Butting heads in Okinawa: Goat Fights

 

 

This weekend nestled in the mountains of northern Okinawa was an event that I simply couldn't miss. The star of the event, at least according to the signs, was the shikwasa. Chances are you're familiar with this green citrus because of the sweet and tangy lemonade-type drink available in the vending machines around the island.



Although I absolutely love shikwasa I was not there for the fruit, I was there for the goats.



 



Why drive all the way to Motobu for goats you ask? Besides the fact that they are freakin' adorable today was going to be goad fights. Goat fights are one of the many little pieces of Okinawa's culture which is kept alive today.



Much like the more popular bull fights, goat fights are goat vs goat. Both goats go noggin' to noggin' until a winner comes out on top. To be completely honest I am not entirely sure what the rules are. From what I could tell once a goat backs down or decides he doesn't want to participate the other goat is declared the winner. This is at least what I gathered from watching.



 

The goats don't have to participate either. If they don't feel like they are in the mood they are removed from the ring and the next participants are brought in.



 

When both goats decide to face off it's an amazing site. They not only go head to head but they leap up onto their hind legs and slam their horns together. The beauty and power of these goats is something you have to see to believe.

 



 

Overall the entire event was very enjoyable. There was great food, music and a community atmosphere that I have not been around in quite a while. Everyone had a smile on their faces and couldn't get enough of the goats which were all around the site. I can't wait until next year to go back!

 

 

Motobu's WWII Abandoned Airfield

During the Battle of Okinawa most of the island was a battlefield. Both the Japanese and American forces stretched throughout the island in various ways to include underground tunnels, bases and airfields. This included 11 airfields, 10 of which were located on the main island with the 11th on Ie Island off the coast of Motobu.

Some of these airfields are still in use today and you may be familiar with them such as Kadena Air Base or MCAS Futenma. Others had limited function and were decommissioned and abandoned after The Battle of Okinawa. One of those abandoned airfields is the Motobu Airfield.



The Motobu Airfield is located on the Motobu Peninsula which is near the East China Sea. It was built in April of 1945 by the Unites States Army Corps of Engineers and the Navy Seabees as a means to support the Army and Marine Corps ground forces during the Battle of Okinawa. The single runway airfield was mainly used for bombers which is why it had a size of 7,000 feet by 100 feet. The airfield was used from August until October 1945 at which time it was decommissioned.



Today the airfield is for all intended purposes abandoned but is still easily accessible through some country roads. The tarmac is battered and broken. On either side are fields being farmed by those who live in the area. The runway is no longer it's full length either as some areas are now overgrown. One area  actually seemed to have been dug out and a farmer had planed some crops.

The area is quiet and out of the way although there is some construction happening in the area. The future of the Motobu Airfield is still undermined although after all these years I imagine that it is not going anywhere.

Gorilla Chop Rock

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MdwQ8s2d3Y

You may have heard of The Old Man In The Mountain but here in Okinawa we have "Gorilla Chop Rock. This rock formation is a common enough site in Okinawa but if you look close you can see that it looks like a Gorilla doing a karate chop.



 

The location itself is a popular dive location in the Motobu area. It is easy to find as it sits just before the Motobu Port and has it's own parking area.



For those of us who are not divers this location is still a site to see.



The beach is small but beautiful and although it is immediately off the main road being below the level of the road somehow makes it very quiet. This is a great place to listen to the rush of the ocean.



Now, as I am not a diver I can't tell you about the actual dive location itself. In doing some research on the rock formation I found some dive sites which informed me that this is a great dive location for all times of the year. I also found some images of the area which seems to look nice. If you are a diver and have tried out this location and/or are going to try it now please leave a comment and let us know what you thought. This will help us let our viewers and readers if it's worth the trip as far as diving goes.

Special Place In Empty Lot

I am often asked how I find some of the places that I share in my videos and blog. My answer to those who ask always consists of two basic parts. The first is to look through what you see and the second is to lose the watch. This small shrine is the perfect example of what might happen if you do both those things.

Last weekend while doing some exploring on the Motobu Peninsula we found ourselves, as one might, driving from planned location to planned location. As we moved from one location to the next we found an interesting little area which we could barely see at first glance but decided to pull over in an empty lot. Once pulling over we noticed that what we saw was clearly a tori gate, lanterns and a shrine.

Unlike the shrine that I had mentioned yesterday this one was not unlike others I have seen throughout Okinawa. It was void of color and was settled in a quiet area surrounded by threes. The one unique thing about this particular shrine, however, was that it was located in a large empty lot. This was strange because generally speaking these do not have parking areas.

Like many other places in Okinawa there is a bit of mystery which surrounds places like this. There are no signs and at this particular area there were no markers either. Of course this area is used in spiritual practices and I have been told that yuta, most commonly women who are known for their ability to contact spirits, come to places like this. Unfortunately that is the extent of my knowledge of this particular location.