Okinawa Vacation

During Obon week, Japanese summer holiday, we vacationed in Okinawa, Japan's southernmost island. It was a short 2-hour flight from Tokyo.

Tucked deep into the lush fields of sugar cane was our hotel. We stayed at the beautiful Hotel Nikko Alivila Resort for 4 days and 3 nights. It was very relaxing to sit out by the pool and enjoy the scenery of the ocean. The weather was cooperative to our schedule for the most part. It was sunny and warm - I mean HOT during the day and it rained only one afternoon. The sub-tropical climate, emerald ocean and sandy beaches make Okinawa known to be one of the most traveled destinations for Japanese and foreigners.

At first, Markus was overwhelmed by the all the excitement happening in and around the pool and beach. However, it didn't take long for him to get comfortable floating around the water in his tube and playing in the sand.

While in Okinawa we learned many new interesting facts about the city. Apparently Okinawa has Japan's highest percentage of centenarians. They say they live longer due to a healthy diet which uses many tropical ingredients, pork and fresh seafood. Again, we tasted many new foods such as goya, a popular Okinawan dish, which is bitter melon. Rodney and I didn't prefer the taste too much, but we hope somehow it did our bodies good!

There is a very strong presence of the U.S. Military in Okinawa. On the small island, about 75% of its bases are occupied by the U.S. Currently in Japan, there are approximately 47,000 military personnel and another 5,500 other American civilians employed by the U.S. Department of Defence, most of whom are stationed in Okinawa.

We visited the massive Churaumi Aquarium, known for housing several Whale Sharks in one tank. The average length of one Whale Shark is about 7 m. You can also view schools of the largest of all rays called the Manta Birostris. The largest tank called the Kuroshio Sea allows a fabulous panoramic view of many kinds of sea creatures through the largest acrylic window in the world. It was interesting to learn that the size of the window panel measures 10 m high, 35 m wide, 27 m long and 60 cm thick. The tank holds 7,500 tons of water! As we expected Markus gazed in awe during the whole time at the aquarium.

For the first time in the world, the Churaumi Aquarium has enabled a breeding ground for the great Whale Sharks in the tank. The photo below shows the Whale Shark with its' offspring gliding close below.

Here is picture of our bright magenta Toyota rental car. It reminded me of a little dinky toy car, though surprisingly spacious on the inside. It was nice for a change to be sitting in a car rather than in a train.

On our last day we drove along the Naha coast of Okinawa and took in the breathtaking views of the landscapes and ocean. We visited Glass House in Forest, a glass production company, with hopes of creating our own glass art. Unfortunately part of the process would require returning to the location after 2 days to pick up your piece; we would be gone by then.

Since I couldn't possibly post all of our pictures on this blog, you can view more photos of our vacation by clicking here. Okinawa was worth seeing and definitely a nice break from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo.