The Great Japan Pilgrimage 2 - Part VI: Mainland Okinawa and Tokashiki

 Welcomed with the bright purple blossoms of orchids as soon as we stepped foot off the plane, Okinawa reminded us we were in a totally different part of Japan before we even left the airport.

Disembarking the monorail we found ourselves in a city that screamed western influence and rapid development. Contrary to mainland Japan, Naha was full of drunk salarymen stumbling down the litter strewn streets, bouncers in flocks outside strip clubs and all manner of bodily fluids being expelled into gutters. Disclaimer, it turns out we were staying in a rather colourful area of Naha....

Grabbing breakfast on the go from lawson, we sabotaged Japanese etiquette and ate while meandering our way to our car rental. Okinawa really messes with your sense of distance. Our first stop saw us driving half way up the island and each time we checked our progress on the GPS we were surprised by how far we had travelled.

Fukagawa Waterfall

Our first stop on our daylong road trip was the Fukagawa waterfall just out of Nago. The bush we walked through was nothing like I had ever experienced, it had a much more tropical feel that New Zealand’s ferns and Akita’s pines. And in this jungle like scenery, we found the little oasis waterfall and its stunning blue-green pool. The weather may have been substantially warmer than Tohoku, the temperature of the water however, was an abrupt reminder that it was still winter.

We veered via nago for a combini lunch on the go before returning southwards to Futenma-gu Shrine. With restrictions on the number of visitors allowed in the area at any one time, this was certainly one of the more peaceful areas we visited on the trip. There is a large outdoor shrine building at the site, however the main attraction is the small shrine in a cave toward the rear of the compex. To visit the latter you must approach the staff at the office window and fill out a short form. The staff then lead you down a path to a small door that takes you under ground before you descend into the small cavern decorated with Stalagmites and stalactites. Despite few other people there (there was only one other when we visited) it’s one of those places that is so calm that you don’t want to break the ‘no photos’ rule even if you had the chance.

Sefa Utaki

It was back to feeling like a tourist at Nakagusuku castle, hearing English being spoken here and there as we wandered our way through the ruins and took in the views from the hilltop. With the clouds starting to roll over we continued south to Sefa-Utaki, claimed as one of the most sacred sites in Okinawa. It was on this site that many of the indigenous Okinawan religious rituals and ceremonies were conducted. We were taken aback by, despite the importance of the place, how boisterous and indifferent they seemed. Hollering across the path to family, pulling peace signs and taking selfies, it was to the point where Henry and I wondered if it was us taking the place too seriously that was the issue. Regardless, I found myself once again enchanted by the jungle-like foliage and towering rock features with simple alters nestled at their feet.

With the temperature dropping and sky growing steadily greyer, we made our stroll to cape Chinen a brisk one, returning to the car to chow down on the 6 different flavours of Okinawan donuts that Henry had invested in (including pineapple, pumpkin, sesame, salt, chocolate and one or two others that had caught his attention).

Cape Chinen

Losing the race against the rain, we returned to Naha and opted to spend the evening indoors, strolling through the pokemon shop before finding an Izakaya for our New Year’s eve dinner. Caution: when the menu states a large beer - they mean large! We were served brews that I kam convinced were nearly a litre so we were feeling sufficiently buzzed by the time we finished up and strolled down to the city beach to count in the new year. Henry’s curiosity of seeing in the new year the traditional way was smothered when he saw how long the line for the temple was, so armed with snack and sake, we found a spot on the beach, and listened to the ship horns blaring across the harbour as it ticked over new year.

Having slept through the 2017 new year in Asahikawa after an over indulgent night we felt quite chuffed with ourselves after managing to stay conscious to see in 2018.

Tokashiku Beach

Feeling a lot fresher on the first day of 2018 than we had done in 2017, we boarded the ferry to Tokashiki Island. We opted to avoid the tourist bus that seemed to shepard visitors rapidly between points, biff them out for photos and then herd them back on with little time to smell the roses, embarking instead on the 45 minute walk across the island to Tokashiku beach.

With the sun beating down on us it didn’t take long to shed our layers, baring my still-pasty white limbs and relishing in the cool breeze (Akita has 2 types of wind - howling icy gales in winter, and puffs of humid air in summer that is about as refreshing as an old man breathing on your face). We reached the top of the hill to be presented with the stunning turquoise waters of the bay below us. After dedicating an hour or so to beach lounging we continued uphill again to a lookout. Back at the port our curiosity (and hunger) led us to a cafe on the second floor. The store fit the feel of the island perfectly. Jack Johnston played calmly in the background, Henry was chuffed with his bowl of ramen and I was absolutely stoked with my bowl of granola (the things that make you happy after 18 months in Japan….). Somehow I look back on it as a perfectly relaxed day, despite having walked over 8 kilometers of hilly roads…

Once back in Naha we made our way to the airport for our flight to Ishigaki.