Ah, yes.... Differences in culture. Part Duex. 

The People

  Hipsters. You would think you were in Seattle with how many locales dress in the "hipster" style. Don't get me wrong, it works. But walking around in public where young adults frequent, is very interesting. Lots of slouchie beanies, leggings, peasant tops, faux glasses, bright colored accents and large bags. 

 Old people. We all know that the Japanese have long life spans. This is often attributed to their diet and their low-stress way of life. They work well into what we refer to as our retirement years, and that includes farming and other manual labors. Five times as many Okinawans reach 100 years than the rest of Japan. There are 34.7 centenarians for every 100,000 person on island, which is the highest percentage IN THE WORLD. They have a great sense of community and are very spiritual. There are many religions on island, the main ones are Christianity and Buddhism. But many still follow old Ryukyu beliefs, worship of ones ancestors and their symbiotic relationship between the living, the dead, the gods and the spirits of the natural world.

  

Okinawans preferred to be called Okinawans, not Japanese. Kinda in the same way Hawaiians prefer to be called Hawaiians, not Americans. After all Okinawa is the Hawaii of Japan. Though the majority of the dialect is the same, they do have their on colloquialisms. like the difference between coke, pop, soda etc.

Recycling

 On an island only 876.95sq mi there are about 1.4 million people. That's about 1570 people per square mile. Recycling is mandatory. Everywhere. They recycle all cardboard products, all glass, all wood, all metal, all appliances etc. They even come by once a week to pick it up. Imagine if they didn't recycle, the trash heap would be bigger than the island itself!

My plastic bag bags are a big hit here. I take the grocery bags I get from the commissary and cut them up, link them together and crochet a reusable shopping bag out of it. It is my own personal way of showing my respect for the locals (that I respect their home) and the earth in general. To think how wasteful the US is on a whole (compared to this island) is just amazing. I still recycled in the states, heck we even got cash back for recycling, but I didn't realize all the things that could be recycled! Cutting our 2-3 trash bags a week down to one! It really is amazing.

Not to sound too hippy-ish or anything, but I really do hope the US starts to recycle a lot more, we only have one planet and it really would be a shame to see it overrun by trash.

Well, its time for me to go be a mommy. You all stay safe, and hey... recycle, reduce, reuse!