Okinawa and Korea

by Paul Winter

After living in paradise in Europe, I moved to the southern most island in Japan. It is where the Japanese often vacation. It has some beautiful beaches and amazing blue/green water.

The island doesn't have much wild life, but it was all beautiful:

When I first arrived I stayed in the Hilton only because my company, Hughes Aircraft was picking up the bill. The room I forced the hotel to give me had this view at night:

In a few weeks I said goodby to the Hilton and moved into a great little two bedroom by the ocean.

I could actually check the surf from my dining room (the other bedroom).

A woman delivered $4 worth of flowers every week.

I had pine and banana trees in my back yard.

The neighborhood had some interesting angles.

At night I often walked down to the water with my dogs and camera:

My new place came with a special bonus - a phone. It usually takes six months to get a phone in Okinawa. It was in a small closet which I though strange until the first plane came over head. Clever Japanese.

Water is everywhere in Okinawa, but sometimes I had trouble finding it, "I think it's over there."

There wasn't much to do at night, but it looked good.

I learned to windsurf in Okinawa. It was about 1979 and the equipment was primitive including a wooden boom.

The best thing I got going in Okinawa was Sunday night jam secessions at Paul's place.

One thing I loved about Okinawa, but had trouble capturing on film was the color of the sea:

One place where I windsurfed often had a sandy bottom that had been planted in a checker pattern of agricultural quality seaweed. The effect on the water color was amazing. I windsurfed through a patchwork of purple and turquoise, but never captured it on film. How's your mind's eye doing with that image?

Korea

While I was working in Okinawa, a couple of the pilots reported a radar problem while flying into Korea. I told them I was on the job. I arranged for a couple days to check out the electromechanical environment and a week to check out the cultural and economic environment - shopping. I spent a small fortune in clothes including a custom leather motorcycle suit for $100. It was such good quality, I still use the pants almost twenty years later.

When the shopping spree was over I went touring. Korea had great red stuff:

Korea has some very unusual architecture.

Even some of their old buildings are strange.

Of course you can ind the traditional.

With some surprising effects.

But ultimately the traditional has been abandoned.

Everybody's gone shopping.

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