loaded once the cargo has been dealt with.
It is like a dance the forklift operators perform as they quickly weave in and out, some boarding in reverse while another loads in a different direction. Fast and precise. Fun for us to watch.
With the load of cargo they dealt with, the crew were phenomenal. We got loaded pretty fast as well…just 4 motorcycles, our 2 trikes and a small number of vehicles. Most passengers were on foot.
We made the right choice sailing with Marix. The pictures in the brochures told the story…A Line looked pretty tired and dated, but Marix has a sparkly new refurbished interior. We like how they have broken up the large number of tatami mats into smaller groupings. Nonetheless, when you pull out your tatami mat at bedtime, you are directly beside your neighbours. As foreigners, we are not used to this lack of personal space, but the Japanese people seem comfortable with this set up. Plus it is a lot cheaper to travel this way.
The ship is immaculate and very clean. We have what we need and the crew are excellent. However, none of the extras like a public bath, entertainment or dining rooms are available like we had on ferries from Honshu, Hokkaido, etc. whose focus is on entertaining passengers.
All secured and we are off. We are pretty excited as this is the longest ferry journey we have undertaken on our travels in Japan. Thank goodness we got our own cabin with a bathroom.
Mark M.Just wanted to say what an engrossing and fascinating journal you've created. Thank you so much for sharing it. I'm learning lots of new and interesting things, and wondering whether a similar trip might need to be on the to-do list when life permits 😊 Reply to this comment 2 months ago
