WAHHHHGWAAAAN? ( That's Jamaican for whats up?) Long time no see. Hope ya'll been doing well. I been taking it one step at a time, working on my biz and music, effing with that LiT App now and then, no I aint't cheating on Steemit, but this platform does take some time to whip up good content. ( UGHHHH) just too much ishhh to do in this digital world. But I'm grateful to be alive in these times.

LET'S DIVE IN

I recently took a trip to Okinawa ( a Japanese island located south of the mainland) . Now this trip had some real meaning to it. You see, the boys were just about to turn 3 and that means no more lap/free flights, time to pay up! So you know we had to take advantage of that ish! Also on a sad note, my wife's sister who passed away about 4 years ago really loves Okinawa. So we brought some of her remains with us to be one with the ocean at her favorite spot on the island. This trip was really important for my wife as it brought back memories she shared with her sister. Death is the most mysterious thing in the world right?

Travelling with Twins ain't no mofvcking joke!

From bus to plane to car

Good Lord.... If you have twins and you travel some distance with them..... heck if you have kids in general and traveled by plane, I think you deserve a medal of honor and a pat on the back! ( HA you a parent you ain't getting shit but a diaper full of shit:).

We first took a bus from our home in Gunma to Haneda Airport located in Chiba. Took about 2 hrs ( BTW its the best way to get to the airport in Japan as the trains are packed and parking is expensive). The boys were well behaved except for a few loud outburst here and there but hey kids will be kids.

Once we arrived at the airport the JAJA Twins were restless. They were all over the place, so we did what most modern day parents do...... bought them ice-cream. Of course that only lasted a minute, so we continued finding ways to keep them occupied ( without retreating to the smartphones). Luckily the airports in Japan have play areas and thank God for glass windows showcasing the airplanes.

Once on the airplane the boys weren't so rowdy like the the time we took a trip to the States and Jamaica. For most of the trip Kamar ( the younger by a minute) slept , while Yumar was bouncing around looking for things to do while on his mom's lap. But once it came to landing Kamar woke up and got rowdy, didn't realize he was scared until he actually said it, he's usually the brave and bold one. ( The flight from Haneda to Okinawa takes around 2 hrs)

Finally in Okinawa

We jumped off the plane with twins in hand ( because for some reason they have legs but refuse to walk). Got our luggage and jumped on a bus to the car rental we booked with. We checked into the hotel around 8:30 PM and went where everyone goes in Japan on a vacay night in a new town........ the izakaya.

Izakya every night makes the vacay right!

Beach Hunt

The next day we decided to find the beach that my wife and her sister visited on their last trip. A two hour drive to a smaller island and about another hour of searching, stopping and asking and a lil ghetto inspiration got us there. It was worth it. This beach was unlike any I've seen, there were fish, star-fish, snails, all kinds of creatures up in that bitch, perfect for snorkeling. The boys were afraid to go int the water ( and rightfully so) so we walked the rocks looking at all the creatures stranded in the low tide between the grooves in the rocks ( even saw some climbing fish, the dudes climbed out the water onto rocks and jumped back in Olympics style.)

My wife gave me the honor of placing some of her sister's remains in the sea. I said a prayer and blessed up Yuka and her family. It was interesting to see how much the bones and ashes looked like sea shells and sand.

The boys went with mom for a minute while I took a swim. I'm from the islands man, I gotta get that salt Yuzimi!!

Creature hunting, was fun for me too actually. Saw a lot of tropical fish of all colors. Our beach trip ended when the boys decided to fight over a stick, a frigging stick!! ( tantrum # 1) After the beach we went to the "American village" , the real tourist trap of Okinawa. There is nothing really American about it, except for overpriced shopping. ( hmm well that's American enough.

The Aquarium

Th next day we went to the Aquarium. Now I done seen so many aquariums in Japan and they all the same but hey what else is there to do when you travel with kids? Shiiit if I were still dating I might have ended up here too. hmmm I need to be more adventurous. It was actually good though.

Before the aquarium we made a quick stop by Shurjuji castle ( to me it wouldn't be a trip within Japan without going to the castles/temples/shrines.)

" Awwwww they so cute, are they twins?" Looks like the guard dog statue be saying that right?

( Tantrum #2) The boys got into play mode at the castle, they ran from us expecting us to run after them... yeah eventually we did, they were going into restricted areas, bouncing into people and so I ran after Kamar grabbed him and he fell, ( INSERT HUGE BAWL) all the Chinese and Taiwanese tourists looked on in amazement, the only thing left for them to do was to get the smartphones out. Non stop crying and whining from both the boys as we exited the scene which we had barely seen and on to the aquarium. Seriously though, if I had a $100 for every time someone said my twins are cute, I'd be a rich mofo. I think they aiiiight!!

Aquarium pics

There was a lot to see at the aquarium. Didn't take much pics though, was busy running after the boys.

The whale-sharks are one of the main attractions of any aquarium in Japan

( Tantrum # 3 ) Before we got to the dolphin show outside, the boys wanted to use their bike/stroller thingy themselves, again bouncing into people causing a lil havoc. Another scene was created, more tourists watched. There was a cute set of Taiwanese twins ( ladies) who kept on looking on saying how cute the boys are ( while I'm thinking how cute they are, they were really fvcking cute gals, the type that you can't get out of your mind, plus one had green hair and the other had purple, they looked like pop stars, wish I took pics of them) LOL). The crying intensifies, and we leave the scene pre-game again. Travelling with kids this age is tricky as it is hard to find the balance between sleep and adventure.

A little more beach time

I don't know about you, but if I go to an island, I'm going to the beach as much as I can. Luckily there was a "manicured" beach next to the aquarium so we stopped by for a quick dip. the boys enjoyed themselves, there was no fuss here.

It was there Birthday and what a great way to spend it at the aquarium and on the beach. In the evening we did some shopping at Koksai Dori ( another tourist trap but we learnt the tricks, use the back streets) and celebrated their Bday at another izakaya. The staff sang them happy Birthday using a shamisen ( Japanese type traditional guitar thingy form Okinawa). The next day we took the rental back, got on plane and headed home. This time around they had their own seats on the plane though they sat on our laps for 60% of the flight.

A lot of foreign friends in Japan say once their kids reach three they rarely travel back home and in general as it's expensive. I'm gonna stay optimistic and manifest more money, digitally and physical to live that lifestyle, WORD IS BORN.

( HAHAHAH "appy birthday" thats that island accent for you. ( yeah yeah we took a bad-ish pic the "H" was actually there.)

Thanks for stopping by;)

(Follow the JAJA TWins on Instagram) https://www.instagram.com/jajatwins/?hl=en