Lost in Okinawa: A Solo Adventure Through Naha’s Hidden Gems

Lost in Okinawa: A Solo Adventure Through Naha’s Hidden Gems

day everybody. Greetings from Naha, Okinawa. It’s kind of a cloudy day today and forecast calls for a little bit of rain, but it’s okay. I have my umbrella with me and it’s actually cooler than yesterday. So, it’s kind of nice. Um, I’m here at the other end of Kokai, actually at the far end. And I wasn’t really planning to come here. The reason why I’m here is because I had planned to go to this mall. And the only way to get there is by uh bus. So, I bought a bus pass, you know, like like like this. This here it’s like a like a Sika of Okinawa Okinawa version of Suika and I boarded the wrong bus. It’s it was supposed to be 98 and it was 98 but I went the other direction and I don’t know why. But anyway, I think I will go to the mall later on. I try again. But for now, since I’m here, I thought I’d walk around this area. And I got off here because look along this river there’s all this co nobody which means boys day is around the corner but it’s really beautiful and so I thought this was a nice place to jump off the wrong bus. Okay. And I thought I’d walk along the river to over there. And I believe there is a very retro Shawen guy, a really local one um down there. It’s a little bit windy, so sorry about the the wind the wind noise. I remember coming here for the first time during the pandemic. And I used to just walk around Naha and it was empty. Uh not much was open. But I remember this uh river was very peaceful. And uh I haven’t been back to that uh guy for a while now. So I think it’ll be kind of fun. I wonder if it has changed any. The interesting thing about rivers here in Okinawa because it’s so close to the [Music] ocean. You notice the color of the water is green. It’s like ocean green. Whereas in Tokyo, it it’s a different color. It’s really nice. We will take the bus later. I have to challenge myself. I have to master riding the bus. I don’t drive and and it’s necessary in order for me to go to certain places, you know. Anyway, crossing my fingers. Wish me luck that I can take a bus later on this video and take you guys to the mall, which is right next to the ocean. Come on. Shouldn’t be that difficult. Oh, I remember walking along here, but I guess they’re doing some kind of improvement. So, which way do I go? I guess go down this street here. I kind of remember walking down this street. It’s like many years ago. I remember there being like a sweet potato shop. Yes, it is closed today. But this is a sweet potato shop here. Okay, we are at the main road. That is the Montreal. We’re going to cross over to the other side. I believe the Shen guy is down that way. So, let’s do that. Okay. And I think the show guy is not too far from here. We just crossed the street and yeah, it’s all coming back to me. This area is kind of like a bar area, I think. Actually found it. Found it. Found it. Yeah, it’s right down the street. You see, it’s mostly bars all around this area. And I also noticed there’s lots of uh goat restaurants, you know, serving uh goat meat, which is a specialty here in Okinawa. That’s something I’ve never had in Okinawa yet. One day I must try it. I heard it’s good. As you can see, this guy here is hidden away. It’s just in the middle of nowhere. Really, I shouldn’t really say nowhere. It’s in the middle of the city, but it’s away from the tourist area. And then this is what the surrounding area looks like. So if you didn’t know this existed, I mean you would not know how to find this place. I mean that’s obvious. Okay. And here is a shorten guy H. Yeah. Kind of looks the same as before. There was a floor chair. The fish shop. Maybe these open later at night. Here is an old um pharmacy. Little clothing store [Music] here. Then here’s some artwork. I think this place is livelier during the weekend. You have some shops down that way. See which way should we go? Maybe we should go here. This is This is a bar. Gin tan. 500 yen. Chua Okinawan sobba. Indian curry. Yeah, a lot of the shops are closed. I’m really curious now, though. I’m curious if these shops are permanently closed or is it just the wrong day, the wrong time of the day? Okay, we’ll walk down there later. What else can we find here? What’s here? It’s a Korean restaurant. Okay, let’s let’s go back this way. Little dress shop. Okay, let’s turn in here. A sandal store. A dress shop. Oh, okay. This looks like a nice cafe, actually. Okay, maybe we’ll stop by here later. It’s here. I don’t [Music] know. All the stores are well, many of the stores are closed obviously, but I do like the atmosphere. They’re really old atmosphere. I mean it looks like it looks like there are many shops. This is the map here. Here we call. What else can we find here? Let’s go in here. Oh, there’s a little grocery store thingy here. Interesting. A little shop here. That’s a vegan shop. A vegan cafe, maybe. Interesting. There’s a bakery. It says arcade bakery. Oh. [Music] Very interesting. You know what? I think I’m going to try something from the bakery just for a little bite. Okay. Yeah, let’s go to the bakery. This arcade bakery here. Hi. Oh, okay. So, they told me that um I can take my bread that I bought there and have it at the cafe. So, where is it? Ah, this is an adventure for me. Cafe. Where is the cafe? I should have asked for the name of the cafe. What? No. Can’t find it. Don’t know where the cafe is. Uhoh. Kind of lost. She said it’s turn left and it’s the street that’s parallel to the bakery. But I am here. Oh, where the cafe is. Is it here? Yeah. So, this is a nice cafe. This is Poto Hoto Cafe. And this was the place where you can bring your bread. You do have to buy some to drink. So, I did get myself some coffee. And I also got cinnamon bread and this um potato bread. But I think I’m just going to eat the cinnamon bread now. I’ll save this one for later. I feel like this is going to be like a super chill day. But then again, every day is a chill day here in Okinawa. Yeah, it looks good. Looks very, very delicious and homemade. I love this dop of cream cheese [Music] here. Very nice cream cheese. I ordered a brown sugar cappuccino. So, I know I don’t drink coffee, but let me see. Let me see. It just sounded really good. Well, it’s been so long since I had coffee, but that is delicious. The brown sugar gives it like a nice depth. I love it. And I got to say, I really love this cafe. It’s really nice. Good vibes. I really enjoyed that. That was a really nice cafe. And the bakery. Yeah, the cinnamon bread wasn’t like the best, but it was it was good. It was good. And it was it went well with the coffee. Now let me tell you about coffee. So as you know I get heart palpitations after I drink coffee. Unfortunately right now I’m okay. I am feeling a little bit like jittery because of the the the coffee caffeine kick. I have not felt this in a very long time. But I guess it’s keeping me awake. So crossing my fingers that um I’m okay. I should be fine though. It’s just coffee, right? But I’m kind of in love with this shenai. It has a very unique vibe. It’s very Okawan, but it’s very, very retro. I feel like I went back in time. [Music] All right, guys. So, this is ridiculous. I tried taking the bus here. I took the train to a communist station and there’s supposed to be a bus from there. I could not find a damn bus stop no matter how hard I tried. Oh my gosh, what’s wrong with me? What is wrong with me? I have to come back here and Satosh and I, we have to do like a using the bus video. We have to make one of Okinawa because I don’t know how to ride a damn bus in Okinawa. That’s so ridiculous. Anyway, I did take a cab and I’m here at EAS. This is where I wanted to come. All right, let’s step inside the mall. So, I think the first floor was like food and supermarket. I don’t quite remember, but let’s check it out. Welcome, welcome to EOS Shopping Mall. We have familiar names like Hanamaru, Cafe Deur, and they have and because this is Okinawa, they have an NW all American food. They have Jack in the Donuts, which is just okay. You can find this in Tokyo. And you’ll find these like gacha machines all over Japan now. Like they’re everywhere. They’re inside malls. They’re on the street. They’re at the train stations. Hey, this is kind of interesting. There are Okinawan only products here at Daiso like Okinawan. So, and Okay. And then this is on style. So, this side is the supermarket. It’s kind of nice actually. Hm. I don’t For some reason, I don’t think I’ve ever checked out the supermarket. And there is a food cart here. And um I believe there’s another food cart upstairs as well. But anyway, we’ll get something to eat today later on. Okay, for now, let’s check out some products here. Let’s see. I do have to buy something for Satoshi, but you know, nothing nothing that’s too ordinary like this. This is a salt chin school, the shortbread cookies, but it’s quite common. Also, this we’ve had this before. Satoshi does like mangoes, so there’s the mango along the shop. We’ve never tried this before. I could buy some Okinawan soba. We do like Okinawa sobba jimi dfu which is a peanut tofu. Corusu is the Okinawan chili. Kind of reminds me of uh Okinawan version of shiito. Food court’s really nice, spacious. Uh lots of different food like sushi. Uh what do we have here? I think this is uh Okinawan sobba. You got steak. What else do we have? Wow, they have a lot. Um that is uh tuna bowls or poke bowls. And then you got uh ponkatu. Lots of choices. H not very good at making decisions, but I will have to do that. Anyway, let let’s go check out the rest of mall and the beach if it’s not raining. So, this is the second floor. There’s empty space here. It’s not a busy mall, which is why I enjoy this mall. It’s also not gigantic. There is a huge mall in Okinawa. Kind of hard to get though. Maybe we should visit that place one day. Yay! There’s Yunuro here. because I say yay because you cannot find Yunikuro uh near Kokai. Okay. And then this is uh it says street food. So there are more food shops here. Although I have to say oh no like there used to be a whole bunch of uh stalls here. So those are gone. And uhoh. I wonder if they’re going to close up here. stalls here are [Music] gone. See, I remember loving the second floor. I love these uh beachy chairs here. Uh there is Okinawi here. I think I’m going to have this later on. Crazy spice. I heard this place is good, too. They have curry of all kind here. Wow, they have nattokima curry. Ew. Okay, let’s let’s let’s step outside very quickly. Hopefully, it’s not raining hard or anything. Uh, [Music] see. Oh, and look, we can eat out here, too. I like this. And then the beach is over there. It looks kind of rainy. Is it raining? Not really. Ah, it’s not too Oh, yeah. It is raining. Wait, let me get my umbrella. Okay. I have my umbrella with me. See, I I knew that we were going to have at least one day of rain, which is why I came prepared. It’s windy, though. Uh-oh. A little bit windy. Don’t let it get any worse than this, please. I’m I’m still okay, but I want to walk over to the beach. We’re actually We’re actually very near the airport and also near Umi Umi Kaji Terrace. I’ve taken you guys there before. I was going to go there today as well, but maybe not with this weather. Okay. So, so looks like uh this beach closes at 1000 p.m. So, yeah, it’s open till pretty late. Can’t watch both sides. The challenges of filming in inclement weather is very real. But once again, it’s not too bad though. So, there are places to sit here along this uh canal. So, we crossed this bridge over to the beach. Oh, this is nice. Maybe I spoke too soon. It is so windy. My umbrella’s not working. Look at the color of the water. It’s green. It’s a sea water, I think. Obviously, like no one’s here at the beach. Don’t blame them. The weather is not that great. But must go look at the ocean. A lot of benches here, so you can have a picnic. Oh, it’s kind of nice. So, this is definitely a city beach. Not walking distance like Umino Way Beach. But it’s quite nice. Can you hear the plane? Cuz we’re literally like next to the airport. Anyway, yeah. So, this is the beach and it’s kind of blocked off. So, I guess this is where you can swim, so you’re protected from uh wildlife and dangerous sea creatures. Something’s wrong with this picture, though, don’t you think? Walking along the beach with an umbrella. I feel odd. It just doesn’t feel right. You see, I was right. There are dangerous sea creatures. It says, “Please stay within the nets because you will encounter this uh poisonous jellyfish. Um, let’s see what else. And these other dangerous sea creatures that can sting you. Let’s sit on one of these benches over here. The wind is so strong. It’s actually kind of chilly now. This is nice. You know, I I think I should have come here yesterday because uh the weather was nice, but you know, I had to go to the cafe yesterday. And I guess this is fine. Uh I like that there’s no one here. It’s very peaceful. Um, you can hear uh the planes because uh the runway is literally right there. You can see the runway. I see uh the my favorite island um terrace across the sea from here. And yeah, it’s wonderful. Yeah. And despite the the slightly chilly wind and um the rain, it’s still very relaxing. Oh my goodness. So, you know, guys, talking about the bus again, I don’t know why I have such a hard time looking for one bus stop. First, I I mean, I checked on Google Map and it told me to take number 98 from Kencho May. Uh, and so I I was at the correct bus station, I’m sure. And then, is it too windy? Maybe I should turn around this way. Maybe this will block the wind partially for me. Maybe. Okay. And then um and then and I was supposed to board 98. So 98 came. I boarded the bus, but it started going in the opposite direction of my map and I’m like, uhoh. And so after about three stops, I decided to get off and which is fine cuz we got to explore. I discovered that new uh cafe that we went to today and I really like that. I really like that area as well. And then I decided let’s let’s try it one more time because I promised you guys we’re going to take a bus. So I Googled again and my map says to take the the Montreal to Makishi station and then take the bus from there. So that’s what I did. I went to Makishi station, no problem. Then I got off and I followed directions to the bus stop. But you know there are so many bus stops. Well, not maybe not many, like many, many, but there were at least four different bus stops and I didn’t know which one it was. It pointed me to one and then it was wrong. And then I looked at the map and it looked like it was across the street. I went across the street, it was wrong. It was between that and the first place. That’s what I thought. I went there and I looked at the the bus um schedule and it didn’t look like it was coming and it didn’t look like my bus. So just kind of lost and I I mean it started drizzling and it started becoming chilly. So I just decided you know what heck with it. I’m just going to take a cab cuz the taxi is right there ready. So I think that’s enough of the beach. It’s too cold. Okay. It’s too windy and too chilly to uh enjoy the beach. So let’s head back to the mall, shall we? I am so hungry. I am starving. So I finally decided on a place called Kijima and they specialize in omu taco rice. So it’s like omu rice on top of the Okinawan taco rice. And you can choose the size of your rice. I got normal. And then um I also added some Okinawan high sauce which is hot sauce. And I got a side of onion rings cuz I couldn’t resist. Oh, I also got a drink long tea. Cheers. [Applause] I’m so relaxed and you know it’s not raining anymore and it’s not windy. Okay, so this is my Omar rice. Isn’t that like beautiful taco rice soup? Correction. And looks like there’s like some kind of white sauce, maybe ketchupy sauce. That’s the taco rice underneath. You got the taco meat, some fresh cabbage, cheese, tomatoes, and lettuce. And my yellow turmeric rice. It’s very, very good. M. The taco rice itself is really nice. The turmeric rice makes it different from other taco rice that I’ve had. And the omelette is so fluffy and so delicious. Oh. Oh my god. I feel like I need an omelette. a fluffy omelette with my omu rice from now on. So good. Okay, let’s try it with some of this um high sauce. I put it to the side because I didn’t know how spicy it was. It’s actually really good though. This high sauce, it’s like a really strong flavor of chili. It has a sourness, ulami, but not too spicy. So, it’s good. I’m going to have some lemon rings. I cannot resist on rings. I had to have something on the side. Delicious. So, guess what? I was able to take the bus uh to Umeiki Kaji Terrace. So, I’m here. It was very It was a very short ride. It was like 15 minutes. However, I don’t understand. I wasn’t able to use my my Oika card that that the Sika card of Okinawa. So, I had to pay in cash. So, this is actually a hotel here. It’s kind of expensive, but it has a nice view. P. Personally though, because it’s right next to the airport, I have a feeling it’s going to be very noisy. Here you get a beautiful view of the not beautiful, you get like a perfect view of Nahai airport from here. That is the airport over there. And uh this is the the the runway. Yeah, this island is literally right next to the runway. We’re going to take a walk around here. But you know, I have to say when this place first opened, there were more shops and it was more popular. I think then now it’s like uh not all the shops are open. There’s some shops like this one which is actually really nice. I I use their soaps and you have like cafes and it’s really nice because you can drink outdoors like this. So this is great. You can have food like taco rice like I just had this place. This place sells steak pasta sandwiches. There’s a there’s a plane that just landed the Solace Seed Air. We’ll catch the next one. As you can see, it’s it’s a terrace um complex. See people down there. You see people sitting here. And I’m here to get something sweet. I thought it would be nice to have a dessert here. So, this is a strawberry place. They have strawberry soft serve strawberry juice. What do they have here? What do they have here? Pancakes. No, pancakes are too much for me. Let’s go down here. This is nice. It’s very colorful. A lot of photo opportunities here. That’s a hammock cafe, which is kind of nice, but I don’t really want to eat. Uh, let’s see. Taco rice. I just had some. Oh, this is a nice cafe. It’s No, no, sorry. It’s a jewelry shop. I thought it was a cafe. There used to be a shop up there selling malasadas. Unfortunately, they closed. Satani. Let’s see what’s here. Sata and I wouldn’t mind having sati. Do I want a smoothie? I don’t know. Maybe we’ll do satagi. Uh yeah, maybe sata and decor. So I decided to get some fancy sata and okan donuts at a place called Decor. And uh this is located on the the third level of Umi Kaji Terrace overlooking the airport runway. So it’s kind of noisy. So please forgive me for the noise if you hear the planes uh going across. You know that’s because the airport’s right there. These are the fanciest Okinawan donuts I’ve ever seen. Uh they are displayed like jewelry and they have a variety of flavor. So, I think it’s a really good concept. So, as long as it tastes good, I can recommend it. Uh, so, uh, I got the set of four that I could choose by myself. It’s usually 1,200 yen, but it was on sale for 1,000 yen because, uh, I think it’s the time. I think they’re going to close soon. So, the first I’m going to try is coconut and Okinowan purple potato. Purple sweet potato. Looks like that. M. Actually, that is good. I was afraid it was going to be dry, but it’s actually very fluffy and moist and coconuty with a tinge of sweet potato flavor. That is delicious. What was this? I don’t remember. Mango. This was mango. Yeah, blue mango or something like that. M. Another plane’s going. This is so confusing. Okay. It’s salty. Tastes like chocolate with mango. It’s like It’s like chocolate covered mango with a little bit of salt. That’s what it tastes like. It’s good though. I like it. It’s just, you know, it’s blue. Next one we have is I believe this one is a salted caramel orange. So there is an actual like dried orange on the top. M I like that one. M look, it looks like this on the inside. It’s very very moist. Oh, I like this one. It is a maybe a little bit too salty perhaps if I was to say something critical, but you know, I like salty things. Then finally, this is called dragon. And obviously, they’re using the the the dragon fruit in this one. This one is fruity. A little bit strawberry as well. There’s some freeze-dried strawberries on the top. I don’t know why they I mean I know why they call it dragon because of the piece of dragon fruit on the top. But the sata and itself and the frosting and neither of them tastes like dragon fruit. So that’s good. But I wish they had somehow incorporated the flavor of the dragon fruit into the dough or something. Overall though, it’s pretty good overall. Like it’s not like mindblowingly wow good, but I give them an A+ for effort. Yeah. Would I get them again? Probably. I probably would. Yeah, they’re pretty good. This is what it looks like from here. Anyway, it’s finally it’s no longer raining and the wind has died down and I think it’s time to look at the ocean one more time. This is one of my favorite places. I think the reason why I like Umiki Kaji Terrace, you know, this uh complex here on the hill on this island next to the airport is the fact that it’s right next to this ocean and it’s so quiet. There are actually a lot of tourists here today. But even then, you know, you have so much space to yourself. Look at this. You can actually walk along the beach over there. You see some people there. But yeah, no swimming allowed, of course. And that is the the runway right there. It’s such a huge difference when you come here during peak summer months when it’s really hot and muggy compared to now. It’s so comfortable right now. I remember coming here during the hotter months. It’s It’s pretty brutal. Yeah. It’s like it’s hard to enjoy these walks in my opinion. So, right now it’s perfect actually. So, this is the beach. Uh should we go down there? Yeah, why not? Let’s go walk along the beach. This is so nice. You know, I I think the reason why I like Okinawa mainland, well, I haven’t been to the other islands really, but the mainland is because you have the city, but you also have beaches. You have nature all around. So, kind of like Hawaii in a way, walking along the beach. You know, all this brown thing here, this is a dried seaweed mixed in with like uh you know, the the green that’s also seaweed. Two different types of seaweed. It’s green seaweed. You got the the brown seaweed. Then you have um pieces of uh coral and shell. Yeah. And then you have the water. As you can see, the water is quite clear. Lots of seaweed. I have to say Okino is famous for the seaweed. Lots and lots of seaweed. And did you know that you can actually walk up this little hill? There is a trail that takes you all the way up there. It’s a pretty easy hike. So, I think I’m going to say goodbye here for today. Uh, it was a pretty long day, but a very good one. A good learning experience as well. I will one day learn how to ride the buses here in Okinawa. That’s for sure with Satoshi’s help. Anyway, thank you so much for watching. As always, I really really appreciate it. I I appreciate your comments. I love reading them. So, please uh feel free to write down your thoughts as well. Um, make sure to check out the videos that I made, the other videos I made in Okinawa. Uh, if you didn’t see the cafes that I went to, you have to check them out. Especially if you live in Okinawa or if you are planning to go to Okinawa, please go to these brand new cafes. They are amazing. Make sure to say hi to them and uh tell them that I sent you, okay? They will treat you like family. I’ll see you guys on the next one. Bye.

Join me on an unpredictable solo journey through the charming streets of Okinawa! What starts off as a simple attempt to catch the bus quickly spirals into a day filled with unexpected detours. After mistakenly hopping on the wrong bus, I find myself exploring the nostalgic retro area of Naha, where I stumble upon a hidden café. Next, I make my way to a local mall by the beach, only to brave the rainy weather while soaking up the stunning coastal views. I indulge in a delicious traditional Okinawan taco rice for lunch and end my adventure at umikaji Terrace, treating myself to some mouth-watering dessert.

Places I visit on this video:
Sakae Machi Ichiba
📍https://maps.app.goo.gl/carnYNaZLPi2P87Z7?g_st=com.google.maps.preview.copy
Cafe Potohoto
📍https://maps.app.goo.gl/6FqodLihewwP3nmC9?g_st=com.google.maps.preview.copy
Iias Shopping Mall
📍 https://maps.app.goo.gl/fqiSbSSMR2A4Uq5H7?g_st=com.google.maps.preview.copy
Umikaji Terrace
📍 https://maps.app.goo.gl/bkaF7AW4pFCtY4mB6?g_st=com.google.maps.preview.copy

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