Overview part 2 of my vacation in Okinawa!!!
Day 3
My friends and I wanted a relaxing day at the beach, and we were told by the locals that beaches in the Northern area of Okinawa are the clearest. So we searched for a beach at which we could do marine activities. Usually you have to book a plan that includes several marine activities. However, we only wanted to try out the banana boat, so we had trouble finding a good beach. Finally we found Sesoko Island. The island is up north, and we were able to book only the banana boat, so it was perfect. You can reach the isolated island by car.
Sesoko Island
At the beach
Watching the sun dip and disappear into the ocean was one of the items on our Okinawa bucket list, so we headed for Cape Manza (Manzamou). This cape is a famous spot for tourists, and it was crowded by the time we got there. One of the cliffs looks like an elephant from the side, but it was too dark to show the elephant on camera. The sun started to set, its glowing light reflected on the ocean water, but unfortunately it disappeared into the clouds before hitting the horizon.
Sunset at Cape Manza
Another item on our bucket list that we had to check off, was fireworks. You cannot say you’ve had the full Japanese summer experience without watching the big fireworks (of course) but hand held fireworks are another fubutsushi or “summer thing.” We bought fireworks at a convenience store, prepared a lighter and a bucket of water, and had our own little firework festival.
Hand held fireworks
In a way, it was our last day in Okinawa; we had to be at the airport early in the morning the next day. So, trying to make the most of our time, we decided to pull an all-nighter. We talked, watched T.V., reflected on our trip, and shared our photos and videos on the app, LINE. At around 3 am, I wandered outside on to the balcony and found many stars in the sky. The night sky was cloudy for the past two days, so we didn’t have the chance to stargaze. Also, Tokyo is too bright during the night, so there aren’t many stars. Naturally, we were excited to see the twinkling stars.
Okinawa beer and cute marine animal snacks
Okinawa sake (Awamori) served in traditional Ryukyu glass
Day 4
Having almost no sleep the night before, we drove back to the car rental store and dropped off our car. From there, a bus took us to the airport. Most of the passengers slept on the plane ride back. Clearly everyone had too much fun at Okinawa.
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