Okinawa Prefectural Museum

Back when my parents were visiting (right after Adam's birth) we tried to find the Okinawa Prefectural Museum, but failed miserably.  We drove around with vague directions, weaving in and out of side streets and finally admitted defeat at a local McDonald's.  Today, with much better directions, the kids and I not only found it, we made it there in a single attempt with no u-turns.  I was thrilled.  Of course, I never saw a sign for the place until we were leaving.  If we had passed it with my parents, I never would have known.

Takakura-  This was a storehouse for crops.  The floor is raised to draw a draft and protect the crops from humidity and damage from vermin.  Look!  Adam's a "vermin".

The Vernacular Residence-  This was a traditional Okinawan residence that was perfect for the high humidity here.  They don't have gates and the shutters stay open to promote a draft.  There are still homes like this in the Southern part of the island.

Now if only I could get flowers that grow as well as my children.

The first part of the museum was this glass floor with an ocean scene.  It was really funny to see the kids try to figure out that it was still a floor.  I'll admit, I even walked on the bars separating the squares of glass.

The Rest Area-  Nestled right next to the bathroom was this little area.  Not exactly sure why people need a rest- the museum isn't that big, but we were happy to have a place that the kids could run and crawl and basically, be kids for a few minutes.

Enjoying a moment to stretch.

The best part of the visit was the "Touch and Experience" Room.



working on a bone puzzle.

He really hated looking like an Okinawan.

You mean, we're allowed to make noise?



Games and puzzles and fun!  Who cares that most of it was in Japanese and we didn't know what we were doing.

We ventured outside to the "garden".  Hmm, we don't grow these in the States.



So that was busy morning exploring, adventuring and having fun.  I have to end the blog with a little laugh.  As we were walking back to the car, we noticed (in the museum parking lot) this:

Now, I don't know about you, but when I think of "Guide Dogs" I think of dogs leading the blind.  It must mean something else in Japan, otherwise these are some seriously smart dogs.