こんにちは from Okinawa, Japan!

From Thailand, I flew to the beautiful island south of Japan, often known as the ‘Hawai’i of Japan’ and filled with an incredible capital city and many beautiful views along the coasts. At the airport, you are required to fill out a few paper forms about the length of your stay and valuable claims, but it was a very smooth and easy process. US passport holders have up to 90 days in Japan without a visa. 

Transport and Payment: 

From the airport there were taxis and buses into the city, taking certain types of credit cards or online payments, but I took out cash and used that for all of my bus payments. Overall cash is not super necessary as most places take card, but I would recommend always keeping even a small amount ($15-20) with you in case your type of card does not work (for reference I have two mastercards and most buses/digital payments use visa or other online QR codes). All payments in Japan are taken in the national currency, Yen.

Naha is a much more established city, and the transportation options there are more extensive, including the Yui Rail (24-hour pass available for 800 Yen/$5.35) and many bus routes. Every bus rate depended on the distance you were traveling, so unless you have some kind of transport card, you simply enter the bus and take a ticket with the number of your stop, then deposit it as you leave with a card or cash payment. As I went to the northern areas from Naha several times, some bus fares for a 40-50 minute ride were around $9 each way, which is more expensive than other bus systems I have seen so far. Within Naha, you can also purchase day passes for bus and Yui Rail use, but the distance is limited for where the buses will take you. Regardless, especially near the walking streets, the city is very walkable and I often walked rather than taking the buses when it was 1-2 miles. Further north, the bus system was the only transport I saw (I stayed in Chatan, near American Village), and the buses were extremely delayed every time, and often unreliable. Google maps is very helpful for directions, but the bus schedule did not match up in reality. Alone I would not have rented a car regardless, but for others I would recommend that option if you have less time and are looking to visit a wider variety of locations. 

Naha:

I began and ended my trip in Okinawa here, spending a total of 7 days in this capital city.  The city, as I’ve heard about mainland Japan, is extremely clean. I was honestly taken aback when I first arrived and was finding my hostel, as it was so clean and quiet-no honking, yelling, or any typical stereotypical city noise. There was not so much as a cigarette butt on the ground. No one appears to ever be in a rush, and are very quiet and polite at the lights and the sidewalks are never very crowded. 

I first stayed at Guest House Umikaji for $12/night for 3 nights, and it was extremely clean and a warm welcome to Japan! The bed was super comfortable and I was on a female only floor which as an added bonus. It had a comfortable common room, and some of the staff spoke English. Honestly, a lot fewer people here spoke English in general, but I got around very easily with Google Translate and the locals are all very kind and polite regardless. 

Some activities I found while in the area included: 

-Fukushūen Garden: very close walk from the hotel, an old Chinese garden with a huge koi lake and beautiful structures, a daytime entrance fee of less than $2, and a cafe on the top of the hill (with cafe purchase you would enter the garden for free as well)

-Public Market Alley: a huge variety of local vendors selling clothing, food, souvenirs, and even smaller specific markets within the streets (lots of fresh fish) and stretching through several blocks of streets

-Naha Kokusai Dori Shopping Street: outdoors on the main street, higher priced, more touristy shops with food, clothing, more souvenirs, and other stores unique to Japan and Okinawa 

-Blue Seal Ice Cream: these Okinawan ice cream shops are all over the city, but I would definitely recommend stopping into at least one to try one of their many fun flavors! 

-7-Eleven: as in Thailand, the convenience stores are on many street corners, and offer much more than the typical US stores, with many premade meals the workers will heat up for you, as well as coffee and smoothie machines. Family Mart and Lawson stores also offer similar products, all with very reasonable prices and brand-name products, and I would often grab breakfast here and eat outside or at my hostel for $4-8 (for coffee, yogurt, protein granola bars, etc.)

-Daily Dose: a coffee and bagel shop with homemade and incredibly delicious bagels and cream cheese

-Rakuen Cafe: vegan cafe with gluten-free options, one of the stores in the Department Store complex, also featuring a museum and other shops/restaurants 

-Tokashiki Island: several other surrounding islands can be reached from this port, and I would highly recommend visiting at least one- I purchased a day trip through GetYourGuide (link below) including ferry fare each and bus fare to the beach once on Tokashiki Island (also a small lunch at the restaurant by the beach). The island was incredible, small but very tropical and homey, and the clearest water I have ever seen. https://www.getyourguide.com/naha-l147347/spectacular-view-of-the-kerama-blue-tokashiki-island-1-day-t393105/?utm_source=getyourguide&utm_medium=sharing&utm_campaign=activity_details

-Southeast Botanical Gardens: $11 entry, buses from Naha about $10 each way, beautiful large gardens with flora and fauna variety, and small animals (squirrel monkeys, capybaras, rabbits, etc.) you could feed 

For my second stay in Naha, I stayed at the Kitchen Hostel AO for $16/night in a female dorm again. This was a very impressive hostel, with extremely clean facilities and a separate locker room, bathrooms, and beds in each of the female and mixed dorms, a cafe downstairs, and comfortable lounging areas upstairs and down. 

Chatan:

Further north, I stayed in Seawall Hostel for $18/night, which also had a comfortable bed and was located right next to a beautiful walking pier. The nearest beach was a 30-minute walk away, bus stop 10 minutes walk, and had a few restaurants around as well. It was a much quieter area, but the hostel offered bikes for rent ($0.67/2 hours) and I was able to explore by walking and taking the bus to some of the coast further north.

Some activities I found during these few days were: 

-American Village: cute array (mini village) of shops along the pier, right next to Chatan Park Sunset Beach, a beautiful place to watch the sunset while having dinner, and all the shops are lit up (very Christmas year-round vibe), with arcade, ferris wheel, and restaurants

-Snorkeling: anywhere on the coast is pretty clear water, I used the link below for snorkeling at a popular place Blue Cave, but unfortunately waves were too high that day and we went to a separate beach. The Island Club through Viator provided all the equipment needed for about 45 minutes of snorkeling and bus to and from the beach. They also offered diving courses, which I would have done if I had more time to book ahead. (Be aware if you are going by bus again you will have to wait a while)

https://www.viator.com/tours/Onna-son/Blue-cave-snorkel/d50489-131960P1

To continue exploring Japan, my next destination is Osaka! As always, keep exploring and see you next time!

xoxo,

Ang around the World 🙂