During a Spring visit to Japan to see the cherry blossoms, I took a quick weekend trip to Okinawa and decided to splurge on the nicest hotel on the island: The Ritz Carlton.
Okinawa is south of the main Japanese islands and the climate is more tropical. It's got a bit of a Hawaiian vibe, including a (controversial) U.S. military base. Notice the emphasis on "a bit" - this island is by no means Hawaii, but compared to the rest of Japan, it's a lot more relaxed.
There's not much of a public transportation infrastructure, so a rental car is a must. You'll need an international driver's license too, which is pretty easy to get at your DMV. Be prepared to drive on the left side of the road.
Beaches and a Whale of an Aquarium
Admittedly the majority of my Okinawa weekend was spent at my hotel or eating. But I did manage to take in a few sites. I'd read that the Churaumi Aquarium in Okinawa was the second largest in the world (after the Georgia Aquarium) and the only one to house a whale shark. I saw entrance tickets online for under $20, so I figured I'd check it out.
The aquarium is massive, as were its featured residents, the whale sharks. The huge whale sharks were magnificent, but after watching them continuously circle over and over it really did make me feel like they needed to be out in the wide open ocean.
After visiting the aquarium, I decided to check out a beach.
I didn't do much research on Okinawa beaches, so I drove around somewhat aimlessly looking for a nice beach spot.
Luckily I saw a sign that called my name.
Weed Beach? Was I in Okinawa or Phuket? I was intrigued.
But Weed Beach was not what I expected. Instead it was a nearly empty, huge, beautiful beach.
The empty part was pretty typical of my beach experiences on Okinawa. Again, I didn't do much research so maybe I was missing all the popular beach spots, but every beach I saw was fairly empty - and after some time in Tokyo, the emptiness was much appreciated.
The Ritz Carlton Okinawa
I used points for most of my stay in Japan - or stayed in capsule hotels (yikes!) - so I felt I earned the right to a luxury hotel in Okinawa.
The Ritz Carlton in Okinawa was extremely serene. There was a quiet pool with a great view and a beautiful Japanese garden.
What stood out most? Probably the bed. This was not your typical King-sized bed. It was easily the largest bed I've ever slept in.
The service at the Ritz was as you'd expect - perfection. The best experience was dinner at Gusuku, the Ritz restaurant featuring local cuisine. I had some umi budo (mini seaweed), an awamori cocktail (made from distilled rice), and taco rice (basically like an Okinawan taco salad). To top off the night, the chef gave me his business card and invited me to email him if I wanted anything in particular added to the menu for the following night. Talk about service!
Driving Around Okinawa - looking for food
When I wasn't at my hotel, I spent most of my time on Okinawa driving around looking for food. I had incredible chicken katsu at a place I found in a strip mall, some ice cream that was originally brought to the island by U.S. soldiers, and the best egg sandwich from a convenience store.
My first meal "off campus" was at a strip mall. No tourists. No English. But I used the translator app on my phone to navigate the menu and order some chicken katsu, ramen, and a frosty beer.
Next it was time for some ice cream. Apparently ice cream was brought to Okinawa by U.S. soldiers stationed there during World War II. The company that brought the ice cream was Blue Seal, so Blue Seal is what I got. I love ube, so I got the beni-imo flavor ice cream - it's not exactly ube, but close enough, and definitely delicious.
I drove around some more, took in more sights, and before I knew it the sun had set and it was getting to be time to head back to the hotel. I was getting hungry again, but it was late and most of the restaurants had already closed. But I'd heard rumors that the best egg sandwich in the world could be found at an Okinawa 24 hour convenience store.
So I drove around looking for a Lawson Station - another American transplant. Lawson was not hard to find. There must have been 20 of them in a 10 mile radius. So I found one with convenient parking and headed inside in search of this famous egg sandwich.
Lawson actually had a ton of food options: bento boxes, a frozen treats section, and aisles of Japanese snacks. And there it was, behind a glass refrigerator door, the egg sandwich.
Sometimes when you build something up in your mind it's sure to disappoint. But the Lawson egg sandwich did not. It was perfect. I don't particularly like egg sandwiches, but I loved it. I loved it so much I started to wonder if I actually just didn't realize I love egg sandwiches generally, so when I got back to the States I got myself an egg sandwich and, nope, I still don't really love egg sandwiches. The Lawson egg sandwich is indeed special.
I really enjoyed my weekend in Okinawa. If you're coming from the U.S., Okinawa isn't really worth a trip in and of itself, but more than likely if you're an American visiting Okinawa (and not in the military), you're combining it with a trip to the main Japanese islands. So is Okinawa worth flying to for a few days after spending some time in Tokyo? Absolutely. Okinawa offers a perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of the big city and - for better or worse - due to the U.S. military base, it has some comforts from home.
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