Silver week!

This week was silver week in Japan! Silver week differs only slightly from golden week, which  falls around the end of April Beginning of May every week. While golden week has three national holidays in one working week, silver week has two. Last week we had both Monday (Respect for the Aged day) and Thursday (Autumnal Equinox) off.  Many people took time to travel to mainland Japan but I have some trips planned for later in my co-op so I got to explore Okinawa a little bit more.

A couple highlights from the week:

Snorkeling! Both post-work and on our day off I went with some of the other interns here to a place called Maeda point. Just off shore there were tons of reef fish and lots of coral. As long as you have a mask, snorkel, and water shoes  (which can be purchased at any convenience store) you are good to go. There are tons of places within biking or a short drive from campus, so I will definitely be doing this more.

Snorkeling at Maeda

On Saturday we took to a local climbing gym and made a pit stop in the town of Chatan (knicknamed "American Village") where I had the first ...good... cup of coffee since I've been here. Chatan is completely different from surrounding areas, the center shopping area has more of an american themed outdoor mall complete with "I WANT YOU for the US Army!" posters for tourists (or the american military) to take picture with...overall an interesting experience.

Coffee in Chatan

We also made it back to Aha falls! My third time here but I don't think it will get old.

Swimming at Aha falls

Nor will I get too used to the sunsets....

At the beach next to OIST

I am excited to have booked a trip to Taiwan in two weeks. More to come on that!

A taste of Okinawa

I thought I would be craving some of the things that are largely missing from my diet here a lot more than I have been (mainly peanut butter, cheese, bread, and dark chocolate).  Okinawa has one of the oldest populations in the world—for every 100,000 people 35 are over the age of 100— and some speculate that the Okinawan diet is one of the main reasons. So maybe my somewhat mandatory health kick will have some benefits :P

Things that I have enjoyed eating here:

-Okinawan purple yams! Prepared in pretty much every way imaginable, my favorite being fresh yam donuts and beni-imo (a type of yam) Icecream

-Pineapple (flashback to pineapple park)

-Grapefruit

-Goya…while I was skeptical of Goya at first, cooked and eaten with other things, it is actually pretty…tolerable…I would even go to say good, in some cases. By itself it is very bitter, but goya is also claimed as a cure-all health food in Okinawa. 

-Ramen: growing up the only exposure I had to ramen was instant packets so I was skeptical at first that ramen could be good, but it is indeed Oishi (delicious)

-Other popular cuisines include Thai and Vietnamese!

Why not sushi? Its definitely around but I’ve only had 2 pieces since I got here, I know, I am disappointed in myself too. I

Beni-imo icecream (naturally purple)

Pappapappapineapple

Typhoon season here is July-November-ish and last week there was was a storm off shore. It didn't hit but it rained pretty much all week, and not really wanting to walk too far...I stayed mostly on the OIST campus...

So what have I been doing at OIST? When I first arrived I knew what my unit generally studied but it wasn't until I actually got here that I realized how diverse the work within the lab is. While the overarching theme is the study of both physical and biological processes that influence biodiversity there is research with in the unit ranging from listening to and studying bird calls, to the evolutionary analysis of ant populations from around the world. After a few days of learning about the various projects in the lab I began to focus on a project which will use mapping tools to study sediment and pollution flow, through waterways on the island onto the nearby reefs. I have a ton to learn! But I am really excited to be digging into things a bit more here.

To make up for the week indoors I have been trying to make the most of my weekend. It is a little difficult to get around without a car or bike from Onna-village where OIST is located, but OIST has electric bikes and cars that interns can sign-out! I am definitely going to try to get my international drivers permit while I am here, but in the meantime I have met some of the interns who have been here for most of the summer and spent Saturday with them touring around the northern part of the island. 

First stop: Pineapple Park

I don't think any of us really understood what the Pineapple Park experience would be when we first set out, but it was definitely one of the more ridiculous tourist attractions I have been too. Imagine an amusement park car shaped as a pineapple, driving through what seemed to be a parking garage sort of building, converted into  botanical garden with the pineapple park theme song playing on loop. The tour was then followed by the option to purchase literally anything pineapple related from pineapple wine to plastic half pig/half pineapple toys...my wallet made it out unscathed...

(Didn't get a lot of good pictures here, so I present to you my obligatory pineapple selfie)

Driving further we explored the more forested northern region of the Island and ended up at Aha falls and spent the rest of the afternoon swimming here! It was a pretty amazing spot :) 

And to top of the day, we stopped for some traditional Japanese food--Taco rice! Yes, here Taco rice is considered to be an Okinawa dish (There is a fair amount of American influence on Okinawa because of the US military presence here). Not exactly what I thought would be popular here, but pretty tasty :) 

Til next week! 

Hello from Okinawa!

I have been laughing at myself a lot this week. Most recently because of my chopstick frustrations (I thought I was reasonably proficient until I realized I occasionally, unintentionally, launch food at my neighbor). But it's also been fun just adjusting to my new life here.  I arrived in Naha, the capital of Okinawa, Monday morning where OIST picked me, and two other students, up to bring to campus (about an hour drive) and from there it was a day full of apartment orientation and grocery shopping, which of course, it my jetlagged state of mind, led me to exclusively purchasing coffee and instant ramen…I hope to expand my diet soon…

On Tuesday, after a much needed night of sleep, and a few more orientation items, I met the unit (lab) I will be working with here. Most of the week I have been working to figure out what my role will be in the lab, there are a number of different projects going on within the unit, some more interconnected than others. In a broad sense the unit studies biodiversity and biocomplexity, but more to come soon on what I will be doing! The research buildings themselves are pretty amazing though (see picture below). I feel like I could be working in a space station that has conveniently landed itself on a hill overlooking the nearby coral reefs….It's a pretty awesome place to be.

Most of the first few days I stayed on campus, but today (Saturday) I had time to explore! Just walking down the main street I got to see the small markets, restaurants, and shops I would like to try while I am here. I walked through some areas that where more tourist oriented, with tons of dive and suveniour shops, and then others that where boardered on both sides by farms growing sugarcane. I eventually (4mi later) made it to Cape Maeda, a local snorkel and dive area and took my first swim in the East China Sea! There was coral and reef fish to see right off of the shore (though better if you swim away from the area where people are getting in and out) but I will be here a lot :)

Divers at Cape Maeda

Looking out from Maeda point

On my walk back I found a local market with lots of food stands and tried the "Okinawa Soba" also pretty tasty (but the chopstick challenges continued). There are so many more things to try! I'll check back in soon.

Konbanwa --Tori