Kinoshita Circus

We weren't going to go to the circus this year since O is still so little, but we found out they only come to Okinawa like every 8 years.  So we didn't want to miss out on this opportunity to see one of the top 3 circuses in the world.

I bought general tickets at Kadena ITT.  They were having a fantastic 2 for 1 deal so our tickets only cost $45 initially and O got in for free.  The general tickets were good for any show the entire time the circus was in town but seating was limited and you may get turned away.

We attempted to go several times over the 3 months they were in town.  But if you're in the military you know how that goes.  Things kept popping up at work.  The first time Z had to go in to deal with a transpo crisis and by the time we got to the circus the show had started.  Luckily, the Ashibinaa Outlet Mall is right down the road, so we decided to check it out.  Another day we were halfway there one day and had to turn around so Z could thoroughly check a vehicle for damage or theft thanks to some drunken idiot messing around the night before.

Anyways, we finally made it to the circus the second to last day they were there.  The lines were huge, but from what my friends had said that was normal.  Everyone suggested getting there at least two hours early to save a place in line if you even wanted to think about getting in with general tickets.

We got there when the first show started (due to another work incident) at 1100.  The circus had decided to add an extra show to their schedule due to public demand to see them. They were also nice enough to start handing out numbers for shows to those who didn't get in to general seating to guarantee them a spot at a later show since they only had a few performances left.  I thought that was fantastic of them.

We decided to wait in the ticket booth line and update our tickets for a later show to ensure we'd get in that same day.  Who knew what else could happen.  After 1 1/2 hours in line, we finally reached the booth.  Upgrades were not that expensive.  We got the 800 yen per ticket upgrades which sat you between the preferred seats and the general seats.  This actually worked out better for us because we were right on the stairs that led to the tent exit.  Since we didn't make the 1st show, O only slightly napped in the car when we went to get A&W and Blue Seal for lunch while we waited.  So we had to keep calming her overly tired self down since the 2nd show was sold out and our tickets were for the 3rd show at 1530.

Once the show began, all the hassle was well worth it.  The acrobats were phenominal and did many tricks I have never seen before.  Sometimes they were a little too daring for my personal comfort.  Such as when the ladies we doing spins and tricks on fabric and then hooked their heads to the fabric with a loop, completely let go and twirled fast in circles.  I don't think you could pay me enough to be 40 or 50 ft off the ground and only supported by fabric around my head.  Crazy!

I absolutely loved the clowns.  There were only three clowns.  1 did acrobatic tricks with the trapeze artists.  The other two did skits and interacted with the crowd periodically throughout the show.  They were hilarious.  And for those of you who get creeped out by clowns because they're always smiling, these guys didn't have those huge, painted on fake faces.  They did have painted faces, but not in the same way.

The Wheel of Death was fantastic and utterly impossible to describe.

Most people I talked to really enjoyed the animal portions of the show.  Honestly, I got a little bored in this section, but I think that's because I could tell the animals were really tired and not into it.  The giraffe was cool, but I kinda felt sorry for him cause he seemed so ancient and sad.  Z and I also found the elephants highly amusing cause every time the trainer made them do a trick like stand on their front legs one of them would pee.

Overall the circus was a hit.  O really enjoyed the 1st half especially well.  The second half we had to buy her a light-up wand to help keep her happy having to stay in her seat.  She is such a little mover.  And I'm sorry, 1000 yen for a light-up wand is highway robbery.  But whatever, it's a cool souvenir.

We went to the food court playground in Ashibinaa Outlet Mall after the show to avoid traffic going over the bridge.  It was crawling and I didn't want to deal with it.  O was glad to get to play with some other kids.  When we finally left, she slept the whole way home and all night long too.  It was a long, exhausting day for us.