Futenma Shrine

Just outside of Camp Foster is our local shrine, Futenma Shrine.

It is one of the eight major Ryukyuan Temples used to worship Kumano Gongen.  It is composed of a shrine and a 280 m long  set of caves.  We did not get the opportunity to see the caves on this particular day.  However, the caves are also used as a place of prayer and worship.

You can purchase o-mikuji (random fortunes written on strips of paper at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples) and ema (small wooden plaques on which Shinto worshipers write their prayers or wishes. The ema are then left hanging up at the shrine, where the kami (spirits or gods) receive them.) while you are there.

Proper Shrine Ettiquette:

• Behave calmly and respectfully.
• Traditionally, you are not supposed to visit a shrine if you are sick, have an open wound or are mourning because these are considered causes of impurity.
•  At the purification fountain, take one of the ladles provided, fill it with fresh water and rinse both hands making sure the water does not go back into the fountain.  Then transfer some water into your cupped hand, rinse your mouth and spit the water out beside the fountain.  Do not drink directly from the ladle or swallow the water.  Some visitors skip the mouth rinsing part of the ritual.
• At the offering hall, throw a coin into the offering box, bow deeply twice, clap your hands twice, bow deeply once more and pray for a few seconds. If there is some type of gong, use it before praying in order to get the kami's attention.

Shuri Castle

After our weekend retreat, some of the PWOC ladies took our guest speakers out to explore some local sites.

After several hundred years of rivalry between warlords, the Okinawa islands were unified as the Ryukyu Kingdom in the early 15th century. For 450 years, Shuri castle was the palace of the King of Ryukyu and was the political, economic and cultural center of the Ryukyu Kingdom.  The current castle is a reconstruction of the 18th century facility as the actual structure was demolished in 1945 when the US military attacked during the Battle of Okinawa.  In the throne room, however, they have a couple of glass panels installed in the floor where you can actually look underneath and see remnants of the original castle ruins.

Our group photo was taken in front of the Seiden (the castle's main hall).  This is where the major state affairs and court ceremonies were held.  It is also the most recognized landmark of Okinawa.  Architectural influences throughout the castle can be seen from China, Japan, Korea and several other neighboring countries.  The Shurei-mon (the second gate) is an architectural structure unique to Okinawa and is sometimes referred to as a symbol of Okinawa.

Una Plaza extends in front of the Seiden and was used for ceremonies in the past. It is encircled on the other three sides by the Hokuden (North Hall), Nanden (South Hall) and the Hoshinmon (Hoshin Gate). The Hokuden and Nanden served as administrative buildings and venues to welcome envoys from China and mainland Japan respectively.

We took a tour of the castle (800 yen), including the traditional tea ceremony (200 yen). They don't actually perform the ceremony.  You go in and they talk about the tea ceremony (in Japanese) while you taste a variety of cookies and have tea that would have been served when the castle was in operation.

The castle also has other attractions that we were unable to see.  Every morning they perform the gate opening ceremony, several days throughout the week they have Ryukyuan Dance demonstrations, and every evening they illuminate the castle from sunset until midnight.  They also host several festivals throughout the year.

Note to mothers, this is not a stroller friendly tourist attraction.  However, the pathways that wind through the park are and they are well worth the walk.  They even have a little map with a stamp adventure for kids at the information center.  If you walk around and get so many stamps (I think it's 8), the kids can redeem their map for a really awesome sticker.  And the park is free, so who can beat that!

Other posts from visits to this site:

Shuri Castle & Nearby Shrine

Okuma & Hiji Falls

My very first weekend get-a-way after having O.  What a glorious thing it is to have time and space to yourself for a change.  And at the same time... I kinda missed the little tyke.

Our retreat took us to Okuma, a lovely little resort on the Northern end of the island overlooking the East China Sea. There is so much to do there that it's no wonder it is a popular family vacation spot.  Plenty of beaches, go-carts, golf, various sports courts, hiking, etc.  You name it, they probably have it available.  And the little restaurant there has fantastic food at fairly reasonable prices.

O recently disabled the lens of my camera, so I only have a few phone pictures from this excursion.  But honestly, I was too engrossed in getting to know the other PWOC ladies and participating in our activities to really take many pictures anyhow.  Not that I wouldn't love to have some, especially from our amazing race.

If you'd like to find out more about Okuma, please visit their website: http://kadenafss.com/okuma-home

 

After the retreat was over, several of the ladies decided to hike Hiji Falls.  It's the largest waterfall on island.  The path is not incredibly long but there are many, many stairs to climb up and down and also a pretty cool suspended bridge to cross.  Well worth the hike.  It could prove a challenge for little ones, but with some help on the stairs the whole family could enjoy this hike.