A two-week trip to Okinawa – Parrots, Beaches and a restaurant in a tree. Yes, I know Kristen said “See ya later” instead of “Welcome back” in Japanese, but I’m not re-shooting it now! π
it’s summertime in japan
37 degrees has been our usual high at
the moment today nice and cool on 33.
still a little too hot for me
wouldn’t it be nice to go somewhere cool
these clothes by the way are not my
normal taste
these clothes are
not my usual taste they’re the formal
wear required by my school all the
teachers wear them
all the time despite the fact it’s
freaking hot
now there’s another thing about the
japanese
the other thing about the japanese is
they’re exceedingly hard workers
right now despite the fact that school
holidays all of my teachers or most of
them are back at school still preparing
for the next lesson which is
two to four weeks away because they’re
japanese
hey baby hey hmm how was your day good
you ready to go oh yes
i was just telling the folks at home
about the japanese and how hard they
work yeah the teachers at school even
have to schedule their holidays around
their meetings let’s go sweat out
fortunately for us
we’re not japanese
i’m not that many evils
sometimes i know
uh today is the 27th of july
yeah yeah and we’re on the island of
okinawa south west of japan it’s like
japan’s version of hawaii
complete with sprawling metropolis this
is the city of naha we’re in today
okinawa came under us control following
world war ii and for several decades
stayed that way up until the 1970s they
were still using the us dollars currency
here
okinawa and the surrounding islands are
very popular with the japanese they get
a lot of domestic tourists here and
surprisingly few foreign ones most of
the foreigners we saw were probably
personnel from the local us air bases
we came to okinawa to spend our
hard-earned cash here in intensive
japanese classes it didn’t start too
well unfortunately they put me in a
class that was far too hard for me and
kristen in a class that was far too easy
once we got that all sorted out we
learned quite a bit
but you can’t spend your entire time in
a place like okinawa indoors so in the
late afternoons and on the weekends we
managed to get out and have a little bit
of fun
the chap on the left in this image is
sai a friend of ours from tortilla he’s
a brave man and not afraid to accept
tissues from strange robots
thank you he also knows how to entertain
a parrot or two
dude he’s teaching you look at him that
bird’s got you totally trained
he’s taking the piss man
so lead us here for lunch uh yeah that’s
a restaurant in a tree on closer
inspection it turns out the tree’s not a
real tree but the restaurant’s real
enough of course being at the top of the
tree the prices are elevated
what do you reckon huh
pretty cool
what have you got this sir
green curry
thai green curry this is corn soup and i
haven’t tried this yet but i’m guessing
it’s tuna salad
the view was a little disappointing when
you look out across naha city you just
see more city kristen and i had a
mission to find a tropical beach
for that we had to go west 30 minutes by
fast ferry to the island of tokoshiki
this little guy showed us the way to the
beach we weren’t quite sure what to
expect but here’s what we got
and coming to us live now with the water
reports kristen
what temperature is the water
temperature good
back on the main island of okinawa we
had gone swimming but it was like
swimming in a warm bathtub here on
tokushiki the water was cool and
refreshing
we pitched our tent in amongst some
beautiful trees unfortunately for us the
ants and the mosquitoes liked it too
those insects combined with the
oppressive heat and humidity eventually
forced us to the beach at 3 30 in the
morning where we laid out our towels to
go to sleep i didn’t take my camera so
i’ll have to draw you a picture of what
it was like there was so many stars and
then there were shooting stars and i’m
not making this up there were satellites
trekking across the sky and and there
were crabs burrowing into the soil
around us we could hear them going and
there was not a cloud in the sky except
on the distant horizon there were faint
flashes of lightning coming from a long
band of cloud it was amazing true story
the next day bright and early we went
snorkeling but anyone who’s been
snorkeling knows exactly how those
photos always turn out oh it’s a fish
wow a rock
but it was really cool and lots of fun
and the beach was fantastic and it was a
shame we had to leave after two nights
there we scuttled our way
back to the main island of okinawa
next time on our life in japan part two
of our okinawa adventure with reptiles
dead ones
not quite dead ones and deadly ones
also bats
caves and sun umbrella vending machines
also kristin goes crazy with the credit
card in the glass craft work store and
we finally get to the aquarium
43 Comments
The answer to "Tadaima!" is
"Okaeri!" not "Itterasshai"
anyway ti's nice video. π
We know, we know. And thanks. π
HAhaha!! i wanna go to japan too!!! i haven't gone back since almost 6 years now. Plus, i really like your videos they're hilarious. Ever tried suggesting to be a vacation host guide for a t.v. show?
Man, what an awesome place. I really want to go to Japan and watching this just makes me want to go even more! Especially to Okinawa, that's the first place I want to see!
I envy you so much for being able to live there. Lucky!! I hope one day I can as well ^^
Why don't you find out? Go visit Okinawa. It looks like a tropical paradise to me with white sand beaches and torquoise waters. I'm in love! It reminds me of my last vacation in Laos. But Laos has wild elephants you can ride in the jungle.
great video i am surprise the view of okinawa beach and i have being to a lot of beaches in my years
LoL WTF Rofl you do make it fun to watch
OMG!! this video is AWESOME!!!
thanx!! i must subscribe NOW LOL
@ rebeca
Thanks! I'll have to get back to producing more videos so you have something to watch! π
THAT would be great!!!
There are several more beautiful beaches farther North on the Island. Drive to Ikei Island. Hope you check it out. There is also an incredible water fall at Hiji. Head North on 58 until you see the sign to turn left for the military resort beach and instead turn right and follow the road until you come to the camp ground. When I was there you didn't have to pay to get up there. Now I think there is a small fee. I will be going back to retire in a few years. Maybe I will see you there someday.
oh man it would be great to be stationed in okinowa if i get the chance while im in the marines.
That was a fantastic video! I've visited ALL of those places in the video that last time I went to Okinawa in 2001. I was actually born there as a native Okinawan but have been living in Arizona since '96. I'm going back this Summer and I can't wait. Also, I've driven by that tree restaurant so many times while driving through Naha, and now I actually know what's inside haha!
I was stationed there for 2 years in the Marines, I think it is actually considered sub-tropical. It did get cooler in the winter months. I think the coolest temp I saw was about 55 F which isnt bad but it is constantly windy so it made it feel colder than it actually was. Its nice though, especially if you are in to scuba diving like I am.
Hahaha great vid Phil&Kristen!
But I do insist you visit Irimote Island, my for a while home. Here there is no buildings, "de-pa-to", vending machines, traffic lights (indeed there is two, always green), traffic jams. Just sea, river and jungle.
Hug from Okinawa, Iriomote island
Hey really well put together and entertaining video!
Ok prerequisite sucking up done, question for ya- Can you give me any info or a link on the nihongo course ye did there? I'm gona go there this summer and feel like after a year in japan i really need to study more. Cheers mate!
nice video thanx
it's funny!
γγ γγΎ(Β΄ β½ο½)
γγ£γ¦γγ£γγγ(οΎβ½οΎ*)βͺ
you must go out home again…
Nice video!!!
Okinawa is kind of diferent of the rest of Japan, pretty cool
what kind of accent u have? kiwi?
DUDE YOU REALLY WENT TO JAPAN!!I ADMIRE YOU!!
omg, best video of okinawa ever! yet by a foreigner, you are amazing!
Awesome video mate, love that your aussie! Man I miss Okinawa!
yeah! ben harper!
it's okey…nihonggo is not easy to remember,hehehe! i had the same experienced..last 1995, we were in Osaka, and in a shoes store, i need somebody to attend me because i'm looking for a size…i said,"uyasuminasai…" hahahha! good nobody heard me.*blushed*:))
I AM SO READY TO GET STATIONED THERE! Great video!
id love to go to japan/okinawa ive never even been on a plane and plus i dont have anyone to go with …. you are very lucky really enjoyed you vid.
god! i friggen miss Oki!! i was there for 5 years on kadena air base and i miss the hell out of okinawa and the scuba diving is the shit there! i love the karama dives!
π nice video!
I am really impressed by your video and the work that went into producing that, it made me miss Okinawa very much. I was there twice for 6 months each time when I was in the Marines around 1988. Thanks for the memories, π
This is freaking awesome
We are heading there next week. Really interesting, enjoyed your presentation:)
Do they have coconuts there?
You got it right. They are Okinawans, not Japanese π Thanks for the video! Great!
Wow I live in Osaka, but now I really have to save for going Okinawa!! settai ikanakyaa!!
Hey Aoyama, you have to go! it's awesome. Typhoons don't happen all the time but when they do, the Okinawans have preparations in place, you'll be fine.
Sorry for the late reply
We went at the end of July/ early August. It was HOT, but great.
Sorry for the late reply! π
The island is small like very small. I hope you decided to do the whole island.
One of the best places I have lived. Would love to go back for a visit.
One of the best places I have lived. Would love to go back for a visit. Oh yea do they still do Orion fest?
Nice… I live in Mizugama…. a small town in Okinawa. Looks like you had a good time here.
Thoroughly enjoyed that! Made me homesick for Okinawa!
Thank you for the video. Very well done.
I spent the best 4 years of my life on that island when I was with the 18th Transportation SQ in the Air Force from 92-96.
The beaches with snorkel/scuba were the best. Love yakisoba! I remember finding little yakisoba stands in the middle of nowhere – and I would always stop for some. Miss driving up to Hedo Point to see the sunrise (this was by far my best memory of Okinawa. If I make it to heaven, I hope it is like that). Frequented the Southeast Botanical Gardens often. Himeyuri Park too. Taking a weekend retreat to hang out at Okuma (resort). Cycling (on a mountain bike) through many of the small villages was very peaceful.Some days if I was bored, I could go park right by the flight line and watch the F-15s or C-5s take off or land. Even on my worst days, I remember being at work in the vehicle OPs lot saying to my friend, "another day in paradise" as we both looked over toward the ocean – and meaning it.
My job was mundane and meaningless to me. Everyone needs a driver – that's just not for me. However, it was the opportunity of a lifetime that brought me to this paradise.