Okinawa

Okinawa

This weekend I went with my friend Miho to the southern Japanese island of Okinawa. Although a tropical island, it wasn't very warm. It was like a typical British summer day - cloud, a bit of rain and warm enough to just wear a jacket. Perfect for sightseeing - Nobody else seemed to think so though!

The first day we spent scuba diving. I saw lots of fish, including Nemo, although unfortunately my photographic skills didn't do the area justice. Scuba diving was fantastic, but I was a bit scared on the 1 hour boat ride to the Zemami islands, because of the huge waves.

In the evening we met Miho's friend Bunto san, who cooked us an amazing meal. We then went with him to a typical bar, where they played the traditional Okinawa instrument, the Sanshi. We also tried the very strong local drink aomori, which is kept in the sea for a year before drinking. Apparently shaking is good for wine and sake, so putting it in the sea for a year is like shaking it for a year.

On the second day we went to Zampa cape and Okinawa's huge aquarium. There were lots of flower displays everywhere, made out of bedding plants. We met more of Miho's friends in the evening. It was good practice for my Japanese, because Miho's friends do not speak much English. I tried goat sashimi (raw goat meat) again, as well as fish guts on tofu - yum. I definitely prefer fish sashimi.

On our final day we went to a cherry blossom festival at the top of a nearby mountain, then returned to the capital Naha to go to the Shurijo castle.

It was a very enjoyable weekend and I learnt a lot of fascinating things about Okinawa. Thank you Miho for organising everything.