Is Okinawa Japan’s Best-Kept Secret?
Have you ever sat in a car park and looked out the window wondering when your island holiday in Okinawa is going to get started because this rainy weather is killing it? Well, that was me. And after Quarry Island, we decided we’re going to go to Okinawa’s aquarium which is 30 minutes away. Earlier in the day in the episode, we drove from the north of Okinawa all the way down to Cory Island. And now we are going to this aquarium which houses a whale shark. So let’s go. Arriving there, the number of tourists was huge. This place is very popular with all the Chinese tourists that visit the island. Why not going for? Why are we going for? As you can hear, my daughter has a lot of questions around the aquarium, which makes it a great place for children and the adults to learn about sea life. And with the ticket prices ranging from $5 to $12 US, this is a great place to come and visit on a rainy day and check out the manta rays, the whale sharks, and so much more. The last time I saw a whale shark up close and personal was in the Gulf of Mexico. Oh, wait. Hold on. The Gulf of America or whatever it is called now, the oceans of Mexico was great and an amazing place to swim with whale sharks. And I prefer to enjoy the ocean to see these animals. But on a rainy day like this, the aquarium has to do. I have taken Nicola with me into the ocean in the Maldes, Egypt, and Fiji. So, she has seen quite a lot. But on some days, the aquarium is the best solution, especially when the weather is very challenging as it is in Okinawa this week. The fun part is you get to see some of the species which you wouldn’t want to get too close to while diving or in the ocean. The murray eelss, the lion fish, everything was great here. On the premise, they also have an area for sea cows, mentees, which was really nice to check out. And this one actually put on a show for us, which was very welcoming. We also witnessed a good selection of turtles swimming freely and the place was very clean and it looked nice. Outside they also have the dolphins and the dolphins put on a show. Once again, I’m not a big fan of animals in captivity, so I didn’t witness this part and we left to get out of here and make it to our next location. Overall, this aquarium is a great place and you can spend easily 2 to three hours. And as you can see from the beginning, I didn’t miss out much on those 2 to 3 hours is still raining. Our next drive is for almost an hour and a half going all the way down to the central part of Okinawa while enjoying this beautiful weather. One hour later. All right, we are at our next place. And let me tell you what, the rain, the typhoon, it’s getting worse and worse. This is the current situation. Not sure how much you can see. And yep, the rain has just got really heavy. Uh, no beach day today. Actually, partial beach day. Went in the water, but didn’t have my bathing early in the morning since I was scouting. But, um, we’ll try tomorrow. So, just uh going to have some dinner now and check in with you a bit later. Hotel room. Nice toilet. Shower looks good. Ah, two double beds. And then a there’s a letter. I wonder what’s upstairs. Hang on a second. What’s upstairs? Oh, hi. Is this your bedroom? Yep. Nice. Now come down. This is nice. Because of the weather, there was no dining out today. So, I went down to the supermarket and grabbed some sashimi, sushi, and a lot of good stuff because this place is amazing. And check out this sushi making machine. Mass production is a thing here, baby. And by the way, the sushi tasted really great and I was impressed. Since we are having a night in, I bought some additional snacks to check out. The Japanese snack attack Oreo something something peanuts spicy something noodles. noodles, fuia homepie, rice crackers, and cassava chips, which is apparently sweet, not savory. Good night from somewhere in the middle of Okinawa. And tomorrow, hopefully it’s beach day. The sun’s out and it is early as we drive to the beaches next to Miyagi Island. Master Miyagi Miyagi raised in a small village on Okinawa. Did not even read the review about the beach because it’s on Miyagi Island and that is reason enough for me to go and check out two of these locations that look rather good from satellite imagery. So, let’s go. By the way, if you’re wondering how it is to drive on Okinawa Island, it is very simple because everything is wellleeled and the roads are rather nice and simple. Neckla. Yeah. Are you ready for your first swim? Yeah. How ready are you? Um, five. Eight out of 10. Eight out of 10. Yes. Finally, the sun is out and we are actually at the beach. Uh on the east side of Okinawa, just passed the American military base, Camp Courtney. I didn’t take any videos over there because I don’t want to get holed up in customs when they ask why you got videos of military bases. Yep. So, not wise to take videos of those. But anyway, this is it. This is the beach. Yes. Now, I’m going to get undressed and go jump in there. Actually, this was not even on the plans to visit this beach. We’re just driving. Temptation kicked in to go check out a beach because it’s right there next to us. This place was nice, but as you’re going to see in a moment, there’s much nicer beaches, but unfortunately, there was a small accident that happened here. Surprise, All right, not the best start to the beach. I just fell over there and broke your toenail. And I broke a toenail. And why are you celebrating me breaking my toenails? Stop funny. Yeah. All right. Need to find a Hello Kitty plaster. And uh get on with the show. But anyway, the beach is uh nice and warm. The water’s not that clear, but it’s been raining for a few days, so uh I’ll let that pass. But I’m going to go a bit further that way to see the next beach. So, see you in a moment. Okay. They don’t want It is rather windy as you can hear from the speakers, but we don’t go to Okinawa every day. So, we’re going to make the most of this experience. So, when you’re at beaches like this with rocks, it says caution, slippery. I didn’t read I didn’t read that and uh paid the price. But anyway, let’s get to the next beach. Once again, this place was on the way to the beach I’d initially planned to go next to Miyagi Island and I just stopped to check it out. Yes, I get distracted easily. And one other thing, due to me falling down on some green algae, seaweed, whatever the green stuff was, my pants got quite destroyed. So, I had to take those off and drive around my underwear because everything else is packed in the big suitcase and just opening it up, taking it out wasn’t an option right now. Got my swim toss and whatever else I’m carrying with me. Wow, how amazing is this? If you can only see me, Mary, don’t take a video of me in my underwear, please. Yes, I’m in my underwear after this situation. My pants is a bit dirty, covered in uh some green stuff. So, yeah, we’re driving around my underwear. This is the way to do Okinawa. This is the way to do Okinawa. This girl over here. So, was it funny when I fell down? Yes. All right. And finally, just like that, we arrived at the desired beach on a sunny day in Okinawa. Things started aligning towards a nice island holiday. We have made it to a private beach called Ko something. I’ll put the uh name of the beach on the label. But this is looking good. Ready for our first official swim in Okinawa. Nicola, are you ready? And you have a holding on. That doesn’t need to be on camera. Yeah. The beaches are not too crowded because the western tanning culture is not a popular thing in Asia. So, a lot of the Chinese tourists and Japanese here were not really tanning, just enjoying a swim with maximum protection, life jackets, all other buoyancy devices to stay afloat. Okay. broken toenail and all. I am in the water. It is absolutely gorgeous here. Nicola, you good? No. Okay. She’s got water in her mouth. Yeah. All right. We’re going to go enjoy this beach now. That beach was really good. Nicola, did you have fun? Yeah, but we’re going to stay here looking. All right, we’re going to stay a little bit longer. Just a little bit. Eventually, we left the beach and my first stop was the pharmacy because I got to see to my damaged toenail. And tell you what, it was challenging at the drugstore. Didn’t even know my hair was looking like this. But anyway, trying to buy some uh antiseptic and other medical stuff I might need for my broken nail, which is quite a big one. So, that’s why I’m here at the pharmacy. But yeah, I will uh figure it out. We got some help coming along. Got some products, but everything’s in Japanese. So, uh a bit of a challenge, but this is the fun and joy of traveling. Post shopping, we jump to a local restaurant in the mall and enjoy some of the Japanese cuisine. The one thing about Japan, the food is always great wherever you go. Next up, we are traveling to our accommodation for the night which is in Naha Central. I parked our vehicle 500 m away from the hotel and it cost one quarter of the price. So take that into consideration when you are driving. All right, we have made it to Naha to our final hotel on Okinawa. Just arrived at this hotel called the Nest, which has just opened uh 3 weeks ago, so it’s uh fairly new. Let’s get the check-in process done and I’ll show you around. All right, couple of beds here and there. Nicholas got a sofa bed. The view is pretty high. All right, this looks good. The drive to Naha from Miyagi Island took roughly about 2 and 1/2 hours, and that was due to the stopping at the mall and enjoying lunch as well. The pool is open till 10:00, so we got to have a swim. As you can hear, it is still very windy in Naha City, but the views from the rooftop are quite revealing, and you can even see the airport in the background over here. The good news with this hotel is that it’s got a pool and a nice rooftop. But the bad news, it is quite crowded and noisy compared to the Airbnb we had earlier in the week. All right, we have a infinity pool in Naha. which is always nice. So, uh going to go enjoy my swim. Uh the day has been beautiful, sunny. Finally got to the beach to jump in. Uh so yeah, it’s time to make the most of the pool. Open till 10:00. Uh we’ll see how long I last there. All right, let’s go enjoy this pool. Dinner time. Nickel. No. No. We are not sure what we ordered, but Nicholas ordered some rice and chicken. So, hopefully this goes well. Let’s go. Steve’s chicken. Good night from Naha City and I woke up early just to check out the pool and we did have a flight around midday. So, it’s uh goodbye to Naha. And I realize if you are coming to Okinawa, you need at least a week, probably 10 days because there’s lots to see and if the weather is bad, things can be a bit limiting. Naha city. Well, I have to come back. I haven’t seen all of it yet. Now, we are at Okinawa airport and our next stop is Kanazawa Island. So, see you on the next episode. Thank you for watching and don’t forget to like, subscribe, and turn on the notifications. Kichima.
Welcome back to the second installment of our incredible Okinawa road trip adventure! π₯³
In this episode, the journey continues as we head south, kicking off our day by crossing the stunning bridge from Kouri Island. Our destination? The world-famous Churaumi Aquarium where we get up close and personal with the majestic Whale Shark and incredible manta rays! π
Next, we take the scenic route to explore the untouched beauty of Miyagi Island and discover some of Okinawa’s most beautiful, secret beachesβperfect for a peaceful escape. ποΈ
Finally, we wrap up our island exploration by driving into the vibrant capital, Naha City. See the historical sights, explore the bustling streets, and join us for a classic Friday after-work drinks session to experience the city’s lively nightlife! π»
Highlights in this video:
β’ Churaumi Aquarium (Whale Shark Tank)
β’ Exploring Miyagi Island
β’ Discovering secluded Okinawan beaches
β’ Naha City Tour & Nightlife
Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell so you don’t miss the final two cities in the Japan series. π―π΅
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