26.58N, 127.98E, overcast/rain

April 3 - Woke up early and headed to Nago, where we had a 10am glass-blowing appointment. Ryukyu glass is one of the crafts Okinawa is known for, and there are several studios on the main island that offer hands-on experiences. We were a little disappointed to discover our role in the process was limited to (1) blowing the glass to fit a mold, and (2) widening the red-hot mouth of the glass. But that didn't stop us from doing some glassware shopping at the attached outlet store. Next we stopped by the Nago Pineapple Park (they have a website, but the English doesn't appear to be functional), almost on a whim. This place turned out to be a pretty decent touristy deal for the money. The 500 yen admission got us a pineapplemobile-guided tour of their (pineapple and) tropical gardens, admission to some attached seashell museum (I have yet to fathom the connection), and all-you-can-consume pineapple wine and pineapple snack samples. The catch is they get you drunk on the tasty pineapple wine samples and then set you loose in the souvenir shop. And you get sick of pineapple. After that place... let's see... we drove back down to Naha, the capital of Okinawa and our home for the next two nights. We had a late lunch of Okinawa soba, and spent the rest of the afternoon/evening shopping leisurely along Kokusai-dori (international street). Rie bought some jewelry, we both got some t-shirts, and I picked up a couple of cool shirts at Mango House.

I lied. Castles and pig heads are tomorrow.