Okinawa: An 8 Day Solo Journey
Okinawa is one of those places that really makes you appreciate the finer moments of life. Having just returned a couple days ago from my 8 day solo (sort of) adventure in Okinawa, I have lots of thoughts and tips to share. The original point of my journey was to get SCUBA certified (say hello to your newest advanced open water certified gal!) but I somehow ended up driving almost an hour for a bowl of noodles and traversed the island in search of good mangoes.
The Okinawa prefecture is made up of lots of islands scattered across the ocean (I won’t pretend like I know how many there are) and is great for any solo or group traveller looking for good food and water adventures. I was prepared as soon as I stepped off the plane and was ready to run through the crowds and attempt to be the first through immigration. I was one of the firsts… But my luggage wasn’t. By the time I was able to grab my bags and head towards the exit, huge lines had already formed at the leaving security checks. But I eventually was able to make it out and I had set off on my first task: getting a local sim card for my phone. This being my first solo journey, I wanted to make sure that I knew what I was doing and not get lost on my way. I had hesitantly approached the information desk unsure of whether they spoke English or not but thankfully the kind man pointed me towards the sim card and wifi rental counter and also the bus stop where I would eventually need to go. And here’s my first tip for anyone visiting Okinawa and looking to get internet access on the go. Renting a pocket wifi when arriving is the easiest way to do so, and you don’t have to go through the hassle of pre-booking online as well. I had intended to get a local sim card but only data sims were available at the airport and they had limited data and were much more expensive. Instead I turned towards the pocket wifi rental which came out to be around $7 USD per day for unlimited wifi and could connect with multiple devices.
I had arrived at the airport around 4PM but didn’t arrive at my bed & breakfast until around 8PM because of the long wait and actual bus ride. The limousine bus towards where I was staying was actually extremely convenient and for about $18, it dropped me off about a 20 minute walk away from my b&b. The walk towards my b&b though was terrifying. Traveling solo had actually hit me and I realized that I was lugging my suitcase down un unpaved road with no street lights. To say that I was anxious would be an understatement because before arriving, I had no communication with my b&b owner as my diving company had arranged the accommodation for me. 20 minutes later I found myself walking towards a little house lit up with bright lights in the middle of a pitch black road (this was a moment in which I was extremely thankful for my little pocket wifi because I would not have been able to find the pension weekend without google maps). My b&b (pensions are what they’re called in Okinawa) was owned by the loveliest elder couple who have been in that home for over 35 years. The owner, Sashi, quickly showed me to my room and allowed my to unpack. The amenities were basic yet it immediately felt like home for me.
For the next 5 days, I spent almost every morning to afternoon hopping in and out of dive boats. I was fortunate enough to meet some of the most amazing people who have influenced the way in which I think and view this world. But that and my diving experience is a whole other story. The dive shop that I was with was located in a small village called Onna which is located on the West coast of the central part of the island (generally referred to as the North region). There, I witnessed some of the most amazing sunsets of my life and had the opportunity to truly just sit and marvel at the beauty of our world. For any traveller out there in Onna Village, take your sweet time there because I would give anything to be sitting back on those sands. I didn’t have a car or really any form of transportation except for walking so I did exactly that. Some of the best food I’ve ever had and the coolest people I’ve ever met are all jam packed into that little piece of island called Onna.
The little hidden beach
Okay so it’s really not that hidden but it’s not on a map so I guess that means it’s less touristy than all the others around it. Located just off the main road (there’s literally a parking lot) you go down a flight of stairs decorated with beautiful art and walk down towards the sandy beach. There were a couple of people taking selfies and swimming around in the crystal clear waters but for the most part it was a little hidden oasis. I walked towards the end of the small beach, laid out my beach towel and grabbed the book that I was reading at the time: The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom. I waited around for sunset and really just allowed myself to do nothing but everything all at the same time. That little beach is truly a magical place but in Okinawa, just make sure that you don’t miss out on the beautiful sunsets no matter where you are.
The speakeasy van bar
It does hurt me a little to share one of the most beautiful places ever with the world to know about. But now that I’m gone, the beauty of this little place really deserves to be shared. After around 9/10PM during the summer season, these really cool local guys open up a little bar just in the parking lot of the beach that I previously mentioned out of their van. They set up lounge chairs and this really cool display of Japanese liquor just waiting for all the locals to get off work or for the wandering tourist to find them. The latter being me as I walked towards their little set up and marveled at how peaceful the place looked. I got so many good vibes from the place and had great conversations with the bartender/owners as I got the chance to learn more about Okinawa and the people who live here. I don’t know if this bar has a name, and I really never wanted to find out because for me it was whatever I wanted it to be.
LAWSON
This one is funny, and for anyone who’s been to Japan it’s probably hilarious. Because Lawson is a convenience store that is dotted all over the island. But being the only store that was within walking distance of my pension, I frequented this little store every single day. Always full of tourists (most being from mainland Japan) you could find just about everything you needed here. From the cheapest and highest alcohol concentrated drinks you can find in convenience stores (Strong Zero! I highly recommend if you want to get shit faced drunk off really cheap shit in Japan) to the most amazing onigiri (those little triangle rice balls with fillings and wrapped with seaweed). So yes, drop by Lawson and trust me you’ll almost never come out empty handed.
Almost any restaurant you find
I’m sure there are several that are going to have high ratings on tripadvisor or something, but realistically most of the food is good in Japan. In Onna Village, there were many steak restaurants which I do highly recommend but really only once is enough. Japan is great for non picky eaters because if you try everything you’re bound to find something that you like. My tips for choosing a restaurant at random is
- never wait in line, there’s bound to be something just as good
- if it has a large English sign (in a non-english speaking country) really just avoid it because you already know that it’s geared towards tourists
- anything expensive just walk away from (unless is 5A beef, in which just spend the money because you won’t ever find beef of the same quality)
And it goes without saying, try local food! Don’t eat a hamburger at a Japanese restaurant but instead try the bitter melon (been there done that, it tastes exactly as it sounds) or something that you’re unsure of because that’s how you really get to know local cuisine and culture.
As my time in Onna Village came to a close, I felt like I didn’t get enough time to explore the areas and the beaches of the village. There was so much more than just the convenience store (still a favorite no matter what), my pension and the dive shop. But I just didn’t have time and when I had planned my trip, I didn’t take into account how much I would fall in love with the land here. My parents arrived on the 5th day of my trip, they decided to join me last minute and flew here after I was finished with scuba diving. We moved towards Chatan, a much bigger town south of Onna where the famous American Village was located. Here’s a little bit of Okinawa history (I don’t know much), it was occupied during WWII by the Americans as part of their island hopping campaign towards mainland Japan. To this date, there are still many American military bases on the island and much of its culture has been imbedded into Okinawa history. We stayed at the Hilton right next to American Village which was definitely a tourist hotspot and that was the end of my local journey. You see, my parents and I have a contrasting view of travel. I chase sunsets and authenticity from my journeys along with everything else but more often than not my parents enjoy comfort. There’s nothing wrong with their travel style, it’s the most common kind after all but I really wanted to get a chance to experience this island first hand.
The Hilton is much like any other Hilton that exists; it has three pools and is facing the beautiful oceans. There’s still a beach and many more restaurant selections nearby. All in all, it was a different kind of experience but by no means was it bad. I didn’t spend much time in the American Village but instead passed through it many times on my way towards nearby destinations. The people who spend time in American Village can be divided into two types (not limiting to obviously), the tourists who are visiting the island and the expats/military families that live on the island. The cuisine is a mix of Okinawa (American Japanese food) and western food. It had great vibes and it seemed like most of the cities nightlife was based there. Outside of American Village, was a large Japanese department store called Jusco. We have one in Hong Kong too but nowhere near the scale of this one. Even if you don’t intend on doing any shopping, still swing by and walk through the aisles of groceries and souvenirs. I also recommend grabbing some of the salt (not actually sure if it’s salt) ice cream near one of the entrances and some of the takoyaki (yes I know it’s from Osaka and not Okinawa but it’s good!) at one of the food vendors on the side. If you wanted to grab something to take back to your hotel room, Jusco has a great sashimi takeaway selection that was extremely fresh. My dad grabbed some tuna (extremely extremely cheap!) and I decided that I wanted even more Japanese snacks. That night, we also visited one of the more famous chain Japanese grilled meats restaurants called Gyu-Kaku. They have branches all around the world (the one in LA is really good!) but it was unbelievably cheap in Okinawa.
My parents only wanted to spent 3 nights in Okinawa as they’re not into water sports and really just like driving around for the scenery. So we didn’t have as much time as I would like but somehow decided to explore the outlet stores near the South of the island, much closer to Naha. If authentic travel is what you’re after, just avoid the outlets at all cost because not only will you waste a day doing nothing but window shopping, there really isn’t that much to see there. But if you wanted to drop by for some great deals, the outlet has some major brands that offer low prices. It’s great for a half day trip or if you need to kill some time before your flight (due to it’s proximity to Naha airport). I managed to pick up a Helly Hansen jacket that I would need for next year. Oh, and a book called I am A Cat. It’s a translated version of a famous piece of Japanese literature and since I was in Japan, I figured that it’d be a good idea to pick up on some of their history and culture through a novel.
That same day, we figured that we might as well kill the other tourist hotspot that was near the city centre. Kokusai street is located in downtown Naha (what would be considered downtown if the city was bigger) and is home to loads of souvenir shops but also some good food. The latter was really what I was after as we roamed around for an entire afternoon filling up large reusable bags with food souvenirs to bring home.
But here’s where the journey really began. I wanted to do something a little off the book and I also wanted to see the countryside of Okinawa. Since my parents had rented a car, we figured that we might as well put it to good use. So on our last full day in Okinawa, we began the drive up north with nothing but the address of a hundred year old noodle shop. We passed Onna Village and continued towards Kishimoto Shokudo: an extremely famous and popular ramen shop located in the middle of nowhere. On our way, we drove through lush hills and witnessed beautiful oceanside scenery. It was around 2PM when we arrived at the ramen shop and there was a line going out the door. I figured that we should just switch to a nearby ramen shop but my mom was determined to try this no matter how long the line was. The turnout rate was pretty quick as it truly was a fast food style restaurant and we managed to get a table (table is putting it generously, we shared a table with two other couples who didn’t know each other in a room with only 4 main tables) with no more than a 20 minute wait. Having sat down, I looked around searching for either a menu or something in English that would let me know what I was eating. The lady came by our table and pointed at the wall. Their entire menu consisted of three items. One was a rice (it literally just said rice in English) that was braised with the noodle stew and fried with pork bites and the other two were small and large sizes of their signature noodle. Three items made up the entire menu so we each decided to order a large… The noodles themselves were thick (Okinawa style) but nothing that was extraordinary but the pork was delicious. It’s evident that the pork was what they were selling and all in all, it was pretty much worth the trip.
Having already had driven up all the way up north for this noodle shop, I figured that we might as well explore the surrounding islands. There were two islands near us that were connected by a bridge from mainland Okinawa. A couple days ago, I had gotten a chance to see the beautiful mangoes that were sold at Jusco and wanted to buy some to try. But they were ridiculously expensive (almost $18 per mango) and I felt bad spending so much money on something so small. Well I figured that since we were further up north, things might be cheaper here and decided that I would go on a mango hunting journey. On our way driving towards Yagaji Island, my dad stopped to use the restroom and my mom and I wandered into the little shop. Guess what, there were MANGOES. Lots and lots of them. I picked a beautifully refrigerated mango up for 500 yen ($5) and literally dug into it only a couple meters outside of the store. If you’re visiting Okinawa during mango season, it definitely has to be the fruit that you try first. Either brave the high prices or take a bit of a drive to the secluded areas. Yagaji island itself wasn’t that interesting and from Yagaji we crossed the much longer bridge towards Kouri Island. The bridge itself is beautiful, a long paved road with pedestrian sidewalks across this stunning stretch of crystal blue waters. There isn’t much to do on the island itself except for the usual snorkeling and swimming on a beach (you have to pay a fee to enter the beach) but the drive around for the scenery is well worth a visit.
I didn’t want to leave Okinawa. It was so peaceful and honestly in my opinion, a much better version of Hawaii. You could feel great vibes from the people and the culture around you. For any solo girl who wants to brave Japan, do not be afraid to travel alone to Okinawa. I met some of the kindest locals and more often than not it’s the foreigners who create trouble (yes there’s a story behind that but one that I’m kind of afraid to tell hahaha). And for everyone else, book your tickets now and go visit paradise. But all good things must come to an end and Okinawa has left me with some amazing memories and allowed my first solo journey an amazing experience.
With as much love as I can muster for the gem of the East China Sea.
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