Dreaming of Okinawa

After living in Japan for several years, with plenty of time and previously plenty of money, you would think I'd have spent it on a trip to one of my dream destinations, Okinawa. Instead, I spent my time and money elsewhere when I had it, and now that I don't, I'm stuck dreaming about beaches and the ocean. I recently wrote about Misses S and her adventure to Okinawa back when going wasn’t doable without a passport.

From the year 1965 until far more recently, Okinawa has changed quite a bit. The whole world has. It seems, however, a trip to Okinawa, its destinations at least, haven't changed. But these destinations have seemed to have improved. I mean the castle has been rebuilt and a full monument erected at "Himeyuri no To." There is a museum and everything. If you wanted to make the same trip Misses S made, you can! You now have the option of a flight to Okinawa from mainland Japan. Some as low as 6000 yen if you know where to look. 

And if you are still wanting to take that ferry ride from the southern part of Honshu, it is easy to book online, but you will want a good grasp of Japanese. Or you can book through an agency and leave everything up to them. 

You can easily and comfortably make it out to the ferry from Tokyo by the delightfully speedy Shinkansen. The new advances in technology have certainly made the trip a far more pleasant experience then the long arduous trip you would have had to make only a few decades ago. It makes Okinawa feel right at anyone's fingertips. Except for mine. I can only dream of the warm climate, deep history and beautiful culture. These make it one of the best vacation destinations in Japan. Everyone I know seems to have made a trip there recently; two of my brother-in-laws, my best friend, even my neighbor. I suppose my best friend’s trip is not That recent. But she did go twice. Like Misses S, one of the times was for graduation. It was February and deep winter everywhere else in Japan, but she enjoyed the beach with her friends.

Don’t let the dreary cloudy sky fool you. She says it was a pleasantly warm day. They had even dressed too warmly for the occasion. 

She also was able to visit the Churaumi aquarium, with its gargantuan tank. Do you see the whale shark?! And the stingray!

Just like Misses S, sugarcane was a highlight of the trip. I wouldn't mind taking a trip just for a chance at some fresh sugarcane.

And she enjoyed some pineapple, too, ...

... except it was in the form of a smoothie. When on a tropical island, I guess you have to enjoy the tropical fruits.

She even got her hands dirty and made her own personal "shisa statue." They are like guardian dogs, usually in pairs. The open-mouthed one welcomes fortune and wards off evil and the one with its mouth closed keeps good spirits in.

I suppose I'll just spend this cold winter dreaming of Okinawa, the sugarcane leaves rustling in my imagination as I sip a smoothie on the beach with my best friend. Maybe by next year, I can save up and magically find the time to take a trip.