Hai-sai! Things I Learned During My First Trip to Okinawa

The beautiful blue waters of Okinawa.

I’ve done a lot of traveling around Japan during the last two years, from bustling Tokyo, Yokohama, Chiba (for Disneyland), Shizuoka to climb Mt. Fuji, Sendai, the home to my favorite figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu, the popular hot spring area of Hakone and Atami, and even far-off Kyoto, Nagoya, Osaka, and Kobe, but one place I’ve always wanted to visit is Okinawa. I’ve visited Hawaii numerous times throughout my childhood and even spent one semester studying there at the University of Manoa, so when I found out Okinawa is also a tropical string of islands I knew I wanted to go. Besides the sand and beaches, Okinawa is also home to its own unique culture and Ryukuyu-go, its indigenous language. Okinawans take pride in their unique culture and language, yet nowadays it is very much Japanese.

There is a long history of Chinese influence, being so close to Taiwan you can hop on a ferry there, as well as another long history of a battle of independence and rule from America and Japan. This is a long subject of debate on Okinawa, with people divided between wanting to go back to being independent or remain under Japan, and then there's the question of China's influence, but the biggest is definitely the presence of the American military, as evidenced by the sheer number of bases scattered all over the island.

All politics aside, I had a great time touring the island and visiting popular sightseeing spots such as Shurijo and Churaumi aquarium, eating local food as well as Mexican and American food, but I was surprised at how much I learned about Okinawa during my time there.

Language

Ryukyu-go may not be spoken anymore, but you can’t visit Okinawa without being introduced to several basic phrases such as haisai (hello), mensōre (welcome), and nifē debiru (thank you), in the same way as you'll be exposed to Hawaiian words such as aloha, maholo, and ohana when you visit there. Almost all welcome signs say mensōre (Ryukyu-go) instead of yōkoso (Japanese).

Let’s learn Ryukyu-go with literally the cutest old dude ever! Can I adopt him?

License plates

What could be so special about license plates, you ask? You can find out so much information! License plates in Japan are plain and white with the name of the region, four to five numbers, and one hiragana character. What I learned is that all the rental cars use wa as their hiragana, marking you as a tourist, while yellow plates are used for small cars that can squeeze into smaller parking spaces, and green is for taxis or buses. Have you noticed this before? We also noticed a number of cars with a Y instead of a hiaragana character. We guessed this may be for cars with American drivers since there are so many bases around.

The sheer popularity of pachinko

I know the Japanese love pachinko parlors, their only form of “gambling”, but I never knew quite how much. Pachinko is everywhere on Okinawa – and they’re all enormous!

Blue Seal ice cream reigns supreme

Beni'imo ice cream!

As I wrote in my previous piece about Ikebukuro, I absolutely love Blue Seal ice cream. Their beni’imo (purple sweet potato) and coconut ice cream is to die for! Yet I always have to go all the way to Ikebukuro if I want some. Well, as soon as I landed in Okinawa I realized I’d have no such problem. Blue Seal ice cream is literally sold everywhere, even if it’s not the actual shop, from supermarkets, convenience stores, and random ice cream stands at tourist attractions. You’d be hard-pressed not to find one of them as there are usually shops every few miles, even blocks. A word of caution: for some reason not every actual shop has all the flavors! Coconut was surprisingly hard to find. Blue Seal is akin to Lappert’s on Hawaii as a local ice cream chain with specialty island flavors, but even Lappert’s has much more limited locations. Needless to say, I was in ice cream heaven and happily ate Blue Seal once or even twice a day the whole week.

Showdown: Family Mart vs Lawson’s

Japan is known for its love of conbinis, where you can buy snacks, drinks, and even pay bills, but here in Okinawa there aren’t really any other convenience stores in competition. I wondered all week which is more prevalent on the island, Blue Seal ice cream, Family Mart, Lawson’s, or pachinkos? It’s a hard call, but probably Blue Seal.

American bases galore!

I knew that America had a base in Okinawa which has been the topic of dissension for quite some time, but I didn’t realize just how many bases there really are! Around 90% of American military bases in Japan are found in Okinawa. Probably the most infamous is the one in Futenma, criticized for being so close to an elementary school the kids can sometimes even hear gun practice. Accordingly, there are also a lot of young, fit American men around the island, along with some of their families as well. Thus a presence of a real Mexican chain, A&W restaurants, and an “American” village, really just an outdoor shopping center with a few import stores, but nothing in the way of any real American shops. Thus the workers at touristy places will speak some English, which is a lot more than can be expected of mainland Japan.

Food

Okinawan soba with agu.

Most Okinawan restaurants are soba places, special beecause they put big chunks of locally raised agu (Okinawan pork) in the soup. There are many yakiniku restaurants devoted to agu as well. That’s about it in the way of actual cuisine, but there are a lot of popular specialty snacks and sweets brought home as souvenirs for family and friends such as sea grapes (I wasn’t brave enough to try them, but they’re very tiny and green and apparently taste salty), chinsuko (sugary oblong cookies), shiiquasa (similar to a lime), and my personal favorite, beni’imo, or purple sweet potatoes. Anything beni’imo flavored plus beni’imo tarts are extremely popular. For the braver souls, there’s a specialty liquor called habushu, habu the name of native snakes and shu meaning alcohol. It is made using the venom of the snake, which somehow doesn’t end up poisoning you because of the alcohol. Anyway each bottle comes at a hefty price and a large snake inside. Not sure what you’re supposed to do with the snake – eat it? Throw it away? Hang it on your wall? Either way, this is one delicacy I’ll pass on. The other “delicacy” I passed up was the “sea grapes,” which my boyfriend became addicted to. Apparently they’re very salty and decidedly un-grape-like.

Snake liquor!

Sea grapes! A salty snack.

Shisaws are everywhere.

“A shi-what?” you may ask. Essentially lion-dogs, these are mythical creatures which look like colorful lions with gaping mouths. They were said to bring good luck and ward of evil while standing guard in front of homes and shrines. There are usually two types, mouth open (which wards off evil spirits) or mouth closed (which keeps the good spirits in). You can find them on roofs or entrances to homes and businesses all over Okinawa. And everywhere in between. Literally, everywhere you look. It’s hard not to end up wanting to buy one of your own.

A perfect little shisaw family.

Standing guard outside Shurijo.

My favorite little shisaw

Okinawa makes really special glass

Besides shisaws and chinsuko, one of the most profitable omiyage/tourist experiences is the art of hand-crafted glass making. There are numerous locations all around Okinawan where you can try making your own hand-made glass. Though starting off as a way of generating money during hard war-times, glass making in Okinawan has evolved into a thriving business crafting gorgeous pieces attracting everyday tourist to those with deep wallets. And it’s very beautiful, with a rainbow of colors to choose from. Glass jewelry is also a big seller but on the pricey side for even only one small sphere of glass. We did not try to make our own or buy some to take home, but it was very tempting.

Glass making at Okinawa world.

Traditional Okinawan clothing is way cool

Traditional Okinawan style kimono.

Ask someone in Hawaii if they’re Japanese and they made respond, “Well, I’m Okinawan…” Okinawans make a big distinction between themselves and mainland Japanese. Okinawa is a string of islands that were once the independent Ryukyu nation, which explains their having their own, distinct language unintelligible to Japanese speakers. It originally had more contact with China than Japan, being situated only 455 miles from Taiwan, and was an active trader with China and other neighboring East Asian countries. World War II brought American influence, but Okinawans still have a proud sense of their own unique tradition and culture.

One thing particular to Okinawa is their own style of traditional clothing such as kimonos. The biggest difference in the women’s style is bright yellow/orange and red colors with the absence of an obi belt and a large hat called a hanagasa that looks like a red flower. As Okinawa is a tropical region, the cloth is light like a summer yukata to accommodate the warm and humid climate.

Me trying on Okinawan kimono!

I got to try on one of these kimono at a place called Okinawa World, a popular tourist attraction that usually costs around 1000 yen or more but ended up being only 500 yen through a discount when I purchased a photo taken before the caves. If you’re looking to try it on and get your picture taken, definitely do it at Okinawa World. It was quite fast; they promise only 30 seconds! I originally thought that’s why they don’t put on an obi and have you hold the hat instead of wear it on your head to disguise the lack of obi, but it’s in fact the traditional way and definitely saves a lot of time. The resulting look is more loose and flowing. I admit I was a little disappointed at not getting to try on the hat, but it probably is a bit heavy to balance. As for the men, I really loved their cool head scarves. They’re tied in an intricate way that makes a pointed dome at the front and are tied at the back to look like a long ponytail. When wearing kimono men always wear a box-shaped hat and a simply tied obi, but definitely my favorite was those scarves!

Look at those scarves!

Men's kimono.

You can actually find the real Mexican food you’ve been craving

If you’re in the mood for Mexican, look no further than Obbligato! Three locations around Okinawa.

If you live in Japan you can understand the pain of not having access to delicious Mexican food. All good things come at a price. Thankfully, due to the American presence in Okinawa there actually are real Mexican restaurants which dish out normal sized portions with authentic Mexican flavors at reasonable prices! There’s even a Taco Bell, although it’s on an American base so you’d have to have relation to someone working there to get in. Or bribe the gatekeeper.

Okinawan graves are huge!

They are apparently very similar to the ones used in Taiwan. Considering the large aging community that boasts a high number of centenarians, I would think it would be better to use the more traditional Japanese style graves that take up a minimal amount of space, yet strangely grave sites were much less prevalent than mainland Japan, where you can find them neighboring houses and supermarkets. The reason for their size is actually because whole families can be buried in one grave, though I’m not sure where where they mark the cut-off for one “family.”

So, have I piqued your interest in Okinawan yet? Besides gorgeous beaches and tropical weather, Okinawa has some great places to visit ranging from simple R&R, shopping, to exploring traditional culture. If you’re already living in Japan it’s only a short, roughly 3 hour flight from Tokyo, which marked my first time flying a Japanese airlines. I was shocked at how late they board their flights; a mere fifteen minutes prior to take-off! And somehow we were actually almost exactly on-time. Also there are TV screens around the aircraft, but there are no movies playing, only an outside view of the plane and status updates on our location, outside air temperature, and time until landing. I have to admit my favorite part was the futuristic luggage drop at Haneda airport. So just getting there was half the fun!

These futuristic pods dump your luggage backwards onto the conveyor belt sans employee assistance. Unfortunately my bag was slightly too long and had to be taken over to the staff the non-fun way.

Now for my list of recommended places:

1.     Churaumi aquarium

Churaumi's main attraction, whale sharks!

Besides Shurijo, Churaumi aquarium is the most popular and well-known tourist destination in Okinawa. It’s situated on a beautiful coast in northern Okinawa which takes around two hours by car from Naha city, so plan on making a day of it when you go up there. The main attraction is their enormous tank home to several whale sharks. They also have my absolute favorite view and beach on Okinawa! You can get a 200 yen discount on tickets at a Lawson’s or Family Mart - whichever you support.

Outside Churaumi aquarium.

My favorite view on Okinawa!

2.     Okinawa World

This was one of my favorite places! Okinawa World is made to resemble an old-fashioned Ryukyu village, plus it's home to some really cool caves! There’s also a habu snake area with a show but you have to pay extra for admittance; not sure how the show compares but you can easily skip it for the free one at Ryukyu Mura instead. If you're feeling daring you can sample habushu for free. You can also sign up to try glass making for a fee.

The caves take around thirty minutes to walk through. Plus of course you'll be stopping to take pictures.

Hey, there's a mailbox down here! The bat's eyes light up red when you approach.

Watch out for the deadly habu!

3.     Shurijo

Arguably the number one tourist spot. The fortress is built on top of a large hill affording an excellent view all the way to the coast. As with any tourist-attracting temples, shrines, and castles in Japan you have to pay an entrance fee, but there are also free traditional dances to watch. Definitely touring the inside set this apart from other castles, although photography is allowed only in certain areas. You can easily see it all in just two hours, and very close to Naha city.

A throne fit for a king.

The king’s Chinese-inspired crown. Very cool.

4.     Ryukyu Mura

Very similar to Okinawa World, as it recreates a traditional Ryukyu village but I’d recommend it simply for its amazing eisa dance that reenacts the king and queen being entertained by a variety of performers including the shisa and this monkey-like duo who are basically the equivalent of court jesters. Bonus: if you get “bit” by the shisa, it’s good luck! There’s also a little snake exhibit and a ton of scheduled dance or musical performances.

The king basically has the easiest job. He just sits and watches the performances.

Traditional eisa dance with a shisaw!

5.     Pineapple park

This is a small theme-park/shopping center near Churaumi aquarium. You can easily see it all in only an hour. The main attraction is riding your very own pineapple cart around a track taking you on a guided tour through the park, which of course leads to an extensive gift shop with plentiful samples at the end. There's also a little restaurant with the highlight being this giant pineapple sundae, clocking in at a massive 37 cm! It's chock full of pineapple sorbet, ice cream, jam, jelly, cookies, and of course, real pineapple. Make sure to bring a buddy!

A sundae fit for a pineapple enthusiast!

Where can I get a cool set of wheels like this?

Pineapple fields. They're full of teeny-tiny baby pineapples!

Naturally everything is pineapple flavored – pineapple wine, pineapple cake, pineapple chocolate, pineapple chocolate covered chinsuko (must buy! They’re very moist), and of course real pineapple. 

It was here that I bought my absolute favorite souvenir, this little guy! I named him Papa.

Also we found these beauties here. Lawn sandles! Pretty pricey but apparently they are very comfortable. Do you have to water and cut them though?

And they even have their very own addictive theme song that plays nonstop in the shuttle from the parking lot! We couldn't get it out of our heads for the rest of the week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2O_lBmS5ZUU

6   Kokusai-dori

When it comes time to buying omiyage, Kokusai-dori has you covered! Also a huge assortment of restaurants and no less than two separate Blue Seal locations. We ended up coming here for food or souvenirs almost every day.

Goya bench

Beni'imo tart

One of the crazy shops around Kokusai-dori. Why is Tweety bird in a shark's mouth?!

7   Okinawa Peace Memorial Park

I’m not very into history, but I was in love with the view from the memorial site honoring both Japanese and American lives lost in the Battle of Okinawa.

8.     Chura sun beach

This was our favorite beach! True to its name, stunning views of the sunset. We even came back for an illumination and music New Year’s event ending in fireworks. I recommend eating at the little restaurant for its reasonable prices and gorgeous interior.

Other optional destinations include the World Heritage site of Nakagusuku castle ruins, of which there are many throughout the island, also overlooking a nice view of the coast, and the American Village, although I wouldn’t say there’s particularly anything American about it aside from a few, mostly clothing, import shops.

Nakagusuku castle ruins

Okinawa's own "American" village

Lastly: Don’t miss out on watching a traditional eisa dance! This type of folk dance is performed during obon, a festival honoring the dead that takes place in summer. Depending on the program, you can see a variety of performers and dances and listen to traditional music. I highly recommend the dance at Ryukyu Mura, as the one in Okinawa World does not allow you to take pictures.

So grab your sunscreen and get ready to say Haisai! Okinawa awaits!