Christmas 2014, We Were in Okinawa
A certain travel platform required booking flights and hotels through them for a Japanese visa, limiting flexibility and resources. Learning from the Hokkaido experience, we ditched that platform entirely. We booked flights and cancellable hotels on another platform. This turned out to be the right move, as there were many unexpected changes, and canceling flights or changing hotels would have incurred fees. However, a big problem arose: how to get the visa? In the end, a friend introduced us to Manager He of Yixing, and everything went smoothly.
To take the monorail, you need to exit the international terminal and walk to the domestic terminal. We bought a 48-hour pass for 1,200 yen. The signs were unclear, so we had to figure it out as we went.
Although I had done extensive research and this was my third trip to Japan, as someone with limited English and no Japanese, visiting Okinawa still posed many challenges. I heard that Okinawans' English is as poor as mainland Japanese, and they also speak a unique dialect that even other Japanese can't understand. However, with confidence in my self-made guides and trust in Japanese people's discipline, I led my group forward boldly.
Asahibashi is a very convenient location. The bus terminal is right across from the hotel.
The flight from Shanghai departed nearly two hours late, but we landed only 20 minutes behind schedule. Being newcomers, we were disoriented, and by the time we checked in and took the monorail to Kokusai Street, it was already late. Hungry and desperate, we bought snacks and looked for food along the way; most open shops were izakayas.
Kokusai Street gets livelier as the night progresses.
Back at the hotel, we checked the weather forecast and saw that it might rain the day after tomorrow. We decided on the spot to change our plans and visit an outlying island the next morning.
From Asahibashi, we took the monorail to Miebashi Station, then walked about 10 minutes to the ferry terminal for the outlying islands. It was similar to the Shiliupu Wharf in Shanghai.
The sea was rough. During the 70-minute ferry ride, people kept vomiting. Seasickness sufferers would find it painful.
After two consecutive nights of sleeping late and waking early, I was exhausted. I decided to skip Shuri Castle, which seemed like a waste of time. Today I slept until ten, then went shopping. RYUBO is right across from the entrance of Kokusai Street. The MUJI I wanted is on the 8th floor. MUJI fans should note: unlike Hokkaido, here there seems to be only one MUJI. Maybe it's due to language barriers, but we could never find the other one in American Village.
This is a department store locals frequent. Okinawa is not like Tokyo, and not even up to Hokkaido's standard; there are no Takashimaya, Seibu, or other famous department stores we know. But who cares? I still spent an entire day browsing in this building!
No scenic photos to share today, because I stayed in this department store from morning till night. If you think I'm crazy, so be it. I can only say: since we need these daily items in China anyway, we might as well buy them here.
From extensive online research, I learned that public transport in Okinawa is not very convenient. Okinawa is a small but narrow place, with large sea areas and many places you can see but can't easily reach. For example, the bus terminal below our hotel at Asahibashi Hilton has bus 120 that goes to American Village and Ocean Expo Park, but one-way takes two hours. Some stops are not right at the entrance, requiring a walk or transfer. The monorail only runs within Naha City; beyond that, it's gone. American Village, Ryukyu Village, and Ocean Expo Park are all in the central or northern parts. So we chose to charter a car. Most Okinawan transport operators are private companies. Since I don't know Japanese, I had to find a Chinese-speaking service on Taobao. It may not be the cheapest, but it was safe and reliable.
Our chartered car itinerary today: The car picked us up at the Hilton. Along the way, we visited a seaside chapel, the US military base, Cape Manzamo, the Oceanic Culture Park, and Ryukyu Village. Finally, we checked into the Campana船屋 hotel. Non-stop for 8 hours.
Today we spent all day at the Ocean Expo Park. Even though we had moved to central Okinawa, it still took one and a half hours to get to the aquarium. That's because Route 58 and other highways have a speed limit of 50 km/h, and some sections are limited to 40.
This was our last dinner in Okinawa. We unanimously decided not to buy anything more—just eat!
