Okinawa
Paradise of Japan. Landing in Okinawa on the 4th of July was a much needed break from Tokyo. We love Tokyo and all it has to offer, but after spending most days at home, distance learning for the boys, Blake working from home, this was our first vacation for the family this year. The current travel entry ban only allows citizens of Japan to enter, thus most foreigners are here for the hot, sticky, humid summer in Tokyo and no idea of when we can leave Japan.
Our first stay was in the Northwestern part of the main island Okinawa. It was right next to the Churaumi Aquarium (one of the largest aquariums in the world) and Ocean Expo Park. For the first 3 days, our plan was to relax, swim, snorkel, eat, and visit the aquarium. With this view and less tourists around, we were able to relax. (Hotel Orion Motobu Resort & Spa)
Kouri Island was a place that Andrew researched online and wanted to visit. It was a 20 min drive from our hotel and gorgeous! We ended up spending 2 days there, one day to take in the sights and the next day to enjoy a boat and snorkel trip. If you have time to visit, Kouri Island is amazing: drive on the long bridge overlooking the different shades of Blue and Turquoise water, visit the Ocean Tower for spectacular views, heart shaped rock, snorkel and enjoy the very small island life. If you have time, Kourijima Marine Club Zanmarine were fantastic. You ride a boat around the island to find the best snorkeling spot for the day.
Zamami Island, my favorite place of the trip, is one of the Kerama Islands. The Kerama Blue is the sea that surrounds the Kerama Islands. To get to Zamami, it is a short Ferry or speed boat ride. We stayed one night and enjoyed it. Zamami has roughly 600 people and most people live right there, near the port. Everything was very close and it is really small. SUP and snorkeling in the Kerama Blue was on our list. Adir, who owns Noah’s SUP and Snorkeling (named after his oldest son) and his buddy Shaaq were amazing tour guides. With winds very strong that day, we went to the north side of island to a remote location where the only way to the beach was to SUP or kayak in. 3 hours of SUP and Snorkeling and we saw a lot of gorgeous coral, sea-life, fish, and beauty. Our hotel was charming for this small island. If you plan to stay overnight, accommodations are no frills, but clean. Food was amazing, the freshest seafood on the menu in an Izakaya style. Everyone knows everyone, we were definitely the tourist on the island. A very laid back lifestyle to enjoy.
Naha was our last stop of the trip. Naha was bigger than we expected. Highlights we visited- Shuri Castle, recently opened after burning to the ground. They started to rebuild. Okinawa World, cultural theme park to experience traditional arts and cultural traditions, and walk through the Gyokusendo cave. A big highlight was being able to visit the Peace Memorial Park, the site of the last battle in Okinawa took place during World War II. This is our 3rd Peace Memorial in Japan, the other two being Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Peace Memorial is located on the southern part of Okinawa main island. When you look out to the sea, you can see where the East China Sea meets the Pacific Ocean. The colors meet up and you see Dark Blue and light blue meet up. Pretty cool and it was hard to take a picture of it. A must see in person experience.
Food was a huge part of our trip. Okinawan food is a little different than traditional Japanese. Mainly due to the Chinese and Southeast Asian influences. Okinawan or Ryukuan cuisine (formerly the Ryukyu kingdom). Sweet potato, Rafute (shoyu pork), taco rice, mozuku (seaweed) were dishes we had almost daily. Ishigaki beef is also a favorite. Okinawa’s eat more pork and beef here. But I cannot forget about Blu Seal ice cream. It is the local brand of ice cream that you find all over Okinawa and since the weather was hot, we had it everyday and sometimes twice. We cannot forgot Orion beer and Awamori- a sweet sake made in Okinawa.
I hope you are excited to visit Okinawa. Most people don’t realize that Okinawa is so tropical. If you have been traveling to Japan, make Okinawa your next prefecture in Japan. We love it and we will return soon.