Halloween

The Japanese kids LOVE the trick or treat holiday. Oh boy.  With pitch perfect English, these midget pumpkinheads and witches would ask "Trick or Treat?" and say "Thank you!" Not a one needed to be prompted on the "thank you." So adorable. So very wee. 

From what I understand, Okinawans don't celebrate Halloween, but because there are so many Americans here, the kids get into the spirit. Not every one of the houses in my neighborhood were giving out candy last night, but apparently word got out that C-17 (ours) was flinging bags of M&M's like it was goin' out of style (and we were).  At about 6:30 pm, I had to leave to pick up John from the office.  I walked over to my car in the driveway, and out of no where comes a pack of two-wheeling 5 year olds, biking past all the other condos, then promptly flinging their bikes on our doorstep and furiously knocking on our door.  They didn't even notice that the mistress of the house was standing 5 feet from them.  The word on the street was "C-17's got the goods!" and that's all they needed to hear.   

After several rounds of this dance (me trying to escape my own driveway, then going back in to get candy) I finally got John and we went to Gordie's for the evening.  Gordie's is a hamburger joint in the neighborhood run by a lovely Okinawan couple. It's pure 1950's hawaii, complete with surfboards and palm leaves.  Limited menu, but the best onion rings in town. Even some of the tables are made from 1950's school desks.  You can count on hearing the Beatles, Elvis or oddly Jack Johnson (Okinawans are obsessed with Jack Johnson, it seems).  John had arranged to have Gordie's play Ju-on, the Japanese version of the Horror movie "The Grudge".  They have an outside deck complete with projector and huge screen.  It felt like we were at a drive in.

The scariest part of all was the bats.  They flew overhead the entire movie.  I'm always afraid one is going to dive-bomb me. Two nights ago we were standing underneath a giant tree just infested with bats.  We had flash lights, and we would try to illuminate them.  They are more monkey than bird - they have these creepy little hands that climb through the branches like monkeys, trying to find the perfect branch for upside-down hanging. Up close their faces even resemble frightful little monkeys, with blonde goatees that stick straight up when they sleep upside down. How fun to have a Halloween complete with herds of bats flying overhead!