Blogs from Naha, Okinawa, Japan, Asia - page 2

I loved trains no doubt about it. This collection of pictures were taken on Wednesday, 23rd January 2013 outside Tsubogawa Station.... read more

Sunday, 20th January 2013 Yui Rail >> Fukushuen Gardens >> Naminoue Beach >> Omoromachi (Naha Main Place) Rise & shine Hong Kong. This morning, after kissing goodbye to YMCA for good, I took the train to the HK airport for my journey to Japan. Two and a half hours later, I had landed at Naha 那霸, the capital city of Okinawa. I chose to fly with Hong Kong Express since the HKG-OKA-HKG sector was the most economical after comparing my travel options. For me, Hong Kong Express was unheard of prior to this trip. But it surprised me with its attentive service and their great soba (a prelude to Japan) and rice meals. Naha International Airport was tiny compared to the neighbouring Domestic Terminal which catered to the Japanese market. Even the airport monorail station is ... read more

For the Golden Week holiday, The Susan Team (my Canadian friend Susan and I) ventured to the other Japan for a rejuvenating girls' retreat: Okinawa, baby. The tanning, pina coladas-on-the-beach weather we daydreamed about at our desks left much to be desired. But, being a sunshine-spoiled Miami girl, it was easy to appreciate the physical and cultural beauty of the Hawaii-like islands without the sun. We started in the sublimely sketchy Naha, the capital of Okinawa prefecture, where we mingled with some characters, shopped for beachy souvenirs and basically reveled in the swanky un-Japanese-ness of it all. It was Japan without the order, Southeast Asia without the beggars and the Jersey Shore without the English. By night we found a guy serenading the side of a building from his balcony with what I've been calling a ... read more

Alrighty, 3+ weeks in Japan and finally I am going to write a travel blog on the first week or so. Hopefully I don't forget about too many of the more interesting things but a lot has been happening over the last little while. Also this Japanese keyboard is infuriating to use. Good thing the internet cafes are so damn comfortable. After the stress of Hanoi I was hoping for a nice relaxing flight to Okinawa. It didn’t exactly work out that way unfortunately. We got on the flight in Hanoi no problem and we had to change planes in Hong Kong. At Hong Kong airport I ran into a road block at the transfers counter. The guy wouldn't give me a boarding pass because I didn't have a return ticket booked from Japan. Apparently this ... read more

Following my last minute flight on Saudi Arabian Airlines back to Paris, I spent a day with Aude. We saw Avatar in 3-D in English (watching English-language movies dubbed in French is the only option in Douai, and it just isn't the same) and then found an "American" restaurant for lunch. I was very impressed - they served bagel sandwiches, potato chips, and they even had Vitamin Water! For a mere $13, we got a bagel sandwich, tiny tiny serving of chips, a can of soda, and a muffin. It was totally worth it though...you have no idea how much I miss bagels! My flight to Tokyo was long, but uneventful. I had to transfer airports, so I got a nice hour-long bus ride through the city at night. It looks so interesting, and I will ... read more