Ah Ree Yaah!

Last Sunday, Andromache, Charity, and I went to the annual Tug of War down in Naha. It is the largest tug of war event in the world! We took the bus tour from base and our tour guide walked us from the bus over to Kokusai Street. From there, we were free to roam around the area full of shops, food vendors, restaurants, markets, and frog purses. Yep, I said that right. FROG purses. Make your Christmas requests now!



First time seeing the rope! The rope is 656 feet long and weighs 44 tons!




After shopping and eating on Kokusai Street, we headed back over to the rope. It was SOOOO crowded! I had thought I would participate in the actual tugging, but after seeing how crowded it was and the tour guide telling me that lots of people are injured each year, I opted out. Each side was pulling and yelling, "Ah Ree Yaah!!!". Not sure what that means, but it was really fun to watch!

For those of you wondering, the tug of war ended in a draw. Apparently they have a draw every year in order for both teams (east vs. west) to have good luck. At the end, everyone cuts a piece from the rope that is said to bring good luck as well. As soon as I started up my car after getting off the bus, my check engine light came on and it started shaking really badly. GREAT LUCK THAT ROPE WAS. Oh well, it was worth it. We had a great time!