Okinawa caught my attention when I was researching for travel spots. The idea of island hopping and sea travel caught my fancy and moving from Okinawa to Japan 'mainland' on a ferry seemed exciting and relaxing at the same time. Alas, the part of me that wanted convenient travel with a large luggage to fit all my souvenir hauls got in the way of my ferry hopping trip plans and I opted to fly to and fro Okinawa instead.
I planned for 3.5 days & 3 nights in Okinawa and packed lightly for the trip. I left my large luggage at the hostel and made my way to the domestic airport with my backpack cramped with all the stuff I thought I'd need for Okinawa.
The local subway is connected to the domestic airport, so I walked to Nakasukawabata Station, and my eye seriously got stamp because I just could not see this entrance. I was like walking around the main road, up and down trying to locate it and it was like just there.
Reached airport in 15-20min and self check in! No luggage to check in, so it was all very convenient.
The flight was about 2 hrs or so and we landed amidst the strong sun and blue sea.
Its abit awkward to display this toilet sign on this travel log but this is like a deodorizing anti germ anti virus sheet! How does that happen?! How is it used?? I'm quite sure it doesn't anti germ the surroundings.. right?? Or does it?? Hmmm..
Immediately accosted by the Okinawan speciality shop at the airport:
Sunny Okinawa on the way to the monorail:
At the monorail station:
I planned to have lunch at an Okinawan speciality restaurant called 'Nuchigafu' and decided to make my way directly since I wasn't carrying any luggage. TBH, I regretted this decision slightly as the bag was pretty heavy, and the sun was going on strong. I had to walk quite abit from the monorail station involving up and down slopes and feeling like I was trespassing in residential neighborhoods.
Until I finally found myself in front of 'Nuchigafu'. It actually looks like a house and you feel a little like someone will run out and ask you what are you doing walking in. Haha.
Nuchigafu is well known for Okinawan specialities, and they have sets that feature a mix of Okinawan dishes. As usual I went for the recommended/featured set and got to try the below!
There was seasonal Okinawan Tempura, stir fried bitter melon (SG-eans call it Bittergourd), stewed pork belly (Rafute), seaweed in vinegar and Okinawan miso soup. I really enjoyed the soup; there wee veggies and carrots in them and the soup definitely tasted alot sweeter than the usual miso soup. The whitish tofu-y thing with a wolfberry on top tasted like nothing I ate before. It was savoury and nutty. I found out from the staff that it was peanut tofu (called Jimami Tofu) an Okinawan speciality. What I found especially interesting was the texture. It was sticky yet not sticky!
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I also noticed alot of ppl paying attention to the 'roof' of the building beside the restaurant and ended up taking a picture of it before I learnt it was a climbing kiln (Agari no Kama) within the Arakaki Family Residence, the last surviving traditional potters house in the area after a visit to the Tsuboya Pottery museum and googling it.
I was supposed to go straight to the Okinawan Prefectural Museum but realised I was around the Tsuboya Pottery Street and decided to deviate from the original plan to visit the area. Pottery shops line the streets and it was quite fun looking around. TBH I didn't really dare/want to enter the shops since I was carrying a big bag. Also, it didn't look like alot of people were in the shops and I felt some pressure entering the shops. I suppose it's a form of inertia?? I eventually did enter one or two shops, and snapped pics of some eye catching pieces:
I took the below pic for the corn. Lol.
Went to check out the Tsuboya Pottery Museum
I asked for an English guide and was appreciative that they had a pretty comprehensive one. But I was quite amazed at how worn the cover was. I personally am quite thrifty, but this is quite next level haha.
Nonetheless, I learnt more about pottery in Okinawa and about the ongoing efforts to keep the kilns and craft going regardless of the state of the cover. Sadly my brain can't retain and regurgitate the information I took in, so here's a summary of Tsuboya Pottery from https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e7115.html:
'Tsuboya (壺屋) is a district in central Naha that is the center of Tsuboya Pottery, Okinawa's most famous pottery type. The neighborhood is home to a variety of attractions including Tsuboya Odori Pottery Street and the Tsuboya Pottery Museum.
Okinawan pottery dates back to the era of the Ryukyu Kingdom before Okinawa was incorporated into Japan. The pottery is made of indigenous clay and was initially crafted all across the kingdom until all pottery manufacturing was moved to Naha as part of the centralization of the country's industry in the 17th century. Since then, Tsuboya has remained the heart of Okinawa's pottery industry, being today home to a many workshops and shops selling the wares.'
Noticed that Nuchigafu was featured in a video playing in the museum and realised that the dishes I ate from during lunch were all Tsuboya Pottery. If I had visited the museum before lunch, I'd probably appreciate the pottery alot more!
After visiting the museum, I took a walk to the hotel...
To be honest, I was quite taken back by the name of the below shop/club:
I also passed by the Kokusai Dori shopping area which I kind of didn't realise even though I went into some souvenir shops and got a smoll bottle of Awamori because it looked so cute. They don't look like it in below pic but they are smoll and cute 100ml bottles:
Finally got to the hotel and checked in. It was soo nice and comfy, I rolled around and took too much time hanging out in the room.
By the time I dragged myself out to the Okinawa Prefectural Museum, I had just an hour to spare. I did regret taking my time as it would have been great if I had 2 hours for all the exhibits. Okinawa had a rich history, and I learnt alot more about the Ryukyu Kingdom and how a small kingdom paying heed to its stronger and larger neighbours centuries ago eventually became part of Japan. I found this museum really worth visiting. I also liked the exterior of the museum:
Entered museum when sun was around...
Exited museum when the sun set...
It was kind of late and I couldn't really find something to eat at the San-A Naha Main Place shopping department store right beside the museum. So I decided to nom nom comfort food:
OSAKA OSHO!!!
Osaka Osho's gyozas are really one of my favorites. They might not be luxurious or full of expensive ingredients, but 제 입맛에 딱 맞아. Sorry for the sudden Korean, but this phrase summarizes exactly how I feel about Osaka Osho's gyozas; 'they suit my taste perfectly'. The fillings are tasty, the cabbage satisfyingly crunchy, and the gyoza skin is so thin yet doesn't break easily. I found it so amazing. You see this:
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No breakage at all!
Haha, I know there's also Osaka Osho in SG and I do eat the SG Osaka Osho gyozas (it's a pity the number of stores are getting lesser in SG) but somehow the Osaka Oshos in Japan seem yummier? Not sure if it's my 心理作用?
Anyway, I demolished the gyozas, mala tofu and beer, walked around Tokyu Hands and the supermarket then made my way back to the hotel to try YK's Awamori recomendation. I got some Okinawa calamansi juice to drink it with:
Awamori is an Okinawan liquor and is thought to have originated as early as 1470. It is said to be the oldest distilled spirit in Japan (older than shochu) and featured in Ryukyu diplomacy as tributes to Japan and as drinks used to entertain Chinese diplomats etc. Again, I'll just extract info from visitokinawajapan.com online site: The technique for making awamori is said to have remained unchanged for over 500 years. Indica Thai rice is soaked in water and sprinkled with black koji mold, which is then fermented with water and yeast, before undergoing a single distillation to complete the process.
YK recommended me to try it on the rocks once before adding mixers, so I did that and found the taste quite strong! I was better able to appreciate the flavours after the ice diluted it. The interesting thing was that after adding the calamansi juice, the strong taste and smell of the Awamori disappeared. I had to add alot of Awamori before I could taste alcohol again. Agree w YK that it would be easy to get drunk with Awamori cocktails.... as I drifted into an alcohol assisted zzzzzzzz...
Day 2 - Okinawa World / Kokusai Dori
Today I had big plans to get up early and take the bus to Sefa Utaki or visit Makishi Market for breakfast before making my way to Okinawa World. But my lazy self gave up the morning plans and went straight to Okinawa World haha. Okinawa World is a big.. tourist/culture site?? One of the main attractions is the Gyokusendo Cave, a limestone cave structure. You can also walk amongst a replicated Ryukyu village and try out traditional Okinawan crafts like paper craft, dye, glass making etc, and visit a snake museum focused on the local Habu snake.
Went to take the bus to Okinawa World...
Arrived early and went to Family Mart for some breakfast. It was pretty crowded since the store was connected to the waiting area for buses. I got my fav Kagome veggie juice, a chilli miso spam onigiri and a Sata Andagi (Okinawan donut!)
Tbh, spam stuff is very normal to me. I can only say that it tastes exactly like how it looks. But I liked the Okinawan donut! It has this winning combo of being super crispy on the outside and soft cakey-ish on the inside. I could taste the caramelly taste of the brown sugar, but it wasn't too sweet. Yums!!!
Alighted the bus at Okinawa World entrance..
Paid for the entrance fee and made my way to Gyokusendo Cave...
It's really quite big!
Gyokusendo is a cave formed in limestone. The high level of calcium carbonate in limestone makes it soluble in acidic water. When water passes through soil high in carbon dioxide (due to decomposition of vegetation and organic matter), the carbon dioxide dissolves in the water to create carbonic acid. The acidic water then starts to dissolve the limestone it passes through, and areas where air passes through eventually become cave structures. Again it's abit of a pity that I read up on these things only after visiting the cave, but hey better late than never ><
After exiting the cave, I followed the set route to the crafts area.
Glassblowing; you can pick a pearl out of an oyster in the shop beside the glass blowing workshop. I was super tempted to try, but managed to stop myself from parting with my money haha.
On the way out, I collected my mini magazine photo cover from the photo studio (picture taken when I first entered the cave). They offer you the below free or charge and you can purchase another coloured version of yourself for a fee. I collected the below, rejected the coloured photo and went on my way.
Next up I passed by a Ryukyu village replica. You can also try some of the crafts
I stopped by a tea shop to try the Okinawan Buku Buku tea. This tea is interesting because it's served with a heap of foam on top and you're supposed to eat the foam. It was quite a new experience, but I have to say I'm not so big on eating foam. I felt quite bloated after taking it.
Went in to a small culture centre covering Ryukyu history
And passed by the habu liquor brewery (display?)..
Those are rubber snakes fyi..
Didn't really understand much of the process since most of the explanation was in Japanese. Nonetheless, decided to try this Habu Sake.
I thought the sample was the shot, and paid for a full shot.. it was fiery and quite herbally tasting. My tummy felt very warm after..
After the shot, I made my way to watch the Eisa dance show. No cameras allowed so I have nothing to keep as a memory. But I enjoyed the show put on by the female troupe. I found myself being touched by the drumming, although I wasn't sure why. I 🤔 think the sound of the drum and the rhythm speaks to you at a primal level.
Picture taken off the internet www.nippon.com:
After the show, I went into the diner to try the Okinawan soba. I usually try not to eat at tourist attractions, but I was kind of hungry and it was quite convenient. The noodles were chewy and the soup was quite meaty. The taste was very similar to what I'm used to in Chinese cuisine so it wasn't very life changing. But the meat was cooked very well. It looks kind of tough, like the meat might get stuck between your teeth but it was tender and flavorful! 
By this time, I was quite lazy and wanted to just wait for the bus to arrive. But I convinced myself to pack the Habu Museum (that exhibits the Habu snake and other species local to Okinawa) in and sped through with some photos.
I was surprised by this 'snake' popping out as I walked past
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And quite mesmerized by the swimming snakes
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And it was time to catch the bus back to Naha!
Byebye Okinawa World
There was a queue at e bus stop, on a fenced up tiny pathway with overgrown greenery. I was like sumimasening all the way squeezing past everyone. Belatedly I saw people coming after me walking to the end of the road and entering the fenced pathway from the back where the fence ended. O wells!
Got on the bus and went back to the bus terminal. I wanted to visit San A Main Place Dept store again and walk on down to Kokusai Dori before having grilled meat place beside the hotel for dinner, and ran for the connecting bus within 2minutes. Was very proud of myself. Haha.
Washi tapes for dajie...
This quite interesting, jelly from Muji. Was keen to buy but stopped myself cos of the weight...
Saw Gong Cha!
Started walk to Kokusai Dori. The Google Mapped route was quite an adventure, leading me through hilly residential areas and little alleys
Reached!
Kokusai Dori was pretty crowded and had big restaurants and buildings. I could see groups of friends and families walking around and having fun. I feel like I see groups more than individuals in Okinawa than in other parts of Japan. It does feel like a domestic vacation spot.
Somehow nothing caught my fancy on Kokusai Dori and I made my way back to the hotel to have Agu Pork at the yakiniku place beside the hotel. Alas.. it was closed. I struggled abit, and went to 7-11 for some food, thinking I shouldn't eat too much. But in the end felt that it was too sads to have convenience food for dinner on my 2nd night in Okinawa. Lol, so made my way further down the road to a Mexican restaurant at the first floor of a hotel.
It was yums!! This fruity sangria was especially yummy. The scent of the fruits was refreshing and it wasn't too dry (or 'siap', as I like to call it.
Enjoyed the tacos before making my way back to the hotel and zzz...
Japan Busan 25 May-5 Jun 2023 - Four Days in Okinawa P2
