Another week has gone by and therefore there are more current events to talk about. Without further delay let's get right into it!
Election Season
It's election season here in Okinawa and although I have no idea what anyone is running for and of course I cannot vote all I can report to you is that I really cannot wait until it is over. Now, I realize that many of you might be asking yourselves what problem I could possibly have with election season. Maybe this is because in your country you have different practices than they do here in Japan. Let me explain. Here in Japan the candidates do not call on the telephone or run TV ads (as far as I know) but rather to broadcast what they are going to do if you elect them they purchase these vans, put loud speakers on the roof and drive around town. This would not be so bad if there was only one candidate nor would it be bad if they were not emergency siren grade sirens. Generally speaking each of these candidates at least has one of these vans for each route. For example I know that there is one route that comes up past my house (as it does everyone else's house) and then another route that goes down by AEON Big Express down the hill from me (You can see it in the sunset blogs that I post). So imagine that during the day and evening about every 20 or 30 minutes you have one of these vans driving past your house with the volume on these loud speaks saying the same phrase over and over again. "TOKASHI, TOKASHI, TOKASHI, TOKASHI, TOKASHI," . . . . . "OYAMA OHIYOUGOSAIMASU TOKASHI TOKASHI" Goodness it makes you want to rip your own head off. The biggest problem that I have, however, is that right outside by house is a parking lot and they will park the vans there and broadcast as loud as they can so that it can reach the entire OYAMA area. Seriously I am not kidding. Because I am up on the hill I assume that they figure it's the best spot. Problem is that it is so loud that you have to shut all of the windows and even then you can still feel the walls shaking.
There are not many things in Japanese culture that I think are just inconsiderate of the people around them but this is the one that I can truly say I do not think is appropriate. The reason that I say this in particular is not because of my experience with it but because the Japanese are always so quiet and considerate of others. As it is in my neighborhood you could hear a pin drop and we have a lot of older people as well. This is all put aside , however, during this election time.
AEON's New Operating Hours
Here in Okinawa AEON is one of the largest shopping centers with the best prices around. For the most part AEON has everything that you need. From groceries to furniture to CD's to books it's a one stop shop. Until recently the hours were 0900 (or 1000) however there has been a recent change in the hours which will now allow shoppers to begin at 0700. Of course this does not mean that all areas of the shopping centers will open early but at least the grocery part will be open so that more people can complete their shopping before work.
I am personally really excited about this because doing groceries early is a very great advantage especially here in the summer time. I am looking to taking advantage of this. During the summer the earlier I can get out the cooler it is and the less difficult it is to get my grocery shopping done. I am excited about this. Unfortunately this will not be something that is permanent and it will change with the end of the summer in September. Until then I am sure that many will benefit from this change.
Stolen Manhole Covers
Some drivers skills were put to the test when they realized that there were manhole covers stolen in the Naha and Tomigusuku areas of Okinawa this week. In a span of 4 days 36 manhole covers were stolen causing traffic accidents and a lot of frustration. Luckily I was not one of the people who had encountered this and it is a very good thing because I am not sure what I would have done if I had accidentally driven into a manhole which was open.
This story was interesting to me because personally I understand how heavy these manhole covers are and I can not imagine how a person could in the middle of the roads take some of these manhole covers. The reason that I say this is because the roads here in Okinawa seem to always be full of some sort of traffic especially in Naha. I am not sure if there has been any update in this case but I am interested to find out what the person would have done with the covers.
World War 2 Cave Found in Montobu
As many who are familiar with Okinawa know this small island was the battle ground during WWII for a battle known as "The Battle Of Okinawa". Although it has gone by other names as well such as "The Typhoon Of Steel" the facts still remain the same. Of course there are very many resources out there discussing the details of the battle but I will only go over one which is relevant to this story. During the time of the battle the Imperial Japanese Army had civilians (some Okinawan others Korean) carve out tunnel systems (also referred to as caves). This tunnel system was carved by hand with very limited tools. Over the course of the battle these tunnels were used for the Japanese military to move through the mountains to evade the American military. Of course the story continue, however, this is where I am going to stop our history lesson for now. In the southern part of the island, where a bulk of the tunnels are and were used, you can even visit some of these tunnels.
Unfortunately many of these tunnels are no longer safe to visit because they are no longer structurally sound, however, in Montobu recently a tunnel/cave was found which is in immaculate shape. Currently the is research being conducted to find out who was assigned to this area which will be exciting to find out.
It is always interesting to find out when more history is uncovered here in Okinawa. Of course there are always sad stories that come along with war times, however, I like most of the Okinawan people feel that it is important to ensure that the past is not forgotten so that you can learn from the past. What I found fascinating was that there is a 74 year old man who remembers these tunnels being constructed. That in my opinion is amazing.
THANKS FOR READING!
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