TRAVEL GUIDE: A QUICK TOUR OF OKINAWA | Living Asia Channel

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#livingasiachannel #lactv LIVING ASIA CHANNEL proudly presents: TRAVEL GUIDE: A QUICK TOUR OF OKINAWA!

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An exotic coral bar slicing through the Pacific Ocean in East China Sea the okinawa archipelago was a vassal of china from the 15th century it’s masters named at Lu Chu or uq in japanese under the chinese then later ceded to the Satsuma the nearest Japanese neighbors of the kingdom Okinawa assimilated

Diverse influences creating a unique exotic culture that still sets them apart from mainland Japan with only 5 days to spare we narrow down our travelers to exploring the Yama islands of Okinawa and browsing the capital city of Naha in Okinawa Hondo the main island our journey begins at Tokyo’s Haneda

Airport the best time to visit Okinawa is in spring or summer roughly March to early May and late September to December the hot humid summer starts in April and continues into September where temperatures hover around 34 degrees Celsius the unusual April showers today do not dampen our spirits nor the crowds

Of travelers it’s a full flight as many first-time travelers return ease and locals to Okinawa are intent on beating threats of a looming storm today’s destination the Yama Islands Japan’s most southerly islands and last frontier of tourism after about the hour and a half’s flight from Tokyo we land in Naha

Airport for our transfer to our final destination Ishigaki shops in Japan are always an interesting site like this little airport shop or bite them choose your own stomach adventure there’s usually something to satisfy any kind of craving Ishigaki Jima is the third largest island in the Ryukyu chain the administrative center

Of the yeah Yama islands outside the main town Ishigaki the landscape is mostly rural and mountainous fringed with rocky peninsulas beautiful beaches and easily accessible reefs leaving the airport riding through a maze of narrow streets filled with weary concrete low-rise buildings and the odd weathered wood house you’ll come to guest house

Rock with Dania the in managed by Miyako and her husband Brandon a big plus for foreigners they speak English as with the rest of the country you’re bound to find a shrine or temple tucked away in practically every street corner but in this part of Japan the Shinto Buddhist influence is less

Prevalent a young monk sounds the sunset bell which our furry friends seems to echo today we’re making the 10-minute ferry crossing from Ishigaki to Takayama Jima which has strong traces of Ryu cue culture and plenty of traditional architecture day-trippers flock to the little island eager to see its

Traditional houses right on it’s Buffalo drawn carts and search lovely sandy beaches for the famous miniscule star-shaped shells today we’ll be checking out the water buffalo cart and condo beach course Taketomi Jima only has one village also called the kotomi most of the houses are built in traditional bungalow style with

Low-slung terracotta tiled roofs crowned with bug-eyed shisha the Okinawan word for lions surrounding them are rocky walls draped with hibiscus and bougainvillea the touristy way of seeing the village is by taking a 30-minute ride in us to eat yuusha the cart pulled by a buffalo while being serenaded by a guy as he

Plays his sunshine for free string of lutes the guide tells the story of tuk at the oil and explains Okinawan architecture and crafts visible on the island the center of the village is punctuated by a concrete lookout power now go Mino die which provides a picturesque view across the red towel

Rooftops of the village most of the island is friends with beach but usually very shallow water Kondo Beach is known to have the best swimming spot in the island when in convoy do as the resident cats do chill out relax and leave your cares behind pay no attention to the concrete

Said that gets in the way of that ultimate paradise field if you’ve got a discerning palate make sure to bring your own gourmet picnic ryokan cuisine combines Chinese and Japanese cooking styles with lots of tropical ingredients and liberal use of pork and fresh seafood Korea chanpuru bitter gourd served lightly fried with

Egg and onion we choose a traditional Okinawan dinner set time to sample okay now is local liquor our more–or firewater our Mori was customized to suit Okinawan conditions and was produced as a high-class liquor accessible only to the elite after those of our Mori we are eager to paint the town red but

Find that there isn’t much painting to do perhaps none that our urban souls have been accustomed to it’s quite a hunt to find a place to satisfy your sweet tooth this lonely pastry shop is one of the few establishments open at what appears to be an ungodly hour for the island

A visit to Okinawa isn’t complete without some diving or snorkeling to explore what lies beneath the yeah Yama Islands hosts 360 species of corals and sea anemones including the rare blue and Hama coral reefs there are many dive shops around Okinawa but very few have instructors who speak English they for

In Okinawa we make our way to ideomotor Jima the island and its surrounding waters are also home to a splendid array of flora and coral reefs there are plenty of opportunities for kayaking and hiking through the rainforest off we go on our journey up to Okinawa tallest waterfall been a sodden Otaki which

Means old man’s beard falls you can spend hours soaking in the breathtaking view which resembles the Amazon the time has come much too soon for us to leave this friendly lizard bids us farewell and even poses happily for pictures we’ve had our fill of the more appealing

Outer islands now to see a bit of the main island we’ll be spending the day in Naha before a plane connection to Tokyo in the evening and they spent around na highs all you need to cover the major sites Naha the capital of okinawa was flattened in world war two down the road

We find a workshop with Potter’s in action they’re working on the popular Okinawan shisha shooty joys often compared to China’s forbidden city although admittedly on a much smaller scale the seat in main hall is another example of rukia and architecture the wooden building with its parihaka barge board and the

Detailed Zen style designs were influenced by Japanese architecture the stone balustrade the vivid colors and the wide variety of dragon patterns show strong Chinese influences there’s so much to see but yet again we have arrived the couch they say that possessing a strong sense of purpose keeping lifelong friends or a mutual

Support network provides financial emotional and social help that may act as a buffer against stress in diseases one thing’s for sure these five days in Okinawa certainly left me feeling rejuvenated finding purpose being surrounded by good food and good company amidst nature’s bounty is definitely no recipe for happiness