Here is a brief overview of my most recent trip to Okinawa with many pictures!!!
Day 1
After landing at Naha International Airport, we hopped on a bus to a rental store, and rented a car for our trip.
We drove to the center of Naha city, the famous avenue known as Kokusai Dori. Here, we shopped for gifts and cute items for ourselves. I bought accessories and small Shisa statues (Okinawa lion dogs that protect your home from evil spirits). They always come in pairs; one has its mouth closed and the other its mouth wide open. For lunch, we ate traditional Okinawa noodles, called soki soba. Our noodles were topped with spam.
A gift shop in Kokusai Dori
Shisa
Soki soba noodles
It was 5’oclock when we finished shopping, so we headed to our hotel. We stayed at Suncoast Hotel, located in Nago-shi which is in the Northern part of Okinawa. From the South of Okinawa (Naha city) to the hotel, it took us about an hour and a half on the highway.
Suncoast Hotel
After settling in, we went to a restaurant we found near the hotel and ate local Okinawa food.
Day 2
We woke up early the next day so as not to waste time on our vacation. The hotel had a wonderful breakfast buffet. Along with a variety of Japanese and western styled breakfasts, the hotel also provided traditional Okinawa food.
We had planned to go to Senaga Island on a sunny day, so after breakfast we drove south towards Naha city again. Senaga Island has a beautiful white shopping center, Umikaji Terrace, which faces the ocean. My friend found a picture of the building on Instagram and had insisted on going. The clean white building and the blue ocean reminded me of Greece.
Umikaji Terrace
View of the beach from Umikaji Terrace
For lunch we had the famous “taco-rice.” This is simply taco filling on white rice. Taco-rice is a popular local meal that originated in Okinawa when America occupied the land. We also walked along the beach and dipped our feet in the water of the clear, cool ocean.
Taco-rice
Clear ocean
Our next destination was American Village. Located in Chatan (a city in the middle part of Okinawa), American Village is the collective name for the many shopping marts and restaurants in Chatan.
American Village
Continues to days 3 and 4.
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