If your idea of a holiday is the sound of the spinnaker flapping in the breeze or the gentle waves lapping while you are making your sand castle kingdom, then put Aharen village on the west coast of the Kerama islands on top of your list for your next holiday. The village of Aharen, on the west c..
Tiny Kitanakagusuku Village is one of the smallest municipalities in all of Okinawa with less than 12 square kilometers of land and less than 17,000 residents. The village nevertheless boasts two major historical tourist attractions that fetch bus loads of visitors to its hillsides each day. Nakagu..
Ginowan is a city of nearly 100,000 residents on the coastline of the main island of Okinawa between Urasoe City and Chatan Village. The city is a collection of 20 neighborhoods that collectively surround the Futenma Marine Corps Air Station, a facility that utilizes about 1/3 of the city on land pe..
Starving after a long flight into Naha Airport, I asked the Information Counter receptionist at the arrivals floor for the best place to go for Okinawan cuisine. When she wrote in Japanese script “Naha Airport Restaurant”, I was slightly ..
A visit to Okinawa is not complete without having tasted some Awamori, the local liquor of the islands. Influenced from trade with Thailand during the Ryukyu era, Awamori was a popular export from Okinawa and often gifted by the Ryukyu kingdom to nei..
A good place to sample some traditional Okinawan delicacies is the Makishi Public Market. A small, two story building located just off Naha's famous Kokusai street. The first floor is a wet market of sorts where vendors sell fresh produce and sea..
If you're a budget-conscious traveller still intent on exploring the best that Okinawa has to offer, consider the Kitchen Hostel Aoi in Naha city. Its convenient location and comfortable low-cost rooms will allow you to stay in comfort and enjoy ..
Japan is acclaimed for its hospitality, so much so that there is a word for it called omotenashi. In Okinawa, you need to be careful with the locals, least they adopt you into their family. Once I was having lunch at a beach shack, and soon struck up..
At the Hotel Breeze Bay Marina, all the rooms in its Tower Building boast of a breathtaking ocean view. There's a lot to see and do around the hotel. Guests can take a glass-bottom cruise vessel to view the colorful marine life without getting we..
Half dog, half lion. Shisa guard the gateways of many an Okinawan home or shrine. But you've never seen them like this before. In many ways, Ishigaki is the stereotype of the gorgeous, tranquil tropical island surrounded by turquo..
Ishigaki Island is closer to Taiwan than mainland Japan, and is a truly gorgeous tropical location. The island is small enough to drive around in one day - but the driving is so relaxing, the views so idyllic, and the ocean so blue that I would recom..
“Shota, Shota, are you okay? Shota!” It was a beautiful Saturday evening. Laughter and chatter fill the night skies on the beach overlooking the Philippine sea. Shota is soaked by a wave of friendship, in the form of people in the teens,..
