Sun & Skies in Okinawa

May 22

With Caoliang finishing a long, hard working tour, it was time for a vacation! Both of us were due to depart Japan and we figured what better way to see Japan off than with a holiday to Okinawa! Since we both really enjoy beaches, we figured this would be perfect. The both of us had gone to Okinawa prior, separately but never together. The time I went before was with my siblings and we got lucky with no rain but bad water conditions which prevented us from swimming in the ocean. The first two times Caoliang went to Okinawa it had rained so much he wasn’t able to enjoy much. So this time, we had our fingers crossed for nice weather and good water conditions to enjoy the ocean!

After packing up our things, shipping goods home, sending baggage to Tokyo, we were ready to catch our flight to Okinawa! We had decided a few weeks back that we would check out Ishigaki while there. Ishigaki is an island in Okinawa prefecture and one neither one of us had visited before. We had heard good things about it before, so were keen to go there.

The 22nd was basically a traveling day. If you’ve flown anywhere with a connecting flight, you know the whole day pretty much turns into a day at airports and sitting around waiting. So Monday we boarded our flight from Sendai to Naha, Okinawa and then a few hours later, our flight to Ishigaki. We didn’t arrive to our resort hotel until about 9pm that evening. By that time, only a small café in the hotel was open for food. After putting our stuff down in our room, which was nice and big, we went down to walk around the hotel and checkout the amenities and café.

After getting a quick bite at the café, we saw the hotel had an indoor and outdoor pool, sauna, game room, a few restaurants, laundry room, and a tour desk. The tour desk caught our attention as we didn’t make solid plans for our time there. So we decided to wake up early in the morning to try to get on a half day tour for the following day. The first day was tiring but we were ready to wake up early the next morning and make good use of our few days there.

May 23

Rise and shine! The sun had come out! It was really good to see the morning full of sunshine when we got up at 7:30 that morning. We quickly put on the hotel robe and headed down to the tour desk to see if we could get on a tour that morning. When we had looked at their options the night before, we saw a snorkel+island tour that looked pretty cool. So we booked that and quickly went back to the room to prepare since the tour started at 8:30 am.

The tour details were that it would be a half day, having us back to the hotel by noon and starting at 8:30. There would also be two locations they would take us to, one for nice photos and the other to snorkel. I was really keen on the snorkeling part. Maybe because I didn’t have a nice ocean growing up, but I find that I am always so excited or always so up for snorkeling. It’s just so fun to experience a completely different world, even if it’s just the surface.

So as we got onto the tour boat, we also were joined by six other people. The first stop was a place the tour guide called, Skeleton Island. I’m not sure if that’s the actual name of the place but it looked appropriately named. The island was just a skinny strip of white crushed coral. There was even a part of the island where you could see ocean coming in from both sides. If you angled yourself just right, it could even look like your were walking on water!

Here we took the time to feel the water out and take a bunch of photos. Funny thing happened while trying to take a picture, my swimsuit top broke! The plastic clasp in the back just snapped in two, leaving my top more loose than it should be! A couple ladies from our tour boat, who took our silly pose right before my swim suit snapped, came over to try and help us. Luckily, with a little fiddling and improvising, Caoliang was able to tie my swim suit top together. It was actually really clever and held together well into the afternoon.

So after taking in the white coral and blue, clear waters, the tour guides called us back to the boat to our next destination. The area they took us to snorkel was just outside the shores of Ishigaki. I’ve been on snorkeling tours before and saw nothing but rocks in the water. I was really hoping this tour wasn’t going to be a fail and that we would actually see some living creatures.

When we got in, the water was cold but felt really nice with the sunny day. Caoliang and I used our life jackets as floats versus actually wearing them. I suggested to him to carry it that way so you could have a place to rest in the water if you got tired, but would be free enough to dive deeper than the surface if wanted. So for about forty minutes or so, Caoliang and I swam around looking for fish and trying to dive a bit deeper to get a closer look. I never really free dove before until my trip to Coron last year. It was fun to try it then so I wanted to attempt to do it more this trip. I find that holding my breath for a long time was difficult but so was dealing with the pressure in my ears! I felt more like I was rushing to the top again to relieve my ears then to catch more air.

Anyways, Caoliang and I still saw a few fish. It wasn’t heaps like I had hoped but it was still a fun run. One of the tour guides even came over with a sea cucumber for us to touch. He actually did this twice. One sea cucumber was really hard, like it had died already and then the second one was actually soft and squishy.

After the tour guides called us back, we headed back to the hotel for lunch. I did enjoy the tour though because without it, we wouldn’t of been able to see the beautiful island or get in the water to checkout the fish.

We were pretty hungry for lunch and knew there were not restaurants near by the hotel so just ate at one of the restaurants inside the resort. Now every one knows hotel food isn’t really that great and is always over priced, but for the sake of time, we chose a yakiniku place and ordered two dishes for lunch. Caoliang had a hamburger that was made with Ishigaki beef and I had a beef pilaf. I didn’t know but Ishigaki is actually known for wagyu beef as the conditions are right for the cattle. So beef is a popular thing to eat there. Lunch was satisfying and was good enough for us.

Before coming to the island, I had researched many beaches and places to go. The problem with our situation was that we didn’t have a car. Sure the places would not take long to get to, but with us having to rely on public transportation, that didn’t come frequently, it made our attempts to go places a bit more time consuming.

I wanted to check out Yonehara Beach but looking at a map, it seemed it would take a while to get there and we weren’t even sure if we would be able to get back by bus. So we settled for Suzuki Beach instead which was located were Ishigaki’s Club Med was. Luckily there was a bus leaving at 1:12 pm and would get therein about 40 minutes. I wasn’t sure what Club Med was but I figured it would just be like another resort. Riding the bus there, we saw that most of the island was just lush green space which was really nice to see. Once we arrived, we just walked into the resort and looked for a beach entrance. This resort was bigger and seemed to have much more things to do than ours. It was so big, it took us a while to find the beach entrance!

After roaming around and getting a little lost, we finally made it down to the beach. The sand was so white and we could see many people sunbathing and participating in water sports like paddle boarding, wind surfing, and jet skis. We took the next three hours taking in the sun, swimming around a bit, and people watching. We didn’t have snorkel gear but Caoliang brought his goggles which we took turns using while swimming to see if anything was in the water. This part of the beach had a protective net around it so the things to see inside the swimming area were a bit limited.

The bus we wanted to take to return back to our hotel was scheduled to depart at 5:10 pm so we headed back up the resort a little bit before that to not miss it. Before heading out to wait for the bus, we tried to get a drink at the bar we saw. That wasn’t very successful being that we weren’t guests at that resort. We find out that Club Med is an all inclusive resort that runs about $400 a night, starting. I guess that explains all the stuff there is to do around there. Oh well, perhaps another time.

It was still a bit of daylight when we got back and I was really eager to jump into the outdoor pool. But the sun wasn’t strong enough to keep the pool at a good temperature and was actually a bit cold. Instead, we decided to explore the indoor pool and jacuzzi there. Luckily there was no one there and the whole pool was empty! I also saw a sign before entering that said no tattoos, but at this point, with me leaving Japan soon, I didn’t really care. So for the next hour before our dinner reservation at 8, Caoliang and I rested in the jacuzzi, took turns swimming the pool length in one breath, floated around (or at least it was me trying to teach Caoliang how to float haha), and drying off in the sauna.

The day’s activities really worked up an appetite so we were excited to eat. After a shower and getting cleaned up, we went to the Okinawa restaurant inside the hotel for dinner. We ordered a couple dishes that were pretty good. Taco rice, a meat and cheese thing over Okinawa noodles, fried tofu, and an Ishigaki meat dish were a few of the things we had. We also had a bottle of pineapple wine that was produced in Okinawa. The food was good but a bit over priced for what it was. Oh well. It’s vacation right?

Our first full day on Ishigaki was really nice. We had an early start but got to do many things. The next day’s agenda was what I was really excited for though. So keep on reading!!

May 24

When we landed in Ishigaki a few days prior, we had some time before the hotel shuttle came to pick us up. During this time we looked into a link a friend sent Caoliang about a tour on Iriomote. Iriomote is another island, almost the size of Ishigaki that was about a 45 minute ferry ride away. The link she had sent us had a few full day tour options that looked really nice. Again, with no set plans and no car, it seemed smart to book a tour so that way, there was people to take us around a many places we could go. So while we waited, we decided to book a tour with a local company which would include caving, jungle trekking, going down a river and cliff jumping, and also snorkeling. A full day’s agenda starting at 9:30 am to 4 pm.

So the day had come for our tour!! Since the tour was on Iriomote, we had to get ourselves to Uehara Port by 9:30am. When I had booked the tour by phone, the lady said that they didn’t have english speakers on this day and that the tour guide was Japanese. I wasn’t too worried about it and neither was Caoliang. When we arrived to the port, we had no idea how we would find our tour guide! There were so many people with signs waiting and looking for guests. But in small voice we heard “te-ri-za?” We turned to see a Japanese woman with a young teenage boy. Were they our guides? Sure enough they were! After we had a chance to use the bathroom, they led us to their van which they introduced themselves as Genta and Sachiho. Sachiho had us call her “Sa-chan” and did most of the talking. Even though they had said the guide wouldn’t be able to speak english, we found Sa-chan’s english was perfectly fine! Genta was only 18 but full of smiles and energy.

The first place they took us was along side a road. Weird right? I wasn’t sure why we were stopping either but when they pulled over, they told us that we would start our caving here. So we changed into boots and put on a helmet with head lamp, all which was provided in the tour. Oh did I forget to mention, there was no one on this tour but us! So it was really like a private tour! So lucky! And also the weather was nice and sunny this day as well.

Once we got situated, Sa-chan and Genta lead us into the jungle to visit three different caves. They had also told us that Iriomote is 90% jungle. That’s a lot of jungle. The jungle trekking was pretty cool but it was hard to enjoy the sights when I kept looking at my feet to make sure not to trip on anything. There were plants and roots everywhere but still a clearly seen foot path. The caves we entered varied in size. One of the cool parts in the caving was that we went through a small natural tunnel which we stopped at. Once we stopped, Sa-chan had everyone turnoff their head lamps. It was pitch black! The tunnel let in no light and it really felt like I was standing there with my eyes closed. Creepy.

The caves and jungle were cool to see but I was surprised to not see any animals. Of course you had your insects and birds but what about the others? Iriomote actually is home to a very endangered wild cat, the Iriomote Cat. Genta had said he actually spotted one in a cave the night before. Sa-chan said that was a super rare sighting and he was actually lucky to see one. In a brochure I had read before, it said there were only about 100 left in the wild!

Being that our tour was pretty much a private one, it was interesting for me to talk to our guides and get to know them a little. I found out that Sa-chan and Genta actually just moved to Iriomote six months before and that they know each other because Genta went to the same school as Sa-chan’s son and Sa-chan used to work at that high school. Now they both live on Iriomote and do tours nearly everyday.

Ok off to our next stop! After the caves, we went back to the van to change locations. It didn’t take long to get to the next place. It looked like just a small car park but I knew there had to be more. This is where we would cliff jump and explore the island's river just with our bodies. Along with our boots and helmet, we had to put on a wetsuit top, life jacket, and shin protectors. We looked like we were going in for battle or something! I was eager to see what conditions we would be in next!

Our guides took us on a very personal tour with the river next. It was a bit scary at times balancing over rocks and swimming in unknown water but it felt so adventurous. Also because Genta and Sa-chan were so comfortable leading us, it helped me to feel comfortable too. The water also felt super fresh and crisp. It was just the right amount of cold. So for the next few hours, our guides took us down the river having us swim, walk, balance, and jump our way to the end. Yes, jump as well. There were about three or four jump points you could do. Some of those points weren’t optional and were the only way down! I’m usually a chicken when it comes to such things but I actually did it! Ok I did most the jumps except the last one, where you basically have to scale a rock wall to get to the tiny ledge and then jump off. For the last one I just sat and watched the boys do it. Caoliang had a fun time jumping though. I’m sure with his need for movement, it was something he really enjoyed. Plus it was pretty cool (and terrifying) for me to see my boyfriend backflip off of rock ledges.

The river was really nice to venture down. The water felt great and so was the adventurous way down. Another fun thing on the river was a hole that Genta named “Alice in Wonderland.” Could you guess what it was? It was a long nook in the river in which a grown adult could fit their entire body in! Genta went first, entering with his feet and disappearing all the way in the hole. Next was Caoliang I’s turn. It was a little strange at first but then felt really cool! My whole body was submerged in this small nook of the river! Super refreshing.

When we reached the end of the river, it was lunch time! I was super hungry at this point with all the energy we dispelled during the morning. As Sa-chan went up to prepare for lunch, Genta took us to the mouth of the river which let out into the sea. At this point though, it was low tide so much of the ocean was exposed. We took advantage of the dry spots and went out to search for shells, checkout the Mangrove Trees and snap a few photos. It was cool to see in one angle a lush, green jungle and the other, a dry plain of sand with a strip of blue ocean in the distance.

Lunch time! After playing in the low tide, we went up to a raised gazebo to find Sa-chan with four bowls of yaeyama soba for lunch. Yum-yum! The food was delicious and greatly needed. As we enjoyed our noodles, we had a beautiful view of the island’s sea and land.

By this time it was almost 1pm and we were ready to head to the last activity of the tour, snorkeling! We drove to the pier to meet a man with a boat, Taro-San. Once we got on the boat, we saw that it had a glass center and you could see under the boat! I bet Taro-San also gave glass bottom boat tours as well. The boat probably seated up to over twelve people but with our lucky day, the whole boat was ours! So after saying bye to Genta, the four of us headed out to Barasu Island.

Sa-chan had told us Barasu Island is composed completely of dead coral and that at high tied the island actually disappears! I was confused at what she met until I saw it. When we approached it, the island was barely three meters wide! At first we just saw it from afar and was instructed that we would come back to actually step on the island. First was snorkeling!

So Taro-San found a nice spot for us to anchor. And pointed to an area he said sea turtles usually feed. What?! Sea turtles?! I had no idea I would be able to see them on today's tour! I was stoked. So I quickly put on my goggles, flippers and wet top and hopped in after Sa-chan. We pretty much were out in the ocean and just looking around, it was big. I tried not to think about all the scary things that could happen and just focused on following Sa-chan and looking for sea turtles. Within ten minutes or so, we had found one!!! We followed it to a spot where it rested and ate. Literally the rest of that time we just floated above it and also dove closer to it to get a better look. It was so cute and the image I was looking at was so beautiful. The coral here was prettier than the day before’s and so much more fish. The deep parts were also deeper and a bit frightening.

We stayed at this spot for a good while before heading back. I was overjoyed to of seen a sea turtle in the wild and was keen to see more. But first, Barasu Island.

When we docked on the island, Taro-San jus stopped a moment to let us jump off them “park” the boat a bit further out. We took out our cameras and Sa-chan prepared a small break with coffee and Okinawa cookies. I just kept thinking how awesome this tour was and how much you get for this price. It was amazing! Thanks Annette for the suggestion!

Slowly Barasu Island was getting eaten up by the shore line, so we quickly waved Taro-san over to come scoop us up. We thought the tour was wrapping up but Sa-chan then told us that we would go to another site for more snorkeling. I was pretty excited but I could tell Caoliang was getting a bit tired. At this spot, though, there would be no turtles but larger fish, so Taro-San said.

As soon as we found a spot to anchor, the four of us jumped back in the water. Here, there were more deep riffs which made it a bit more scary. Taro-San had joked before if you see a shark just say hello. Funny, but also a very real possibility.

Caoliang and I stayed near Sa-chan for most of the time. We stayed out at this spot for a while. It was still really nice though to see all the different sorts of fish. I was actually looking for bigger fish but didn’t see any. The largest ones I saw were probably just a little bigger than my hand.

Every now and then I would pop my head up to see where everyone was. I had noticed that it was just me and Caoliang after a while. I guess the other two got tired and went up to the boat for a rest. It was really hard to leave the ocean. So I stayed a little bit longer with the fish and tried to capture some decent footage on the GoPro.

What a day! After we headed back to the port, we got a chance to shower and get into some dry clothes. Everything worked out fine where we were able to take the 4:40pm ferry back to Ishigaki. We couldn’t of been more happy with how the day turned out. If anyone decides to go to Iriomote, please check out this tour group! They are local, the tour was amazing, and it’s such a good deal for the price. Caoliang and I were both talking about coming back some day to checkout the other tours.

As soon as Sa-chan drove us to the port lobby, we said are thank you and good byes. We felt really lucky and blessed to have the day turn out how it did. I mean, it really was like a private tour all day with such perfect weather and no accidents.

We got back to Ishigaki’s port about 5:30pm and since we were pretty much in the downtown of Ishigaki, we decided to stay and walk around the area since we hadn’t checked it out before. There were many souvenir shops and food places. We went to two different restaurants to get some sort of variety for dinner.

By the time we got back to the hotel, we were pooped! It had been such a long day but such an awesome day. I’m pretty sure I expressed how happy I was with the day to Caoliang about a hundred times. But really though, thank God for such a day. It was really more than perfect!

May 25

This morning was when we had to check out. Being that we had to wake up so early the mornings before, we decided to sleep in a couple more hours. Slowly packing and getting our things together, we pondered on what to do for the day. The weather had gotten really bad the night before with lots of rainfall. This morning wasn’t looking too good either with no sun and a sky full of questionable clouds. I wanted to checkout Banana Park but because there was a chance we would be caught in the rain without transport back to the hotel, we decided to do something with a little more shelter.

We only had about three hours before our shuttle back to the airport, so we took a taxi back to down town to find some lunch and shoot some photos. The lunch spot we found was a small Okinawa food place with a very “mom and pop” feel. The food was really good and tasted like a real home cooked meal. The price was very reasonable as well.

The rest of the day was spent mostly transiting. We took a flight back to Naha for the night because we had an early flight to Tokyo the next morning from there. Once we arrived to Naha, we found our hotel and walked to International Street for dinner.

The times Caoliang had been to Naha before, he ate at this restaurant that he really wanted to introduce to me. Luckily for us, when we arrived there was barely a wait. We ordered a course set along with some squid ink risotto. The meal was filling and the new flavors were interesting.

Walking around Independence Street after dinner was a little strange to me. I guess the thought of really leaving Japan was seeping in. I just looked around with bigger eyes to take in all the sights, smells, sounds, and feeling of Japan.

I am really sure about leaving Japan and starting something new at this point in my life; but when it really comes time to leave, it is much harder than you think. I mean, I made a life from scratch here in three years, who wouldn’t be sad to leave!? But the time had come. This evening was my last sleep in Japan for a while, and that pill was a little hard to swallow.

Anyways enough with the sappy talk. We had a wonderful holiday in Ishigaki and Iriomote to close out our stay in Japan and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome. God is good and was looking out for us this week giving us blue skies and plenty of sun. Thank you. And thank you for those who have stayed with me since the beginning. I really appreciate all who took interest in me and my life here abroad. My new life adventures might not be so “adventurous” but I guess in different points of your life, you need to challenge yourself in different ways.

So with that said, sayonara Japan! You’ve been more than amazing!

xx

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