Blogs from Okinawa, Japan, Asia - page 3

Sunday, 21st January 2018 Bus Service # 117 took an insane 2.5 hours to complete the 100km journey from Naha Airport to the Ocean Expo Park (2,500 Yen). This was where I would be based for the next 2 nights. I was thankful that I had taken a full breakfast at the airport prior to boarding the bus. The ride was uneventful for the most part as I slept through half of the journey. Things only picked up towards the final leg as the bus made a loop around the Motobu Peninsula with the beautiful Nago Bay on my left. Bus-Tip: The "Yanbaru Express" Bus does the same trick from the airport at a cheaper rate of 2,000 Yen. The best perk - there is a bus stop directly within the hotel premises. I finally alighted ... read more

Wednesday, 26th October 2016 It's day #6 of my trip today and my penultimate day in Okinawa before flying back to Taipei tomorrow. I'm still determined to idle around in Naha city today, doing some eating, some shopping and chit-chatting with the friendly locals. I could sense their smile when they realised that I was from Singapore. At least, they had nice memories of the place where I came from. Words like "clean", "safe" and "hot" were used to describe my country. In the afternoon, there was a colourful street parade along the International Street with teams mainly from the US walking through the 1.6km boulevard. I was informed that they were here to take part in the 6th Worldwide Uchinanchu Festival. While I did not know the exact significance of this festival, it seemed that ... read more

Monday 24th October 2016 I managed to squeeze in a 4D3N Okinawa excursion in the midst of my Taiwan trip. I've done Okinawa in January 2013 and it is always good to be back to a familiar place with some new experiences to take away. The flight time from Taipei to Okinawa is a mere 70 minutes via Eva Airways. After a quick meal service onboard, my near-empty plane landed safely at Naha Airport. I took the 1625 hours flight and it was evening by the time I reached my destination. My hotel (Okinawa Kariyushi Lch Izumizaki Kenchomae Hotel) is a pleasant monorail ride from the airport station, located at the start of the mile-long Kokusai Dori (International Street). It is right next to the Ryubo Departmental Store that is home to a couple of nice ... read more

Every day in Okinawa is another day in paradise. Eight weeks has passed so quickly. So many adventures, so many lessons learnt and the joy of making good memories. Enjoy the next adventure, Dylan.... read more

Iheya Island is a tiny 20-kilometer strip of craggy mountains surrounded by subtropical sea, just north of Okinawa Main Island. Three tiny villages of farmers and fishermen huddle in calm sheltered spots with magnificent views of ocean and jungle. The long white beaches are decorated with fantastical rock formations some that house ancient gods. There are lots of traditional Okinawan wooden houses, some lovingly tended and others sagging into the greenery. The people have their own dialect, dances and stories and are very hospitable. My first visit during the Tour de Okinawa was wonderful. There was a welcome party, lots of locals rode around the island with us and streamers and dancers farewelled us. Perfect weather, friendly locals, delicious vegetarian food, comfortable homey accommodation and long empty beaches were worthy of another visit. On my second ... read more