Ah, it was a wonderful day for a parade! No rain. A little cloudy but it was welcomed to calm some of that sun making it a very pleasant day to be out and about. I came to Koza a little early, staked my claim and set up camp on Chuo Park Avenue. Purely by chance I discovered that I had picked out a spot right outside of a little soba house! What a deal! With Dr. Bung and Kelly to keep me company I sat and waited. I didn't wait very long though before the aroma got to me. I went in and placed an order. After ordering I went back outside to get some images of the place then went back insode. I asked the proprietor the name of the restaurant and he wrote out this note for me While waiting for my soba creation I "chatted" (if you can call stumbling all over my limited Japanese a chat) with these fellas. They were interested in my Panasonic camera - maybe because they hadn't seen one that ancient before - and we talked about why I was on the island. "Camp Mikku" While slurping soba I bided my time people-watching under a perfectly clouded afternoon When the talent started showing up I knew that parade time was approaching The guys across the street were doing a bang-up business selling yakitori and whatever else they had SHOW TIME ! ! I tried something new - I mounted my SJCam (similar to a GoPro) to the top of my hat. Turned out pretty well, I think. At some point the parade came to a stand-still accompanied only by snare drums. I took time to enjoy the kids' enthusiasm. BONUS! When the parade got to the east end of Chuo Park Avenue they turned around and made a second pass. On their return trip down "B.C. Street" they were playing Okinawan traditional. Tinsagu nu Hana - Yay! I don't know who this guy is but he fancied himself some sort of celebrity After the parade I headed back over to Gate 2 Street (Route 20). Along the way I passed a vegetable and fruit wholesale store operated by the Agricultural Association. It looked mighty inviting but I didn't stop in. Darn! I also didn't bother with Toyama's liquor store. I just wandered down some "back alley" streets and gawked at things in life that I hadn't seen in years. And I reminisced as I walked past the Montblanc. Too bad it's no longer a restaurant. On my walk back to the USO where I had parked the car I encountered a fella whom I had seen a few times before. Nice man. As you may surmise, yes, I was limping. I'm usually not quite THAT bouncy with the camera! So ended a fun day on Chuo Park Avenue and the Saint Patrick's Day parade! After that I stopped off at Koza Music Town Questions, comments, critiques? All are welcome. Type here then click "Send it!" Thanks, Mick Back to ClickOkinawa.com ©2017 Contact: ClickOkinawa.com