https://ramblingrecord.com/en/categories/okinawa/Recent content in Okinawa on Rambling RecordHugoen-USThu, 26 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000https://ramblingrecord.com/en/ishigaki/Thu, 26 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000https://ramblingrecord.com/en/ishigaki/<h2 id="day-1">Day 1<a class="heading-anchor" href="#day-1" aria-label="Link to this section"></a></h2> <p>It’s nighttime when we step out of the airport. A car is waiting for us and takes us a few hundred meters to a rental agency parking lot. We pick up our own vehicle and drive to the city center under a light drizzle.</p> <h2 id="day-2">Day 2<a class="heading-anchor" href="#day-2" aria-label="Link to this section"></a></h2> <p>The sky is gray, but it’s not cold. We visit the nearest temple and encounter the shisa for the first time—these cheerful half-dog, half-lion creatures seem to replace the tanuki statues found in the rest of the country. They ward off evil spirits. A team is preparing the temple for the New Year celebrations.</p>