Get There: Okinawa

All photos by Ben Bucknole.

Name, position on JET and placement

Benedict Piers Bucknole (Ben). 2^nd year ALT in Uji City.

Where did you go and for how long did you stay?

For Golden Week ’10, I had ten days in Okinawa. Four nights in Naha on the main island, and five nights on a small island called Zamami (座間味島) which is in a group called the Kerama Islands (慶良間列島) to the west of the main island.

How did you get there?

The flight from Kansai Airport to Naha takes about two hours and then it’s just over an hour by fast ferry to Zamami.

What did you do?

For budget conscious and adventurous types, Zamami is the place for you, with a good campsite on Ama Beach. I’m neither budget conscious nor adventurous but my friends wanted to camp, so camp we did.

With Zamami being an island and our campsite being on the beach, it won’t come as a great shock to hear that most of our time was spent ridding ourselves of our Winter whiteness on the soft sand and seeking respite from the tropical heat in the crystal clear water.

The island isn’t big but there were enough places to explore. We hired bikes and rode around to all the lookouts around the coast. Each provided a great place to sit, relax, clear your mind and enjoy the serenity with either a spectacular view of the ocean or across the rest of the island group.

The walk up Mount Takatsuki was not at all strenuous (it’s just a rather big hill above the village). The view of Zamami and Kerama was more than worth the minor exertion.

As I had just acquired my Japanese driver’s licence (and have a penchant for burning fossil fuels), I hired a 50cc scooter to get around for half a day. The winding roads around the island’s contours made for picturesque and enjoyable riding.

Of course, Okinawa is the place to come for scuba diving and my friends went to nearby Aka Island to see the pretty little fishies. It was so good that one of my friends started crying out of sheer joy. (Or maybe it was because his goggles hadn’t sealed properly and his eyeballs were being extracted from his skull by the pressure?)

Three nights of camping was enough for me and I spent the last two nights in a traditional Okinawan guesthouse, which was really nice and chilled out. I would highly おすすめ it.

Eating and drinking was great with a surprising amount of cafes, restaurants and bars that cater for all tastes – Italian, French, Japanese, Chinese, traditional Okinawan, not so traditional Okinawan, hamburgers, etc. The small supermarket in the village had some useful things for camping but the selection of fresh food was minimal. Prices were not outrageous despite the outright monopoly the supermarket enjoys. ナイス！

Back on the main island we hired a car for two days which made getting around easy. Churaumi Aquarium is regarded as one of the best in Japan and it certainly had an impressive main tank, but I think Sydney’s is better (although maybe I’m biased). The drive up the west coast to Cape Hedo up north was scenic, too.

Down south, we visited the Okinawa Peace Museum, which was very educational and well presented. Nearby, the Japanese Navy’s former underground headquarters is also a very interesting war-related site. It was also quite confronting.

Naha City itself is an interesting mix of the local, Japanese and American culture. Not what you’d call pretty, but it’s OK. I do owe a great debt of gratitude to the city, however, as it introduced me to my favourite Japanese beer: Orion. I’m so grateful, in fact, that I’ll be sending them the bill for my rehab.

Recommended activities/sights/sites:

Zamami Island

• Scuba diving
• Ride (motorised or otherwise) around the island’s winding roads
• Relax at the lookouts
• Ama Beach and Furuzamami Beach

Main island

• Cape Hedo
• Peace Museum
• Japanese Navy Underground HQ
• Anywhere that serves Orion beer (which is everywhere)

Advice for future visitors (things to watch out for, good eats, tips, etc.)

Zamami Island

• Eat ラフテ – glazed, braised pork belly.
• Find the outdoor cafe serving coffee Laos-style and relax in a timber hut in the afternoon heat. This was our favourite place. なつかしい！
• The tourist office at the port on Zamami is very helpful and they speak a little English.
• Winter is whale-watching season on the island.
• The hamburger takeaway [ed: "drive-in" for North Americans] shop near the port pours the coldest Orion beer on the island. Hats off to those fine people.

Main island

• Monorail from airport to the city is quick, easy to use and cheap.
• Make sure to book in advance the ferry from Naha to Zamami, especially in peak times. The Queen Zamami is high speed and takes about one hour and ten minutes. The Ferry Zamami takes about two hours. Take your pick.
• Dr Pepper, Mountain Dew and A&W hamburgers everywhere will make you feel like you’re back home (even if you don’t come from the USA).
• Awamori is the local sake. ご注意ください。
• US Armed Forces radio plays all the greatest hits of the 80s, 90s and today.

I heart Zamami

Of course, there are any number of islands in Okinawa you can stay on, from those closer to Kagoshima or the ones right down near Taiwan. We chose Zamami because of a recommendation from a colleague and we weren’t let down. It was so close to Naha but so far away at the same time—just what we wanted. By the end of our five days, we were all in love with the place.

Two thumbs up.

Have you ever been to Okinawa? Spread the love and give your best travel tips in the comments!

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