Mommy and Daddy visit Japan, Part 3

Since the coast is always minutes away from wherever you are in Okinawa, Joseph and Kate take us to the beach.

Looks like a sandcastle is out of the question today.

The rare bacon shell...mmmmm, bacon.

Ooooh, a zebra shell for teeny, tiny zebras.

After the beach, it's time to walk around the town some more.

Looks like I'm taking too long admiring the scenery.

Hmmm, I wonder what these grooves in the sidewalk could be used for...interesting. A foot massage?

COOL! It looks like these grooves and bumps are used so that visually-impaired people can still navigate the town.

A billboard showing the world's largest taco rice. What's taco rice? Take the inside of a taco and slap it on some rice. Voila! Delicious!

Our loot from the grocery store. We have ramen with mayo on the left (yeesh, everyone was STRONGLY ENCOURAGED to try it), sake, grape juice with yummy gummy bits inside (soooooo addictive and weird), alcoholic juice boxes....looks like we're college kids.

I love Japan.

Joseph and Kate have a special day planned for us, but it takes a taxi ride to get there. We discovered that the taxi driver was an awesome origami artist and made up these little figures WHILE HE WAS DRIVING...he's just that awesome.

A seahorse...

A T-Rex...

A kitteh (neko!) and pterodactyl

What's our special day? A whole day of games and entertainment at Round 1!

Hmmm, looks like we were so excited we arrived before they opened. Time for some more exploring.

A teeny, tiny, Japanese snailio.

Michael makes for a nice picture amongst the scenery.

This whole building is dedicated to sports fields, karaoke, video games, the works. Yep, it's going to take all day to have fun.

Joseph is really excited to enter.

Unfortunately, I don't have the skills to rescue any of these cute bears.

Can Joseph stay on and make Texas proud?

Kate found a game that's somewhat like Lego meets Tetris.

This is THE BishiBashi. It is an awesome game of who can button mash the fastest.

One of the games (yes, one out of many fun ones) you can play is to wave the fluffy, feather toy in front of the kitty before it swats it. We spent the better part of an hour here.

After another fun, exhausting day, it's time to hit up American Village again for dinner and more fun.

Looks like Michael picked up a shoulder pet.

Yakiniku is SOOOOO good that we went for seconds.

It's the cutest pirate's life for Joseph.

This is a biiiiiig Hello Kitty.

WOW! Inside Hello Kitty is a command and control center for young kids to enter and terrorize Okinawa with Mecha Hello Kitty.

This food is almost too cute to eat.

Inside the ferris wheel.

Shown actual size.

Mommy and Daddy visit Japan, Part 2

The Okinawan adventure continues as we prepare to zipline in the Okinawan forest/jungle at a place called Forest Adventure.

The Forest Adventure office is right off the coast. Of course, almost everything in Okinawa is right off the coast.

Eating lunch at the convenience store next door before ziplining. The owner had to show us how to prepare our ramen soup using the "fancy" equipment like the clueless Americans that we were.

This is DIY ziplining. A test course is provided to make sure you don't have a death wish.

WHOOSH!

What ziplining might look like

I make this look good.

Blurry action shot of Michael ziplining.

This only looks easy until you realize there was a BIG hole in this net halfway through. And that Joseph fell through it, haha - I mean, it was a good thing he was attached to the zipline.

This net threatened to swallow me whole. Om nom nom!

The landing can be a bit rough.

What Kate might look like ziplining.

This section was hard. Those slats are farther apart than they appear here.

A much needed refreshing water break in the middle of the course.

And the judges give Kate a "10" on her perfect landing.

Ah yes, the Leap of Faith. Joseph is preparing to show us how to scream like a girl as you hurl yourself down the zipline and try to attach yourself to the net like a fly awaiting its inevitable, webby doom.

This angle gives you a better perspective on why it's called the Leap of Faith.

Once the Leap of Faith has been conquered, you are rewarded with a difficult obstacle course.

We survived! Joseph, just barely, though.

After a fun, hot, physically exhausting day, it's time for yakiniku - all you can eat delicious, grilled meat. Oh, and the grill is in the middle of the table...OM NOM NOM!

The next day, it's time to wander around the town of Kin, get a couple's marriage certificate...

Ooooooh, this 5000 yen note is very pretty (roughly about $50).

Yep, still pretty on the back, too.

Nothing international about this place.

Mmmmmm, these all look pretty delicious!

Delicious AND with decorative wrapping!

Found this inside a grocery store. I really hope my teeth are as awesome as this one against spiky mouth germs.

Qoo = Tang + orange juice = awesome! And of course adults can drink it, don't mind the fun cartoon characters on the front.

Joseph and Kate outside the Kin city office with marriage certificate in hand!

Michael posing next to one of the many flowers on the sidewalk.

Even in Japan, the manhole covers are decorative.

A very colorful billboard we saw on the way. Oh sweet, sushi!

Some houses behind the main street.

Next in Kin is a trip to Gold Hall - a cafe, a museum with wooden sculptures, a cave, a bonsai garden...

These wooden sculptures were everywhere!

After lunch, maybe Joseph will resemble the statue behind him better with a rounder belly.

When in Japan posing next to a replica statue of an American icon made by the French, do as the Japanese do and make the V sign.

A-ha! Caught the newly newlyweds being newly wedded.

Bonsai, bonsai, bonsai, me, bonsai, bonsai, bonsai...this could take a while.

Another decorative manhole cover (according to the Internet, this is Tamuu-kun, who flies around on a taro, one of Kin's biggest crops - wheeeee!).

Neko! Everybody has to stop and pet the kitteh.

Michael posing next to some more beautiful flowers on the sidewalk.