6 days in OKINAWA, JAPAN🌺 | halekulani, churaumi aquarium, banta cafe, scuba diving, bacar okinawa

6 days in OKINAWA, JAPAN🌺 | halekulani, churaumi aquarium, banta cafe, scuba diving, bacar okinawa

[Music] [Music] We made it to Japan. It took us a 12-hour flight from LA into Haneda airport in Tokyo. And then another 2 and 1/2 hours to get to Okinawa, which is our first stop. We just got our rental car. Andrew is learning how to drive on the left side of the road for the first time. And so far, he’s doing a great job. We’re driving out of Naha area, and we’re going to be heading towards our hotel, which is in Halle Kulani. The car rental place provided us with this really cool map that has the points of interest and it also has a list of map codes which you can enter into this system over here. This is the mapping system. You will arrive at the destination area. [Music] [Music] [Applause] That’s great. [Music] What should I use this? [Music] But I told you there was a big camera on the way. That’s cool. [Music] [Applause] Ah, [Applause] [Music] now I fall asleep. [Applause] Okay. 28. We just got to our hotel in Okinawa after a very long travel day, about 16 hours, and then we spent a couple of hours in Naha. We’re coming to this area where our hotel is. We’re staying at the Hale Kulani Okinawa. There’s actually a location on Aahu, which is where I’m from, but I’ve never stayed there before, so I feel like this would be the perfect place. Starting off with the tour, this is a really nice entryway. Then we are heading into the bedroom portion. They set up a really cute little happy honeymoon setup here for us. This is the view. We have a seating area and then the view is so gorgeous. Look at this view. It reminds me of Hawaii. Here’s another look at our seating area. I love that it lets in so much light. Bathroom is very spacious. Then we have the shower area here with a bathtub that overlooks the same view. It’s stunning. They even have a gift box and some snacks cookies for us. We’re getting kind of hungry and dinner isn’t until 8:00 p.m. chips. Nice snack before dinner. We have two cookies here. We got gifts. These are Holly Kulani chopsticks. That’s such a sweet gift. We’re all dressed up because we have dinner reservations tonight at the hotel. This is the Holly Kulani at night. It is so pretty. [Music] Get so much for [Music] trying to get trying to walk. Oh yeah. [Music] Good morning from Okinawa Hallelani Hotel. We are doing our hotel breakfast right now, which is actually included in our reservation. It’s called House Without a Key, which actually has a branch in the Hawaii location as well, and it’s a buffet style, so we’re really excited to try it. So far, we just ordered the Kona Blend coffee and then Andrew got the cafe latte. It’s about 6:30 a.m. right now. It’s pretty early, but since we are jetlagged and super hungry, we’re going to go get some food. We just got our first plate of food. Honestly, it was so overwhelming. The buffet had a ton of food, so we’re definitely going to have to go back and try different things. They even had a soba noodle making station. I just got a bunch of random stuff here. I want to get some veggies in. Today we woke up and we knew that we had to have a resort day. After the breakfast, we decided to hang out by the pool. There are four major pools and three of them have an infinity pool view. We went to check out two of them and the views were so amazing. We went into the jacuzzi. We relaxed. We ordered some food and had a pina colada. Cheers to go through. It’s almost noon, so we just ordered lunch by the pool because we didn’t want to leave the hotel area. I got the tuna sandwich with fries. And I also got a pina cola. So, we’re going to enjoy some lunch by the pool before heading over to the beach. We did sign up to go scuba diving, so that’s going to be really exciting. [Music] Don’t be hide. [Music] The sunset right now is so beautiful. We’re going to be heading out of the hotel for dinner tonight. We’re going to a restaurant called Jam in Okinawa. It’s supposed to be really popular. It’s a steakhouse that also serves grilled seafood and some tropical cocktails. The decor is supposed to be really fun and colorful as well. [Music] [Music] Try spicy sauce. Good morning. It’s our third day in Okinawa. We got up pretty early today and we’re having our 7:00 a.m. breakfast at the hotel. We’re trying out this second restaurant. Yesterday we tried the buffet restaurant which was really good. And today we’re at an Americanstyle breakfast restaurant. Our breakfast just came. It’s actually a menu with fruits, juice, coffee, and then we each ordered a different entree. Today we’re actually leaving the resort for the day. We’re going to be exploring Okinawa. We’re starting off with the aquarium. It’s supposed to be a really popular attraction. Props to Andrew for driving us to our next destination and to see all of the beaches today. He’s doing an amazing job driving on the left side of the road. Okinawa is definitely beautiful. It reminds me so much of Hawaii. Even the roads, the nature, greenery, the ocean, it’s all so similar. And I just really love the vibes here. We made it to the aquarium. [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] We’re inside the Okinawa Aquarium. There is an option for you to eat at the cafe. It’s called Cafe Ocean Blue. You can pay extra to sit right next to the tank and you can see the view of the fishes. We just ordered a couple things, two drinks and a meal to share. We got the curry rice. And it’s nice because it’s shaped like a whale shark. [Music] It’s pretty fancy. [Music] Thinking about getting this aquarium shirt has the whale shark on it and then these lion things that are really popular here in Okinawa. This is a special drink that is unique to Okinawa. We’re going to try out this Tur umi soda pop. Supposed to be well known here at the aquarium. Tastes like Sprite. Might be yuzu, but some sort of citrus. [Music] You’re so cool. Yeah. [Music] We’re eating at this restaurant for lunch and it has a gorgeous view of the ocean except I feel like it’s almost 90° and we’re sweating. We had lunch inside earlier and we decided, hey, let’s check out the views. We have to when we’re here, so we just got dessert. The Okinawan ube cheesecakes. This is a breathable shirt and I’m still struggling. It’s really hot. That part is really cool. [Music] How much [Music] you [Music] [Music] There’s two slices of pork. There’s like big [Music] ones. It’s like eating. [Music] Good morning. It’s our fourth day in Okinawa, but it’s actually our last day at the Halle Kulani Hotel. We are so obsessed with this resort. Today we’re having breakfast at Aomi. We’re going to be doing the Japanese set menu breakfast. It looks really good. Then we’re going to be driving back to Naja, which is a bigger city in Okinawa. It’s actually where the airport is. And along the way, we’re going to be doing like an hourish road trip. It takes that long to get back. What a spread. I don’t even know where to start. [Music] It’s this area. [Music] [Music] that we walked market. [Music] So, we just got to Nakamura Soba. There’s a line. It’s hot as hell, but it’s actually supposedly only 20 minutes. I think it moves fast, but you basically just enter. You buy your ticket on this machine. You pick what you want and then you put your name down and then they’ll call you when your table is ready. [Music] We just stopped by to get some Okinawan donuts. We actually went last night, I think around 5:00 p.m., but it was closed. Around 5:30 p.m., but it was closed. I think they just close when it sells out. So, we were really lucky to go around noon, right after we had our Nakamura soba, and already one of the flavors sold out. We literally got the last one. It was the plain original. So, we ended up getting plain original, brown sugar, mocha, and then the Okinowan sweet potato one to try. I feel like I’ve had something similar to the one that I had in Hawaii. Okay, we’re going to try the first one. Okay, I think this is the sweet potato one because it’s like kind of purpley inside. Okay. Yeah. So crisp on the outside and it’s soft on the inside. Okay. Now on donuts, they’re pretty good. They’re not overly sweet, which I like. Right now, we are driving towards Banta Cafe. It’s supposed to be like a really nice place to get some drinks and light refreshments. And it’s supposed to overlook the beach. Then we’re going to be heading to some shopping areas on the way back to Naha. [Music] We are so sleepy right now. I’m going to go look for some coffee. But we’re at American Village, which is like an American inspired outdoor shopping area. [Music] So hot and it’s Christmas time. This is the bitter [Music] right now. [Music] [Music] What happened? [Music] [Applause] [Music] I love it. [Music] Yahoo! [Music] Get back. Okay. Yeah. Let’s Let’s hunt for this. It should be a short one, but it shouldn’t move this way. They have this animal bakery one, too. [Music] Our [Music] first variety here of the trip. We made it to Naha. We checked into our hotel and now we’re having dinner at Hin Au, which is a really popular pork shaboo shaboo place. So, we’re really excited to try it. We actually ordered two set menus. The one I got is mainly just au pork. Ahu pork is like a staple in Okinawan cuisine. Hershey recommends that we grab some of the broth. Then I’m going to grab the pork, dip in like I feel like just a few seconds until it’s like kind of pinkish. Take it out, put it in the bowl, and then it just continues to cook. [Music] This is really good. Good morning. It’s our fifth day in Okinawa and we’re actually back into the main city of Naha, which is where the airport is. This morning, we had an early start. We went to have breakfast at our club lounge access at the hotel. We’re staying at the Hyatt Regency in Naha. Then afterward, we went to return our car rental around 9:00 a.m., but a lot of the shops here don’t open until 10:00 a.m. So, we are hanging out at Starbucks for now. Today is a pretty packed day, but we’re mainly just going to be walking around, exploring the city, and going to some shops. So, we made it to Mashiki Public Market. And upstairs there are a bunch of restaurants, but downstairs there is like a seafood fish market, and we were able to pick out different pieces of fish and seafood. They bring it upstairs, and they cook it for you in different styles. So, we picked a red snapper fish, which is supposed to be really popular. They’re going to do half sashimi for us to try and the other half will be steamed. And then we’re trying this turban shell sashimi. They’re going to cook it in garlic butter for us and sauté it as well as two scallops cooked in garlic butter. So, we’re really excited to try it for lunch. The turban shell meat came out and it is sauteed in garlic butter. It looks really good. So, I’m going to top it off with some of the citrus. It’s very chewy. Kind of like a squid like texture. Really good flavor. All right, so our sashimi just came out. We get that red snapper fish. Half of it’s going to be cut into sushimi right here. The other half they’re steaming right now, and they’re going to use the head to actually make a miso soup for us. Then we have the green turban. We just ate half of it that was uh done in garlic butter sauce. The this other half they placed it back in their shell and we’re going to do a sashimi style. Have a side of sea grapes on there, too. So, we have this sashimi fish that we picked out. I’m going to try it out. He said this was the best one for sashimi. Dip it in a little bit of the soy sauce, wasabi. It’s really fresh. Now, I’m going to try the turban shell sashimi. I’m just going to try it by itself to see what it tastes like cuz I never had this before. It’s actually much softer as a sashimi versus when it’s sauteed. Pretty good. Now, I’m going to try a little bit of the steamed fish here. Dip a little bit in. It’s pretty good. Going to try the gallop. It’s cooked in garlic butter again. [Music] [Music] Starting. [Music] [Music] [Music] buy somewhere for us. You get some ice cream. You like yours? It tastes exactly like just what I assume it tastes like. Pineapple coconut and sweet potato. [Music] We’re in Don Kyote Naha right now. We’re going to stop by to get some t-shirts. Should [Music] we get two? Yeah, let’s get blue. One small, one medium. Matching blue silver. [Music] [Music] We just got to our dinner reservation. We’re eating at a car in Naha, which apparently is a really hard place to reserve, but I was literally on the phone calling them for 30 minutes straight before someone picked up. So, we were very lucky to get this reservation. Our first dish is here. We got this smoked tuna salad. It’s topped with a bunch of stuff here. I’m going to mix them all together. [Music] I’m going to try the margarita pizza. [Music] M. The sauce is really good. This is the green turban pasta. It’s like our second time trying turban today, so we’re really excited. Looks good. turns. Today is day six of Okinawa and we made the plans to come to Zamami Island. So, we did a little bit of island hopping. It’s only about a 50inute boat ride here, but it was a huge struggle. I usually don’t get seasick, but for some reason, maybe because it’s a high-speed boat, I got so sick the moment the boat moved. I feel a little bit better. I have my ginger ale here. We got off onto the island and then it started to rain. Then finally, we took the bus. It was only about a 5-minute bus ride, but it took us to this beach so that we could go snorkeling. And we rented uh two chairs, an umbrella. We also rented some snorkeling gear. We’re going to head into the water. [Music] [Music] We made it. We made it. This is a Zami Zami Island. This is Fer Zami Beach. Pretty warm. So, let’s check it out. [Music] [Music] How’s the vegan taco rice? That’s good. Hi Andre, [Music] a really crispy shell. It’s our last day here in Naha and we’re at this miso soup stand for breakfast. They’re bringing it out freshlymade miso soup. So, we’re really excited to try it. It’s there’s a light flavor to it. I’m trying the bowl with the rice oniri inside and the soup is so good. The broth is like very umami flavored and light refreshing. Citrus Okinawa. Here we go. Heading back to mainland Japan after one week in Okinawa. We’re taking our flight to Fukuoka and then we’re going to make our way up towards Tokyo. So, there’s going to be a lot more cities that we’re going to see. We are also wearing our Blue Seal ice cream t-shirts as we are departing Okinawa. It was a great souvenir to have. [Music] We’re at the airport right now with our pork tamago oniri. I just got the regular one which comes with egg and spam and like a pickled lettuce on top. And then Andrew got the one with chicken tenders. This is very comforting to eat. Also, it’s really hot right now still. I’m like sweating. All right. See you in Fukuoko. [Music]

**PLEASE NOTE THAT PRICING CONVERSIONS MAY FLUCTUATE – USD prices listed in this video are just an estimate**

We spent 3.5 weeks in Japan for our honeymoon in October 2024!

ep. 01 – First stop is in Okinawa for one week to explore this beautiful tropical island! Highlights: amazing stay at the Halekulani Hotel in Onna, scuba diving, Churaumi Aquarium, Banta Cafe, Cape Manzamo, Blue Seal ice cream, island hopping to Zamami island for snorkeling, best Margherita pizza at Bacar, exploring Naha, tea at the pottery district, and shopping at American Village.

♥ Angela

00:46 Renting a car in Okinawa
01:18 Umikaji Terrace Senagajima
01:59 Manga Souko
02:52 Halekulani Hotel Okinawa
03:15 Halekulani Room Tour
06:53 Scuba diving!
07:42 Jam Steak & Seafood Restaurant
09:30 Churaumi Aquarium
11:41 Bise Beach
12:01 Cafe w/ Bali vibes for lunch
12:51 Cape Manzamo
13:18 Steamed Agu pork for dinner
15:22 Okinawan sweet potato tarts!
15:45 Lunch at Nakamura Soba
16:23 Okinawan donuts!
17:23 Banta Cafe
17:59 American Village
19:25 Pokemon Center Okinawa
20:23 Agu pork shabu shabu
21:43 Makishi Fish Market in Naha
18:14 Bukubuku traditional Okinawan tea
24:27 famous Blue Seal ice cream!
25:38 Bacar for margherita pizza
26:47 Zamami Island & snorkeling
_____
LINKS
– Vlog Camera: https://rstyle.me/cz-n/hhpn2rces9x
– Camera: https://rstyle.me/cz-n/eyz343ces9x​
– Mini tripod: https://rstyle.me/cz-n/eyz39tces9x​

AMAZON STOREFRONT: https://www.amazon.com/shop/angelahuynh

MUSIC FROM EPIDEMIC SOUND – use my referral link to sign-up (https://www.epidemicsound.com/referral/g5w56b)

https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/d1b2d0ec-ee42-3927-81a6-91851fe0ba1f/
https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/0143d29b-23b0-4fdc-ba66-84b13339e26a/
https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/0ce59946-1641-3569-b950-fe835c39c73f/
https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/bb1e3c46-fb99-433c-9e29-35a2de8932d7/
https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/43200abd-7991-4afe-975d-0646d64686f5/
https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/87df6c4d-5597-4927-8b05-67e34482d409/
https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/NQAOtpqJOA/
_____

ABOUT ME:
My name is Angela & I’m from Hawaii but currently living in Los Angeles! These are travel vlogs to share with our future kids and encourage them to see the world one day!

CONNECT:
TikTok: @angerellla (https://www.tiktok.com/@angerellla​)
All business inquiries: helloangerellla@gmail.com
Instagram: @angerellla (https://www.instagram.com/angerellla​)
_____
FTC / DISCLAIMER
This video is NOT sponsored. Products listed may include affiliate links where I can earn commission. I do not own rights to the music.