During my more than a week visit in Okinawa, Kokusai Dori (International Road) has been my favorite place. It’s a 2 kilometer stretch in downtown Naha filled with bars, restaurants and different types of shops. Having been developed from a dirt path through a swampy fields, it is also called the “Miracle Mile” representing the quick revival of Okinawa after World War 2.
Tag: Okinawa
Tour Around The Yaeyama Islands
A tour company called “Ishigaki Dream Tours” is offering a tour package for the 3 Yaeyama island: Iriomote Island, Yubu Island and Taketomi Island. Yaeyama Islands is the name given to the archipelago in the southwest of Okinawa Prefecture covering 591.46 square kilometres which also includes Ishigaki Island. And it was a great opportunity for me to further enjoy my Okinawan trip by visiting some of the Yaeyama Islands.
Psychedelic Shisa At Yonekoyaki Craft Center
Yonekoyaki Craft Center is a shop that produces and cells ceramic Shisa. However, the shisa at the Yonekoyaki Craft Center is quite different. Their intense colors made these Shisa so psychedelic looking. Beside the store is a big yard with many of these psychedelic shisa. The place looks like a distorted Disneyland and is an amazing view being highlighted by its foresty backdrop.
Alone In Kabira Bay
Kabira Bay’s emerald green water is beautiful and beyond expectations. The bay is located at the north west coast of Ishigaki Island and a part of the Iriomote-Ishigaki National Park.
Who Is Yoko Gushiken?
Yoko Gushiken is a former Japanese professional boxer who held the WBA Light Flyweight champion title for 6 years (1976 to 1981) and defended it for 13 times. Having a professional record of 23 wins-1 loss with 15 knock-outs, he was known by his nickname “Kanmuriwashi” (Fierce Eagle).
Ishigaki Island
Ishigaki Island is one of the Yaeyama islands about 400 km from Okinawa. This makes it nearer to the Republic of China with about 300 km from the northeastern coast of Taiwan.
Mihama American Village In Okinawa
Located near the American military bases is an an entertainment complex called Mihama American Village. The entertainment complex resembles a big American outdoor shopping mall with lots of shops, restaurants, cafes and a movie theater. There are shops selling American brand clothing, second-hand American decorations and toys, as well as military-themed clothes and accessories. The most recognizable feature of the American Village is the large Ferris Wheel.
Okinawa Theme Parks
During my trip in Okinawa, I have visited 3 theme parks: the Ocean Expo Park, the Okinawa World and the Nago Pineapple Park. I went twice at the Ocean Expo Park, the second time as part of my second Okinawa Bus tour destinations at the same time with Nago Pineapple Park. My first Okinawa Bus tour includes the Okinawa World.
Okinawa And The World War II
During the WWII, the Americans invaded Okinawa via Operation Iceberg to use it as a base for air operations on their planned invasion of mainland Japan. The Battle of Okinawa lasted for 82 days and was known to be one of the bloodiest in the Pacific. Dubbed as “tetsu no ame” (rain of steel), the battle was so ferocious due to the intensity of kamikaze attacks from the Japanese defenders, and to the sheer numbers of Allied ships and armored vehicles that assaulted the island.
Euglena For Food
I was surprised when I stumble upon a restaurant called Euglena Garden on my last day in Ishigaki Island. I was looking for a place to eat along a road near a mall called, guess what? Euglena Mall! Formerly known as Ayapani Mall until 2011, this mall is consists of two shopping arcades that run parallel to each other.
My Itinerary For My Okinawan Trip
I had an 11-day trip in Okinawa (including the flights) and seriously, I had fun. It is advisable to rent a car if you want an easy way of traveling around the island. But for me, I just used the monorail, the buses and the available tours. Here is the itinerary of my Okinawan trip.
Who Is Naka Bokunen?
Naka Bokunen is an Okinawan artist famous for his brightly coloured Okinawan landscape painting, particularly of his birthplace Izena island in the north of Okinawa. He is an expert of woodblock printing, a form of fine art with carvings in a piece of wood.
Amoj In Wanderland 