Popeye City Guide in Okinawa: Day Trip With Lost Without Japan Season 5 Ep 120
Welcome to Lost Without Japan, a travel podcast about the life-changing experiences of exploring Japan and those moments we would be lost without. For your listening pleasure, allow me to introduce your very own Kanko Gaido, Michael [Music] Welcome to this week’s episode of Lost Without Japan, a podcast based on Japan and your Lost Without Moments. This is your director of travel for TKIC Studio Productions bringing you positive thoughts and excitement for your own upcoming journey to Japan, as well as his own return in two summers. We’d like to thank you for giving us a bit of your time today and truly hope that this podcast finds you in a good place or on the path to a better one, no matter how it may seem at this moment. My belief is that we could all use a beacon like this one for our lives and in our lives. And I hope that Japan along with this show will become that for you. If you’re new to the podcast, welcome. If you’re returning Lost Without Listener, thank you again for your time and returning once more. Today’s day trip episode takes us back to Okinawa for a second time and was inspired by a recently discovered issue of the Japanese magazine Popeye. No, not the restaurant for those of you or fast food chain for those of you within the US. But this special travel issue is well worth the price paid at my local Japanese bookstore. And it’s a magazine that normally focuses on fashion and it’s just fun just to look for for that alone. But the travel issues that they do are really packed with so very much. And we’re going to make it two episodes most likely for this Okinawa before we move on to either Tokyo or the islands of Japan issue that they have as well. May venture back to them, you know, for parts of other episodes and things like that. And it’s well worth the cost, at least it was for me, uh, for eBay and things like that to get the magazine just for pictures alone. And it’s kind of fun to see what’s being recommended for someone within Japan. the Japanese, not just what we are seeing kind of sent to us over here. So, grab a drink, a beverage, and enjoy exploring Okinawa, Japan with me. This location is a great add-on from Tokyo, as it’s just around 3 hours by plane from Tokyo Henus Airport. One plus is that the flight is under, you know, usually like 200 bucks uh each way, which of course can vary depending on time of year. But remember, look to see what discounts are offered, what discount airlines are there. At one point in time, JAL had a discount for tickets for people that did not live within Japan. So, if you’re flying into or out of Okinawa for your arrival in Japan or returning home at the end of your trip uh from here, one thing to consider though is that you’ll need to use a luggage service as your international bags won’t fit when within the size limits for these regional flights as you’re traveling to Japan most likely more than once. I hope learning how to get through that luggage service once will come back again and again uh throughout your trip or on your next as well. So with all of that in mind, let’s start with some positive mental imagery and imagine that we are all together exiting from the airport. Remember, you can always reach out to the show at lost withoutgmail.com or on the show’s Instagram page at lost without Japan just as two others did recently. you know, if I can answer any questions or be of any assistance during our journeys together or when you’re out traveling on your own, please don’t hesitate. As always, today’s timestamp to take you directly to our talk on Okinawa. It, you know, will be at the show notes portion of things as well as the Google Maps that I will share a link to. Um, that will encompass this two-part series. Before we get going though into our trip in Okinawa, I wanted to give a quick shout out with what is offered by Mate Lo. Mate Lo Japanese Verb Pro Master Class reduces the perceived complexity of Japanese by giving learners precisely what they need and what most programs cannot deliver, a strong foundation in Japanese grammar. Maple Lopo’s flip syllary, its concise video learning modules, and its Discord support channel help steer serious learners of Japanese away from the confounding articles framework that is, you know, that effectively teach Japanese backwards. Instead, Nick Lopo’s Japanese Verb Pro Master Class focuses on learning internalizing grammar naturally through a coherent unifying system with five simple patterns so you can build a strong grammar foundation or probably my case, repair a weak one. When you the material you learn from is clear, engaging, and succinct. And you can do this all in a shorter amount of time than you can even imagine. Find out how it’s done in Make Blo’s Japanese Verb Pro Master Class today. Um, offer for listeners of the show is good only until December 31st of 2025. Remember, the class itself is normally $200, but it is being currently offered to listeners of the show uh for 70. So follow the link in today’s show notes and thank me later. Okinawa is a great place to visit, but please be aware that you can get a sunburn quickly, so make sure to cover up or use plenty of sunblock and reapply it throughout the day. You may hear from others about venma snakes and other dangers, but you’re truly unlikely to run into any, you know, you know, just for our main areas and things that we’re talking about today. So truly just enjoy your trip. Now on today’s day trip talk. For those of you beginning your journey with me today, it’s essential to know that unless you’re just flying into the capital like the of Okinawa and kind of staying around there, if you really want to get the most out of Okinawa, you need a car. If you’re coming from the US or Australia or other countries, that will mean an international license. There are links in today’s show notes for US and Australia uh to kind of cover what you need to and it’s pretty straightforward um relatively inexpensive costing under $50. Also, the area around the airport is known to have less than stellar traffic. So, give yourself extra time when you’re heading back if you’re happen to be flying, you know, back that way again. Uh for many of you, this means uh you you’ll have to have that international driver’s license as public transportation really is not an option, especially when you’re going between cities. Today’s area focus will be the capital of Okinawa, which is Naha, um which is located in the Kyushu region of Japan in the Ryuku Islands. One option offered instead of heading off directly to your lodging from our Popeye Japanese based magazine, especially if you use the luggage service, they recommend going directly to the ocean and to visit uh Namino Shrine, a Shinto religious site. That being said, this, my friends, is not a tourist site and is truly seen as a religious site. Please treat it as such. And you know, just save your photos right now and social media posts for later in the trip. And instead, just take a moment to disconnect, take a deep breath, take in where you are. Give up a prayer of thanks to the sea god uh near Kanai uh that is part of that area or just to who it is that you want to. This is the only beach in Naha that will allow public swimming. So, even if you pass on the site uh to visit the shrine, this is right by the beach, and you can take advantage of the 100 yen 10-minute showers if you do. um as well as enjoy a bit of time on the beach. Uh even if it’s just to watch a sunset or sunrise as it’s just a 10-minute taxi ride from Naha airport and around a 30 minute trip by the U Mano rail line from Ashabashi station for 290 yen and after a 17-minute walk from that main Naha airport kind of combined together. Um, what I would do is recommend taking a taxi directly to the beach, um, if you can and that’s not too much price-wise for you. Or at the very least, take it to the entrance of the UEI line and not uh, you know, walk from the airport uh, to the train station, the stop that’s there. After taking all of this in, it’s time to take an 8-minute stroll to Namau Music and Barber. This music shop and barber shop run by Akazakuchi, a local hiphop crew, helps us look good for our trip, or at the very least browse some vinyl. Reviews mention using a Google Translate and being successful when combining that as well as pictures as a reference for their cut. Kids cut seems to be around 2,000 yen with a range in pricing of adult services beginning kind of around that 4,500 yen um with a 500 yen first town discount for visitors that you know book their reservation through uh Google and the map area that is there which honestly I would recommend uh to avoid disappointment. As always remember to bring cash on your trip. um as a lot of times uh if they do accept something else, it’s going to be a Japanese kind of like payment method. In the issue, they have a few recommendations in Naha for lodging with one of them that they suggest being the artfilled hotel enter room Naha, which is around a 20 minute walk or a 6-minute drive from our haircut stop. Although discounts can be found through travel sites, I recommend booking directly with them as far in advance as you feel comfortable as their bookings tend to fill up quickly on the site itself and especially on the travel discount sites. There appears to be substantially more rooms available directly through the site with discounts currently offered of around 20% for various rooms and all of them have a view of the harbor which is nice. The location of the hotel is said to be great as Naha serves as you know a base of operations for you exploring the area with fairies and west coast road nearby helping you avoid the traffic typically found on Route 58. Based on reviews and pictures, this hotel seems best suited uh you know as a base of operations. It’s just a small room, even smaller than what I would say I would normally expect. There’s no extra areas that I can see from pictures that I’ve seen that have kind of couches or things to stretch outside of your room. There are also no convenience stores or restaurants within a 17-minute walk with the closest option of something to go to near this location is inaya. The restaurant and lounge that are found within it are both only open till 5:30. So, it’s mainly uh going to be breakfast and lunch uh that you’ll be able to get from these two spots. So, plan on bringing snacks or planning, you know, on driving or taking a taxi to be able to enjoy eating out for dinner. One thing though, I would look to see if you can use the like an app or something to do your booking or set something up with your hotel uh that you’re staying at. So, they can schedule something for you for like a pickup from there and a pickup from your uh restaurant that you’re going to be going to. even if it means walking around for a while. Don’t do what I’ve, you know, did in the past where I that helped with the taxi in one direction and then find a way to go back after that. Uh it was a lot of walking. So, don’t do that. With lodging out of the way, I will cover some of the recommend recommendations given for activities in Nawa. Beginning with uh the liquid store. If you en enjoy Germanstyle sausage, ham, and other meats, sake, and other distilled spirits like craft gin, craft beer, and other adult beverages, consider stocking up on some souvenirs. One popular item that often sells out quickly is Kanekawa black tea leaves. This location is open from 7:00 p.m. every day except for Tuesday and Wednesday. Next up is a street line with glass making studios offering a variety of choices to create memories for your trip. If you do end up making a glass, it’s important to have additional time to allow for the item to cool before you bring it home. Usually, this results in you being able to pick it up. Sometimes it’s a week later, sometimes it’s a couple days later. It is something worth checking into before making that glass to make sure that they can ship it for you. Um, or that you, you know, you can pick it up yourself. And then just make sure please to wrap it very safely for your return trip. I’d put it on your carry-on, my friends, and not worry about it going through check bags. In the magazine, they focused on Okohara Glass Studio. However, they do not have a website or email for you to try to book through, leaving those of you in the audience who have a good grasp of Japanese being able to make some sort of reservation potentially, but not those of us that, you know, can get by, you know, somewhat or struggle with it or have not, right? I would reach out instead to Gina Ginichi Glass who has a Facebook site as well as Instagram account uh where you could end up using some Google Translate to try to set up a reservation yourself. I’ve talked about my experiences in Kawazawa Glass Studio outside of Tokyo previously multiple times and I very much still remember it fondly. I still have my glass that I made. That being said, um if you don’t speak any Japanese, you know, you run the very real chance of them largely doing everything for you and I could even be um reducing how much input you have and what your glass looks like or colors that you have. You know, not very hands-on. Okay, if that doesn’t bother you, then just enjoy your time and if you have the Japanese to do so, um you’re going to have one fabulous time. nothing else, it’s worth just exploring all these shops on the street and finding something you can bring back home as a momentum. The more time I spend in Japan, the more it challenges my prior preconceived thoughts on food in Japan. with my first being my favorite Indian food ever having taken place in Tokyo at the Tokyo Dome. It’s not always the case, but I find more and more the possibility that if it’s not food you would expect to find in Japan, person serving it has put a lot of study into what they are serving with even a possibility of that meaning overseas practice as well as learning to make that food uh in whatever country that it would be known for. you’re open to discovering your new favorite taco spot in Japan, stop by the Mexican restaurant Oraos, where tacos are the order of the day. Although the owner do not speak English, the reviews are filled with positive reviews of the food and drinks, both by Japanese and English-speaking guests, with more than a few mentioning going multiple times on their trip. The menu pictured looks to be in English and Japanese, which is a definite plus. Food pricing ranges from 1,000 to 3,000 yen per person with alcohol, of course. Uh definitely increasing that price range that I’ve mentioned. Check hours before you go, but they are currently open around 5:00 p.m. and close around 1 or 2 in the morning, making this a wonderful spot for a late night snack. Our next stop is Sakamachi Arcade Market Shopping Street, accessible via the Yuing Rail from Makishi. The area in front of the station is filled with bars that you could truly enjoy hopping between for one of your nights. Yoza Store, which is a favorite of Shiori Sato, an actress and an X AB48 member. It is a popular spot in the area and well worth your time. If you’re looking to go on the weekend, you will need to make a reservation ahead of time to be able to do so. The shop is open from 5:00 p.m. till 10:00 or 11 every day except for Monday and Tuesday. Luckily, this location has an Instagram which is very active with at the time of this, you know, recording of the show, um, they had to post 7 days earlier. Now, this could very well uh possibly allow for those of us who aren’t fluent in Japanese to reach out to possibly make a reservation. Again, taking advantage of Google Translate. Otherwise, you’ll need to go in person prior uh to the day that you’re looking or call by phone if your Japanese level allows for you to. The fried gyoza and maple tofu simply look mouthwatering and would be worth waiting in line for if it were an option for my meal tonight. There are reviews from individuals speaking multiple language saying that even with the husband and wife not speaking their language, they were able to have a very enjoyable time. That being said, this location is incredibly small with just a few tables and a small sign indicating its location. Priority is given to those who have reservations. So, if you just pop by, you may end up leaving disappointed. So, please make a reservation. Different people give a range of different amounts spent, but I would expect to spend around 2,000 to 3,000 yen per person, especially if you’re enjoying that draft sapo beer with your meal. Before we move on to Chitam, we have one more place to visit. Pante, a restaurant located after passing through Shurit Station. We’re stopping by Shuri Castle, which is nearby as well. The restaurant really focuses on using Okinawan ingredients that are local, which seems to be combined with some other, you know, wonderful customer service and making it a fan favorite of locals. the sign to this location. Did you notice a uh pattern in today’s episode of things selected by the Popeye magazine? Believe me, it carries throughout. But the sign to finding this spot is incredibly small and will require some keen eyes to find it. But it’s well worth uh the time and effort put into it, and it’s worth making reservations uh to enjoy your visit. Besides, uh, some wonderful food that focuses on the inclusion of a lot of vegetables, um, a location that sells table wear, local seasoning, magazines and books, uh, from people in the area, and glasses made by local artists utilizing Okinawan techniques could really provide not only a wonderful meal, but some wonderful momentos to take home. So the vegetables, we’ll talk a little bit more about that here in a second, but the vegetables are the focus of the meals you’re going to eat. Does not mean that you’re not going to have chicken or some sort of beef as well, but the focus truly is on the vegetables for your visit. Kind of a unique uh push on things and had me interested just to see uh what that would entail. This location does have a website and Instagram, but their most recent post is around a month old. So, I’m not sure how active they are at checking messages. So, if you’ve reached out in that way for a reservation, um you might have some success. Um otherwise, again, it’s just going to be stopping by. On their site, they mention that lunch is very busy, particular for that time. So, they only take reservations by phone. Fridays can also be pretty busy for this location. as mentioned on their site. Every Friday, Aante stocks fresh and delicious vegetables delivered from Yanbaru in northern Okinawa. The vegetables are grown by farmers and the Yanbaru uh farmer project that Kee supports. These Yandaru vegetables which are used a lot in the meals served at Kante come directly from local farmers. There are many rare vegetables that are sent there that you won’t end up finding at a supermarket. And um if you’re fluent, you can end up having a fun Friday night out, a very unique one in that way, shape, and even learn how to prepare uh the vegetables and things you’re coming across. Spots for this are extremely limited. So, you want to reserve that by phone ahead of time. um you know or try to stop by ahead of time if you’re going to be there for a while cuz once they’re sold out, that is it. This location is closed on Mondays and Wednesdays. Hours are from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and orders are not accepted after 4. I would budget myself around 3,000 yen per person for a visit, not including money for any of the other items I’ve talked about that are sold in their shop. Next up is the city of Chatan, which is around a 35 minute drive from Naha, 1 hour 10-minute trip by bus uh for around like 50 minutes of bus and the rest of that being under your own power or taxi. Satan is unique in a few ways with the largest being that the area you know is shared largely uh with a US military base and that is kind of a common theme throughout Okinawa as there’s more than one branch of service that are located there. Um, Chitan, um, besides having that, um, is just a very popular tourist spot in general for Okinawa. And that may not be your cup of tea. If you like things at a slower pace, there are other places you can go to that are going to be welcoming as well. Just something to take into account as we begin our talk on this area. Our first spot discussed by Popeye for the area is a Raja beach bar which as is the case with most of Okinawa has a small swimming area, 100 yen showers and access to toilets. Besides taking advantage of the sun, basketball courts, and outdoor grilling area, I think I’d most enjoy just taking advantage of the area to take in a sunset at the end of my day. Good Day Coffee is up next and it’s about a 20 minute bus ride from the beach that I was talking about just a moment ago. This area of Okinawa is famous for its surfing which ties in with the owner of this location. He used to live in Australia and worked within a surfboard factory. Uh it was during this time that the owner fell in love with coffee uh from Australia, in particular Byron Bay, which has resulted in him having coffee beans imported from that location to his store. Locations that open early are definitely not the norm. You’re going to see a lot of 10 a.m. 11:00 a.m. and so on uh for Okinawa. So, this location truly could be clutch in the start of a day as it opens at 6:00 a.m. daily and it’s open till 300 p.m. except for Sunday when it closes at 2. Enjoy some coffee. I saw pictures of avocado toast, French toast, grilled spam sandwiches, among other things. The menu uh does seem to change with season and sure with what’s available. Uh it might be something to look up at ahead of time and just kind of check out. Being that the area is a popular tourist destination, it will result in higher prices in smaller portions at time, which could be for a lot of Okinawa, especially the more tourist uh traveled areas. So, you may end up looking for a convenience store for some snacks after you’ve left a place that you’re eating at or just running around. But, it doesn’t mean that the food experience you have isn’t going to be worth it in its own way. That being said, uh you know, if you’re looking at a place to eat at, a lot of the reviews are going to be mentioning pricing just in general. They’re like, “Hey, this is what you should expect for a tourist area.” But if you begin to see things like small serving size, uh being said again and again and again, um which is not normally the case, uh that might be something, you know, to take into account. Doesn’t mean it won’t be worth it. Just something to be aware of where it’ll be kind of like a snack as opposed to something maybe more filling. This is going to be the case. This is going to be the case with our next recommendation given to us at Big Knot Clothing and Cafe. The clothing is truly what would get me to visit. However, uh you know, I very much would like to try to snag like a shirt or things that I’ve seen in here. A lot of people mention going for chicken over rice that are mentioned in reviews, but pricing is going to be something that I would definitely think about. We’re going to be talking about another location coming up here too that’s going to have kind of comparable pricing. It’s not going to be like going to, you know, uh, you know, sales store um, back home. Pricing is going to definitely be something that’s going to catch your eye. This location is not open on Wednesday, but is open 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on other days. Last for today is Chocolate Jesus, which is a location with a clothing store on the first floor and a cafe and restroom up on the second that’s located in an area known as American Village. Clothing ranges from jeans to pants and tops and even some skateboard decks as well. That being said, as I mentioned just a moment ago, you know, if you have hoodie that are beginning around 23,900 yen, and I know that we’re not a straight 100red yen to 100 penny, you know, dollar conversion, but if you took it at just that, that’s $239 for a hoodie. Um, I’m not saying that that wouldn’t be something, you know, that I might take into account as something if that was like my big purchase to bring back home. But man, if I did, I’d be wearing it sparingly and I would, man, I’d have to wear something, you know, underneath or I don’t know, something something plastic. I don’t know, a bag over me if I did. Um, there are some coupons online. Uh, might be something to check out for other locations as well. Um, but the coupon discount, it’s like 500 yen or others. So, it’s not something to where you’re like, man, that coupon is going to make me suddenly decide to get this hoodie that’s 23,900 yen because it’s half off. That’s not going to be the case. Instead, it’s like, if I’m going to make a purchase there anyways, why not take advantage of the coupon? The store looks to be open each day from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. And it has a really nice website to see if you find something you need to start saving for prior to your trip from the clothing section. um you know be a good idea you know check it out. There is a variety of iced frozen and hot coffee with espresso being mentioned more than once. Although I tried I could not find pricing for the different coffee but I’m assuming much like the clothing prices for a lot of different things or restaurant prices they’re going to match. You know they’ll be somewhat around each other. It’s a tourist area. So if you’re at one coffee shop versus the other um I don’t see there being a huge drastic change in pricing. just going to be tourist area coffee pricing. I look forward to continuing through Okinawa with you and talking more about the issue that I have. It is truly this Okinawa guide came out in 2024 and it’s really worth your time uh to check out. Um it’s just so much fun looking through the pictures and then that led me to find one for Tokyo that just came out, you know, in September. Um, and there’s other one for islands that came out this summer, so like only a couple of months ago. It’s so much fun. If it sounds like you’d want to kind of follow along with me as I go through, um, feel free to reach out. I’ll give you the ebo e eBay stores that I ended up finding them through if you’re within the US and you could, like I said, something to kind of look through because I’m not going to be able to cover everything in these talks. If I did, I think um it’d be multiple multiple talks on the magazine in Okinawa and hour upon hour uh to do so, which uh hey, I would probably be down for, but I I’m pretty sure that uh listeners of the show are not going to want to have uh the same location talked about for month after month. So, like I said, we’ll have one more episode together, uh, on Okinawa, uh, where I’ll hit upon, um, some additional cities, uh, which will, you know, are KZA and Venge, um, and just so much more. Just look forward to kind of, um, you know, sharing again with you, uh, things that be recommended for people usually within Japan and, um, without you having to purchase a magazine to do so. In the end, Okinawa will likely require a few days for you to visit, especially for those of you looking to dive, as we’ve talked about uh previously on a prior episode on Okinawa and our diving talks and things like that. Well worth looking back at that. But consider Okinawa for your next trip to Japan. Cuz who knows, you might have your own moment that becomes one of your favorite stories to share about traveling in general or traveling within Japan, no matter how many other times you end up visiting in the future. With that, we’re going to bring our day trip to an end. Please give a follow, like, and comment on your favorite streaming service. For updates on the show, feel free to follow on Instagram at lost without Japan. I’ll be sharing recommendations and things for Okinawa on the feed that don’t end up making it into the show as well as some pictures in general. If you’ve enjoyed our show today, consider supporting us by following us on Instagram um or by joining our Patreon. Links will be in today’s show’s notes. Thank you to our members who have donated to the show. It very much helps support what we’re doing and helps to continue to bring you uh shows like the one you just listened to today. Looks like we’re ready to call it night before we begin our next adventure as we continue our discussion and exploration of Japan. On behalf of Lost Without Japan and the entire crew, I’d like to thank you for joining us on this trip as we look forward to seeing you on board again in two weeks for our next episode. To everyone out there, a ginky day. Stay well, my friend. [Music]
Popeye City Guide in Okinawa: Day Trip With Lost Without Japan Season 5 Ep 120
The time stamp for the start of our talk on Okinawa is 7:34
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