Haru time

When I lived on Sado Island (Niigata-ken), I clearly remember when we were bumping against a new season.  I vividly remember the onset of Spring–tanuki sightings, the first promise of blooming sakura, the changes in the rice field in front of my apartment.  In Okinawa, it’s harder for me to sense these seasonal shifts in nature (esp in my tiny concrete apartment in the Chuubu area b/c it’s so densely populated).  Instead, I sense them through cultural events.  Like when my mom said, we need to start thinking about foods to bring to shimi, I know we are in the thick of spring.

I can’t even believe the winter flew by so quickly and now the beaches have officially opened and we are prepping for upcoming summer matsuris already.

As I look over my photos, I am reminded that I really need to slow down and take in more of Okinawa slowly, savor it and not consume it so greedily as if I were a tourist. I know my time is limited here so I can’t help myself.

I’ve been interviewing folks in some of their favorite spots (now my favorite spots too!)  And they’ve also told me about where to go and what to see while my mom is still here.  It’s been fun exploring parts of Okinawa she never got to go to when she lived here before she left in her 20′s.

Here are a few shots since March.