Dirty Dozen +1 (Around the world...)

[tahonng]

^^ I´d like to... would be easier I knew some kind of trade though, instead of being an academic.

You could proxy for a bit, 'til you found your calling…

[gramps]

Ah, Bobo I remember when you said you were toying with moving to Canada. We lost out to Okinawa?

[mizanation]

whatup bobo, english is not the norm here. being able to speak japanese helps a lot. but, people here are used to english speaking people (americans have lived here for over 60 years). thousands of people here don't speak any japanese but have lived here happily for years. the cost of living is very, very low here. however, this is the poorest prefecture in japan, with the highest unemployment (although, the u.s. unemployment rate has recently surpassed okinawa's unemployment rate). you would have to create your own opportunities here.

[mizanation]

yesterday, we decided to go to yomitan, a nearby town.

the highways in okinawa are often lined with palm trees. on the left, over the barbed wire fence is the u.s. military base. the grass really is greener on the other side.

this entry to the base has two japanese-style red torii gates.

we stopped at one of yuki's favorite restaurants, hanaori soba.

if you look at the top right of the menu, you can see one of their specialties: noodle soup w/ chitterlings. i think i'm gonna pass on that one....

instead, i opted for the hanaori special noodles.

and yuki got the vegetable noodle soup, which is amazing.

[mizanation]

next, we went to the yomitan cliffs.

the cliffs are made of limestone.

there were a bunch of people fishing off the face of the cliffs.

in 1990, okinawa was hit by a super-typhoon. this rock weighing 100 US tons was tossed over here. here i am trying to move it back.

[mizanation]

next, we went to a nearby okinawan candy factory. that big red dome is a giant traditional okinawan hat. kinda like an okinawan sombrero.

this is one of okinawa's most famous candies. it's made out of okinawan sweet potatoes, which are purple.

okinawan salt is famous for its nutritional value and its taste. many people believe its one of the secrets of okinawan longevity and vitality.

candies shaped like shisa.

more candies...

they had a bunch of shisa figurines. in okinawa, you see shisa everywhere. they are always outside peoples houses and are one of okinawa's most famous symbols. they are lion-dogs that guard the entrances to homes and businesses. i have two small shisa that i put next to my computer to guard it from viruses and spamware.

[mizanation]

they have the factory in the back.

and of course, what's a japanese corporate sign without a touch of engrish?

[mizanation]

japanese toilets are pretty interesting. let me give you a little tour. not all japanese toilets are like this, but sometimes you will see toilets like this in people's homes or in a store.

many store bathrooms have disinfectant spray you can use to wipe the seat.

this is the interesting part. with this control panel you can control several options to liven up your toilet experience. the button with the red square is to stop whatever the toilet is doing. on the right of that is to turn on a little nozzle that comes out and sprays warm water right at your ass hole. to the right of that is a button for women that sprays water at the coochie. the button to the right of that turns on a dryer that dries your ass. the dial on the right controls the power of the water stream.

ok, many foreigners make the mistake of thinking that you can just let the water stream do all the work. this is not true! you have to wipe first. the stream is there just to give your ass that extra bit of cleanliness. if you don't wipe first, it can get pretty messy. so, please, wipe then use the water spray.

also, to help conserve water, there are two flush settings on many japanese toilets. for number 1's, you pull the lever back towards you. for number 2's, you push the level forward away from you.

[mizanation]

next to the candy factory, there was a little wedding chapel on the beach. japanese people love to get married on the beach.

this couple just got married at the chapel and are getting their photos taken on the beach.

it was a nice day, sunny but not too hot.

i got my feet wet a little.

we drove through the sugarcane fields to get back to okinawa city.

that's it for now, perhaps more later....

[nifu]

are you gonna tell us what this is miz?

can someone guess what this is? i will post the answer tomorrow.

[mizanation]

are you gonna tell us what this is miz?

i'm thinking of sending a prize to the first person who guesses what it is. so, i'll give you guys a couple more days.

*edit* someone guessed it. so, contest is over. look at my post below to see what it is.

[selaviso]

pull up workout bar? or something like that?

[scoki]

Bed frame?

These pictures and updates are really awesome, miz. Thanks for sharing!

[maruka]

denim rack haha

[denimformytummy]

You have a good and happy life...

Every single of your day looks like a vacation day

niceee

[Prisoner]

looks like some sort of gate to me

awesome story awesome pictures miz

[mizanation]

click here to find out what the mystery package is:

http://www.mizanation.com/ddplus1/pullup/1.jpg

http://www.mizanation.com/ddplus1/pullup/2.jpg

http://www.mizanation.com/ddplus1/pullup/3.jpg

http://www.mizanation.com/ddplus1/pullup/4.jpg

http://www.mizanation.com/ddplus1/pullup/5.jpg

[nifu]

looks like your roof is too low!

can you do dips on those sidebars?

[mizanation]

dips are very, very wobbly. i'm thinking i need to put some sandbags on the legs.

[heflys]

Damn, I knew that thing looked familiar....

[selaviso]

yes i was right! lol.

[heflys]

You somehow stole the answer from my subconscious, so, in effect, cheated.....

[mizanation]

so, my beloved Nikon D40 is having auto-focus issues, which makes things annoying.

probably gonna have to get it fixed. please be patient while i work out the technical difficulties.

[wesc]

i think i speak for everyone..... NOooooooooooooooooooooooooo =(

hope everything is ok. its a sad day folks.

[sircheesecake]

Manual focus can actual be fun. Do you have a point and shoot?

[Dex_star]

so, my beloved Nikon D40 is having auto-focus issues, which makes things annoying.

probably gonna have to get it fixed. please be patient while i work out the technical difficulties.

Canon ftw :|

[mizanation]

i'm gonna keep it old-school manual today.

[mizanation]

good news, i removed the lens and put it back on and auto focus works again! updates later.

[MindxMatters]

Excellent news, glad to hear it was nothing major. Looking forward to further updates!

[chantheman]

we ran into Hiro and some random girl.

i need to move to okinawa to see random girls like that