Travel Turtle

BlissByHeather’s Bella Wallet in Navy Blossoms is another beautiful addition to any purse. And it’s beautiful out of the purse as well. I love the Japanese fabric. It has a lot of nooks and crannies: 6 pockets for credit cards, a zippered pouch for change, a place for cash, and a place for the checkbook and receipts… whew. I love me some organization. Especially organization doubling as fashion.

• To check out Heather’s Interview, click here.
• To check out previously showcased items, click here and here.
• Photo Credit: BlissByHeather

In honor of Heather’s wallet, I wanted to talk about Japan. I used to live in Okinawa when I was in elementary school and I thought it defined tropical paradise. The island is extremely small, less than 70 miles long and at it’s widest point, it’s less than 20 miles. I don’t think I was ever spoiled by its beauty. I remember being in the car go around the mountains and off in the distance - the Pacific Ocean. No matter where we went, the ocean wasn’t far off. Now imagine the blue of the water against the backdrop of mountains covered in trees. I think the blue-green color combination is one of my favorites because it reminds me of my childhood. One strange thing, that I’ve never seen duplicated in any of my travels, was the weather. We would decide to go to the beach (what else are you going to do on a tropical island?) and it would rain. So, we’d drive to a beach about 15 minutes away and the weather would be perfect. As if rain didn’t exist.
{Photo Credit: HDR Okinawa via Flickr}
One of my other favorite things about Japan, as a whole, are cherry blossoms. Or as it’s said in Japan, Sakura. I’ve gone to several Cherry Blossom festivals in Okinawa and there’s nothing quite like the scent of cherry blossoms in the air. If you’re headed to Japan, check out this link of all of the Cherry Blossom Festivals in Japan. If you can’t make it to Japan to go to one, there are several places in the U.S. and Canada that have them. Here’s a quick list of some ex-pat Cherry Blossom Festivals:

• Washington DC - probably the most popular, at least in my mind
• Macon, GA
• Vancouver, BC