Jeremy and I go to Ie Jima an island a few miles off the coast of Okinawa.
We take our bikes and cycle happily around the island.
Big Red stretches her legs
Fields and fields of tobacco and peanuts and hedgerows of hibiscus.
Hedges of this
However it is the rainy season in the sub tropics and suddenly a colossal rain storm sweeps in. We flee for shelter and luckily there is a particularly attractive public convenience at the end of the island in the lily fields. It is so reminiscent of family holidays in Scotland – Jeremy and I staring out at the grey sea as the rain lashes down. The difference of course is that the temperature is 28 degrees and the rain is warm.
We have fun making disaster movies:
Ie Jima suffered terribly in the war. Read this:
http://www.history.army.mil/books/wwii/okinawa/chapter7.htm
It really is heartbreaking that such terrible slaughter took place on islands inhabited by the kindest , most courteous people I have ever come across.
Caves where thousands sheltered as the US and British fleets pumped an average of 5.87 shells on each inhabitant of Okinawa
I thought this was agricultural machinery until Jeremy enlightened me.
Harvesting tobacco
We climb Mt Gusuku, a big hill in the middle of the island.
On top of ol’ Mt Gusuku
Compare with wartime photos.
At the top the wind is quite strong and huge black butterflies are playing a game of flying to the top of the mountain to be caught by the wind and blasted over giggling wildly. They then went back to the start and did it all over again. Jeremy and I standing on top of a mountain on an island in the East China Sea with gleeful butterflies flashing over our heads.
I want this boat.
Lovely Stornaway
made in scotland