Finishing in style: Okinawa and the Southern Islands

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As you may have noticed, Japan has been a pretty busy time for me as I was eager to experience as much as I could. So my final stop being the crystal blue waters and white sandy beaches of Okinawa and the surrounding islands would be a welcomed pace. All that I had planned was to make my way to a quiet island, relax, and do some scuba diving, and I was definitly looking forward to it. My first two days on Okinawa honto (main island) was a bit disorganized, as I made a mistake booking a hostel deep in the suburbs, so I had to move around a bit. However, I managed to check out another melancholy site, and that was the Okinawan Peace Park and Memorial museum. I appreciate war history, so I thought this was an important place to go. It seems as if a lot of our attention is focused on the European front of WW2 and for good reason, however, I was looking forward to learning more about the often less talked about Pacific front. The peace park was beautiful and had rows upon rows of marble slabs etched with every person who died in the Battle of Okinawa. It was another reminder on the seriousness which war brings to both soldiers and civilians. After strolling through the park, I walked through the museum exhibits, which was very educational on the complexities and seriousness that the battle had on the islands and their inhabitants as nearly a quarter of the civilian population were killed.

Okinawa was only given back to Japan from the US in 1972 and the American influence and subsequent Japanese backlash was felt as I spent some time in Okinawa. For the most part, Okinawan people were quite friendly, helpful and respectful, much like the rest of Japan. However, I could still get a sense here, more than the other places I've previously visited, that anything or anyone that looked or sounded American, wasn't necessarily welcomed with open arms. Having the newly obtained knowledge of some of the atrocities of the Battle of Okinawa from both sides, and the events that followed, I could understand why.

But, it was time to leave the hustle and bustle of Naha and Okinawa Honto and I boarded my ferry on route to Zamamijima, one of the islands of the group of Kerama islands. The Keremas were actually the first Japanese islands landed by the Americans, and there were some memorials dotted around the island because of this. Zamamijima is an island about 24km in diameter and has a population of about 600 people. The laid back island vibe and lack of people was strongly felt and I loved it. The beach which I stayed steps away from was often dotted with 4-8 people, so this made enjoying the clearest blue water I've ever seen contrasting with brilliantly white sand very intimate. Right after checking into my pension, I immediately rented a bike and some snorkeling gear and took off to explore underwater. As I mentioned, this was the clearest water I've ever been in and visibility at times was nearly 40 meters. On my second day, I was even lucky enough to swim for about 20 minutes along side a giant sea turtle at arms length. I kicked myself for leaving my underwater camera at home, but I began to appreciate living and experiencing things in the moment, rather than behind the lens of a camera. And this moment was unforgettable.

Snorkeling was great, but for my last day on Zamami, I decided to get the scuba gear back on and explore more of what the Keramas are famous for. I was lucky to be the only diver on the excursion and it was just me and my very friendly and experienced dive master, Momo and her sidekick who drove the boat. Getting back into the water was incredible and the vast reefs and large amount of fish made for some spectacular sights. I even managed to fulfill my dream of seeing a shark, and swam past a white tip reef shark relaxing under a coral drop off. Both dives were breathtaking and it was probably one of the most fulfilling dive experiences to date.

After diving, I decided to pick up a few road pops and relax on one of the beaches on the opposite side of the island to which I was staying. Again, the beach was almost desolate, which made enjoying the sound of the waves hitting the shore private and visceral. The isolation didn't last too long and a group of 3 younger Japanese from Tokyo situated themselves close to me. To my surprise, one of the guys' English was very good, so after chatting for a while, I joined them and shared many drinks, laughs, and worked on my Japanese while one of the girls worked on her English. After exhausting our supply of drinks, we decided to head back into town for some food. En route, we were slightly interrupted by a commotion at a specific eatery of an older group of about 8 Germans who were sailing around the islands, struggling to order from the Japanese speaking owner. Our bilingual one of the group decided to help out and it turned into him doing much of the order taking, while we all tried to explain some of the dishes to the Germans who spoke good English. In a matter of no time, mugs and mugs of beer began to be passed around and we shared travel stories, laughs and delicious food. Speaking of food, that was one of the highlights in Okinawa. Okinawan food differs a bit from the rest of Japan and has it's own unique dishes, many of which I tried such as Okinawan noodles and Shoyu pork. To make things even more interesting, as we made our way back to our pension, I found out that my 3 new Japanese friends were staying next door to my room!

After a few too many drinks, the Japanese gang decided to have a bit of a nap, so I went out to enjoy some more drinks and food. Coincidentally, I bumped into another Canadian, Paul who owns a bar in Naha, which I had a few drinks at when I was there. The bartender from Chile mentioned that Paul would be in Zamami at the same time I was, and sure enough, I sat next to him at the bar. Drinks continued to flow and we had a lot of laughs over pointing out the quirks of Japan, it's culture, and his adventures in starting businesses in Japan. He even gave me a tour of the guesthouse that he is building on Zamami. After finishing at our waterhole, we stumbled across the street and uncovered what seemed to be some sort of underground Karaoke, which we most definitely took advantage of and belted out some great tunes. It was a very fun last night on Zamami, but sadly, I had to head out the next day and catch my flight to Shanghai where I would meet back up with all of the amazing expats who I met last year.

So this wrapped up the final leg in my Japanese journey. Even though I say this after every trip, this one definitely topped the list of my adventures. Japan has just managed to figure things out. From the high quality stocked convenience stores, efficient transportation, to the love hotels and relaxed drinking laws, things just seem to work in an extraordinary way. People have asked me what my favorite city was during my time here, and I haven't been able to give them an honest answer because all of them were my favorite for their own unique parts. Tokyo was unique for it's amazing metro transportation system, gargantuan buildings and sights, its new age, quirky culture focusing on technology and anime, spotless cleanliness, and for it's stoicism and lack of expression among many of its inhabitants. Kyoto was wonderful for the pure culture combined with big city feel, traditional sights and people getting back to Japanese roots. Osaka, for it's glitz and glamour competing with Tokyo and its youth counterculture rock style and a little more animation and feeling to it. Hiroshima for its tragic past, yet impressive recovery and prosperity, and the people's warm and endearing qualities. Lastly, Okinawa, for its unique island culture, food, and breathtaking islands, beaches, and sea life. But I think what remained constant in Japan was its overall unique culture of respect, honesty, lack of rule breaking, crime and civil nature of everyone. I have honestly never experienced this type of presentation so soundly in any other country that I've been to, which begs the question if I'll have to come back. I guess we'll see.

Thanks to all the people who have read along, commented, and supported me through this journey. To all of the amazing people that graced me with their short presence in Japan, I truly thank you and am happy that you were able to contribute to my adventure.

One last final stop remains though... Teaming back up with my Canadian Shanghai Ren Kayla and Richard, their amazing expat community, and the shenanigans that will ensue. But I don't think that needs to be published...

Until next time,

J

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