Distant memory

Last morning in Okinawa. Went for an easy breakfast. Easy, walk in the door.....

 

....pick want you want off of the wall.........

........deposit money in machine, receive the......

......tickets, put them on the table......

.....and presto!, brekkie is served, easy!

Drove by this billboard for of all things grave stones, monuments, plots, burial vaults.

We make a point of stopping at the Peace Memorial Park in Itoman,

Monuments with the names of the over 200,000 people that died in the Battle of Okinawa in 1945. (including over 100,000 civilians)

Looking out over the ocean, time to reflect.....

We also paid homage at the Himeyuri Memorial Tower. What happened to these female high school students and teachers during the Battle of Okinawa is so tragic and horrific.

After that we solemnly made our way to the airport in Okinawa. Another first, automated baggage drop off. You just set your luggage down, it is weighed and a baggage tag is printed off. Once tagged it disappears into wherever it goes.

Waiting for our flight we noticed a lot of fighter jets flying around the airport. I don't think you can zoom in, but there's one way up in that cloud bank.

Driving back to Ritsue's mom's place we noticed a lot of police vehicles, including many, many of these armoured busses that most certainly were in town for the G7 conference.

One more look at the end of the runway.

Stopped at a rest area for a potty break, the trucks in Japan are a little different than the ones I am used to in North America. (besides the obvious right-hand drive)

That night Ritsue and I stayed at the Royal Rihga Hotel in Hiroshima. We went to her favourite restaurant, Kizuna-Ya. We spent a great evening hangin' with the owner, Dai, experiencing........

.....what Hiroshima is famous for, Okonomiyaki!

.....and the company we kept made it so special. Ritsue's friends joined us as well as Joanne and Brendan, who work with me on the Good Doctor. They are touring Japan as well, and just happened to be in Hiroshima on this night, yay!