Naha Ice Arena
Today we all went ice skating down South. I'm pretty sure it is the only ice rink on the island. It is pretty easy to get to. Just take the Expressway as far South as it goes. After paying the toll you can only go left or right so veer left. Now you come into some of the heaviest construction I have ever seen so it gets a little confusing. Basically go up the street a little and you will have to make a quick left up a hill. Just look for the big picture of a penguin wearing ice skates. Just a few meters up the hill is the skating rink and you will see a parking sign leading to an underground garage. To our surprise it is also a bowling rink, karaoke parlor, izakaya (restaurant for parties) and also has a game room.
The ice rink was regular sized and is open from 10:00 to midnight. Once inside the locker area, you have to buy tickets before going to the counter. It was 1300 yen each for the adults and 700 yen for the children. Skates are an extra 300 yen and gloves (no ticket for the gloves) were from 100 yen to 300. They don't have the double-bladed skates for the little ones and toe picks stop at a women's size 25 or US size 8. That's a little off because by their charts I should have been a 26 as I'm 8 1/2 but they were too small and 27 fit perfect. So I was well into men’s' hockey skate territory - a first for me. You could also rent ice chairs for 15 minutes at 500 yen to push the little ones around the rink in.
The rental skates were all fashioned like inline skates. Figure skates were only for sale starting at about 7500 yen. Real hockey skates and gear was for sale but I didn't catch the prices. Inside of the rink were drink vending machines with everything from Pepsi to iced tea to hot cocoa. A separate vending machine sold Cup O' Noodles - yes same brand as in the states.
Oh and Japanese people who are on the verge of falling have no problem with grasping onto your arm and trying to take you down with them. This happened to me but I didn't fall. I was however surprised. More like shocked. I mean it wasn't like she was going along and tripped a little and balanced herself on me - she was flying and grabbed my arm with both of her hands while my 5 year old daughter was next to me. I was able to slow her down enough for her to then push off of me to glide to her boyfriend or whoever. It wasn't until I threw a look at her (she was in her 20s) that she said sorry in Japanese. Later on I saw a 20-something man almost take down an 8 year old boy as he was flailing to the ground. Again the boy somehow didn't fall but if I hadn't of thrown that guy a look he wouldn't have spent as much time with the boy making sure he was okay. Then there were a couple bad-assed US Marines speed-skating back and forth in a straight line and skidding to a stop not caring that none of the Japanese folks were doing that.
We all really had a good time. I'm just well into a "tired-of-being-in-Japan-mode" where things get on my nerves more often than they did in the past.
The ice rink was regular sized and is open from 10:00 to midnight. Once inside the locker area, you have to buy tickets before going to the counter. It was 1300 yen each for the adults and 700 yen for the children. Skates are an extra 300 yen and gloves (no ticket for the gloves) were from 100 yen to 300. They don't have the double-bladed skates for the little ones and toe picks stop at a women's size 25 or US size 8. That's a little off because by their charts I should have been a 26 as I'm 8 1/2 but they were too small and 27 fit perfect. So I was well into men’s' hockey skate territory - a first for me. You could also rent ice chairs for 15 minutes at 500 yen to push the little ones around the rink in.
The rental skates were all fashioned like inline skates. Figure skates were only for sale starting at about 7500 yen. Real hockey skates and gear was for sale but I didn't catch the prices. Inside of the rink were drink vending machines with everything from Pepsi to iced tea to hot cocoa. A separate vending machine sold Cup O' Noodles - yes same brand as in the states.
Oh and Japanese people who are on the verge of falling have no problem with grasping onto your arm and trying to take you down with them. This happened to me but I didn't fall. I was however surprised. More like shocked. I mean it wasn't like she was going along and tripped a little and balanced herself on me - she was flying and grabbed my arm with both of her hands while my 5 year old daughter was next to me. I was able to slow her down enough for her to then push off of me to glide to her boyfriend or whoever. It wasn't until I threw a look at her (she was in her 20s) that she said sorry in Japanese. Later on I saw a 20-something man almost take down an 8 year old boy as he was flailing to the ground. Again the boy somehow didn't fall but if I hadn't of thrown that guy a look he wouldn't have spent as much time with the boy making sure he was okay. Then there were a couple bad-assed US Marines speed-skating back and forth in a straight line and skidding to a stop not caring that none of the Japanese folks were doing that.
We all really had a good time. I'm just well into a "tired-of-being-in-Japan-mode" where things get on my nerves more often than they did in the past.
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