A home for my words.

Okinawa is the kind of place that makes me think of “paradise on earth.” That’s mainly because I love tropical islands that are abundant in fruits and sparse on cold weather. The main thing that would make Okinawa even more of a dream destination for me is if the bus network were a bit more expansive, but I made do with what was available!

Okinawa World

Okinawa World is one of those places that I thought would be gimmicky, but I figured an opportunity to easily tour a cave would be cool. And it was. Mostly. The formations in the cave both awed me and creeped me out. They had a genius way of laying out the park though.

Upon entering Okinawa World, you’re greeted by the cave’s entrance. By the time you get to the end of it, you realize it’s dropped you all the way at the end of the theme park. This means you are forced to walk the length of the park if you wish to exit the grounds. It ensures that you’ll at least have to pass by all of the exhibits the park has to offer and all of the additional ways they can get you to spend money 😉

Nonetheless, I enjoyed Okinawa World. It was a great way to see exhibits and live performances of some of the traditional aspects of Okinawa, although cameras weren’t allowed during the traditional dance performance. I even paid to get a paper fortune. Since this is Japan, it was mostly on an honor system. No one was there to force you to pay before you collected your paper, but stealing a fortune seems like a bad omen! Anyway, my fortune was positive enough in each of the categories of love, work, financial, and travel predictions. So, yay.

Fukushuen Garden

This location is actually made to follow a traditional Chinese garden style apparently. I saw reviews that said it’s sad and unimpressive during the day, so I took heed to visit it at night once the lights came on and it worked out for the best. I even stumbled upon a comedy show taking place in one section of the garden! It certainly seemed to be a popular place for couples looking for a romantic rendezvous and friends looking for photo ops. I sat down to a drink and a small snack and simply took in the dimly lit surroundings for quite some time.

The island was full of plenty of plants and flowers to marvel at outside of that garden. I loved how this particular flower resembled cabbage!

I went and got my nails done once more while in Japan. It was considerably more expensive than what I’d paid back in Tokyo, no matter which nail salons I browsed. Perhaps it’s because of the cost of shipping products to the island, like the bar owner back in Kobe warned me about.

GPOY | I hadn’t quiet given up on wearing the 5-yen coin on my necklace at this point. But on one rainy day, I decided to put it to rest along with the braided extensions that were causing me grief each day. It was one of those days where I wanted to feel guilty for not hitting up any of my planned destinations. But I had to remind myself that sometimes it’s necessary to take a break. I had things to unpack in my brain and the backpacking style of traveling wears down on the body and mind much more than staying in the same location for weeks on end would. I felt pressure to hit the ground running because I’d had to wait so long to build up enough vacation days just to have this trip, but placing extra pressure on myself wasn’t helping.

Look at this beauty. How could I not love this island!

I sat on a bench by the sea and stared at the planes, birds, clouds, and peek-a-boo sun for quite a while. It’s something I feel like I could easily get used to if the opportunity were more readily available to me.

Some Things I Ate

As with the rest of my Japan trip, I ate really well in Okinawa! I’d come across plenty of vending machines selling all types of food, but the “Bueno Chicken” vending machine selling pieces of chicken really took the cake (pun intended)!

I also got the chance to visit museums and learn a lot about Okinawa and the fascinating history of the Ryukyu people. It’s a dream of mine to go back to the Ryukyu islands and get to visit plenty more of them. I’d like to stare off the coast of a few more of its islands and leisure on a few more of its beaches. Perhaps one day 🙂