Two weeks ago, I was sitting at school on a teacher workday and realized Bryan had a port call in Okinawa the following weekend. Thinking it was too crazy to try and book a trip to Oki with less than a week's heads up, I dropped it.
Then I met Meg for dinner that night, and she mentioned a crazy idea of flying down to Oki next weekend to meet the ship. Taking this as a sign, I told her I was DOWN. Lets. Do. It.
That night, we agreed to both call in sick the next Friday and fly down to meet our hubbies in Oki for a port call weekend! With a little organization, Meg booked our flights while I booked our hotel, and somewhere between all that, we also emailed our husbands and told them not to plan a men's weekend at White Beach: the girls are comin' to town!
Friday, January 20, 2023: Oki Bound!
So Friday morning I snuck off base at 5:30 am and met Meg at her place, where we jumped in the car and took off for Fukuoka airport! We made our 9:10 am flight and then picked up our rental car after landing in Naha, Okinawa, Japan!
With a few short texts and emails from the guys, we made the 1-hour drive north to White Beach, where we spotted the ship! What we didn't know, as we pulled up at 1:30 pm, was that they wouldn't get off the ship until almost 5 pm...so we enjoyed four hours at the local bar staring at the ships, where Bryan and Mike were being held hostage by the command!
Lucky for us, Dave Doebrick was bonged off the ship that morning, so he was left at the bar alone until the rest of the ship was released. He got to eat lunch and enjoy a few drinks with us while he waited for everyone else to join him and celebrate his last day on the USS America! If you remember, Dave's wife is Jaime, our own Disney princess friend who will be with us for a few more months in Sasebo.
Eventually, they were set free and we were off to enjoy a weekend in the city! We quickly checked into our hotel and then were off for a night out on the town! We bar-hopped around American Village enjoying good food, a few drinks, and our great friends!
At one pub, we even ran into an entire squadron from Whidbey Island (in Washington State) who work under Mike's younger brother! Apparently, this whole group of guys gave Mike a double-take when he walked in because they thought it was Mike's brother! What a small world!
Saturday, January 21, 2023: Hacksaw Ridge & Kadena AFB
The morning came quickly and the first thing Bryan needed was carbs, so the gang headed to Hale Noa Cafe for a breakfast of omelets and pancakes! I was too hungry to bother with pictures beyond this one of Bryan's Elvis Pancakes- yep peanut butter and bananas for the win!
It wouldn't be a Katie trip without a little history adventure, so we stopped by Hacksaw Ridge and explored the area notorious for the Battle of Okinawa. I was given homework from all of the guys: I have to go home and watch the movie Hacksaw Ridge, which tells the true story of Army Medic Desmond T. Doss who earns the Medal of Honor during this famous battle while never firing a single bullet.
Then Bryan took me shopping at the Kadena BX and I was reminded of all we are missing in Sasebo! This BX was MASSIVE. Two stories, unlimited clothing options, and I nearly cried seeing a wall filled with nail polish! I'm telling you, they had ten shades of red polish and, it's been so long, I forgot jeans come in regular, long and short...
Yeah... it's been a while since I have been in the "real world" of shopping!
Did I walk out with a new pair of jeans and 6 new nail polishes? Yep.
Did I buy Bryan a new pair of sweatpants? Yep.
And best of all: I also bought my Shisa dog statues!!!!
Since spotting these dog statues during our first week in Japan, I knew I wanted a set of Shisa dogs for my front door. The only problem? They are pricey and hard to find on the mainland! After the rest of the car vetoed my begging to stop at a local shop, I spent a good chunk of time in the local market on base finding the perfect set of Shisas to go home with me!
Now my home will always be protected from evil spirits and welcoming to good spirits. Bring it on- my Shisas are ready! Gram can keep her creepy water men statues that she bought during her years in Oki- I have my own strange statues to remind me of these amazing two years!
As you can imagine, Bryan couldn't have cared less which Shisas I left with; he just wanted me to make the choice quicker so we could get out of the BX and stop hemorrhaging money! So he enticed me with the promise of our hotel's rooftop pool. I'm telling you, this man knows the way to my heart!
So we dropped all our goodies in the hotel room, changed into bathing suits, and headed up to soak in the winter rays of Okinawa!
Once the sun began to set, Bryan and I took a stroll downtown to experience one final Oki sunset together. It was stunning and I couldn't believe this last-minute trip was coming to an end...
For dinner, we headed to Chatan Harbour Brewery Restaurant, where we enjoyed some great food and drinks right along the water! After a few hours of chit-chatting, we headed down the street to the local bowling alley for a few games!
Sunday, January 22, 2023: Back to Sasebo
Well, the time is here. Our amazing weekend has to come to a close. While the rest of our group was finishing packing, we headed down to a local coffee shop to grab fresh hand-drip coffee and a quick breakfast! I asked for mine to-go so I could soak my feet in the hot spring outside our hotel while we waited for Meg and Mike.
I'm going to miss the foot baths of Japan! There's nothing better than a steamy foot spa with a chilly morning breeze!
Then it was back to White Beach to drop off Bryan and Stego! They were good sports, and posed for my picture (dang, I am my mother's child!)
Eventually, Meg and I made it back to Naha Airport, returned the car rental, and grabbed lunch at a taco shop in the airport before boarding our flight back to Fukuoka.
While I was bummed to leave B for more of this deployment, I was greeted back home by these two lovelies! Gosh, I can't imagine how lonely I would be without Hugo and Reynolds!
Overall this Okinawa weekend was a blast! I got to love on Bryan, bask in some sunshine, and get in some great shopping! While this was all fun, B and I both agree that we are happier in Sasebo, where we get more local culture and Japanese daily life. Okinawa felt very Americanized and was the perfect place to spend a weekend, but we are happy to say that Sasebo has become home over the last year and a half!
Until next time,
Katie
Great writeup. Did not recognize anything. Glad you bought the dogs, same as my water carriers that are long gone. That is only your second assignment. Wait until you have 20 years in and more bases. Your house will look like mine. Glad you are taking after me and getting things that remind you of places you have been. Your house will look like mine did. Love you and happy shopping. Gram