Okinawa

Since I watched BBC documentary series 'Japan; Earth's Enchanted Islands', I've thought about the southernmost prefecture; Okinawa. Because it reminded me of my trip there. Okinawa is one of the tropical islands in Japan. It used to be an independent 'Ryukyu Kingdom' during 1429-1879. So it has a completely unique culture and language.

Even though it's a part of Japan, it was more expensive than travelling to South Korea (especially from my hometown). I decided to go there several years ago, when I got airline mileage points.:) To save more money, I put off the peak season.

The airplane took off from my local airport. And in the airplane, I heard the unfortunate news saying Okinawa onset of the rainy season on that day... Oh dear... To come right to the point, the weather was not so bad. I could enjoy a hotel's private beach under the slightly overcast sky. If there was strong sunshine, the colour of the sea must have been a more beautiful bright blue. Even so, the view of the ocean was different from the north where I lived. I was happy because it was almost empty as if our own private beach.

The Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium is one of the largest aquariums in the world. It was one of the places I wanted to visit. Whale sharks and manta rays are kept in the huge main tank. It was such a  fascinating view.

 

I felt as if I was in a different country. The north part of Okinawa has an open and warm atmosphere like a resort, but the south has a bit of a dark image because of the scars of the WW2. I travelled around the south using a taxi, visited Ryukyu castle, calcareous cave, and Peace Memorials as well. The taxi driver told me the tragedy which happened around the south, but it was a good to know our true history. All in all, it was a nice trip. I also enjoyed cuisine, culture, sightseeing and shopping very much.