My first beach vacation getaway! And it couldn’t have come at a better time.
For this trip, we would spend the day in Okinawa, then the rest of our time would be spent on the beautiful islands of Ishigaki, Taketomi (day trip), and Iromote.
Ladies dressed in traditional Okinawa Kimonos.
Naha, Okinawa Activities
We invested in a monorail day pass (¥600), which made it easier to get around to the attractions we wanted to see.
Shuri Castle
A 15-20 min walk from Shuri Station, and easy to spot from the train windows.
This castle was rebuilt. To walk around the grounds was nice, and to enter the main house of the castle is ¥800.
Outside of Shuri Castle.
Entrance to the central castle.
View of the main castle from the observation deck.
Yes, we cheaped out and didn’t go in.
Pottery Village
From Asato Station, a 10 min walk to this pottery village. We walked down a street that was just full of pottery shops, with a variety that ranged from the traditional clay style, to color and glazed. It was really hard to resist shopping so early in the trip.
Naha Pottery Village / Pottery District.
We walked into one shop that was having a sale that day. This shop’s pottery is acknowledged by the International Foreign Affairs Ministry for their quality and design…I apologize as I forgot to take a picture of the shop. But, in the photo above, this shop is right across from this shop that appears in my photo.
At the end of the pottery district, it links to the Hewa Shopping Arcade. One of the many side-extensions filled with small shops, connecting to Koukusaidori International Street.
Hewa Shopping Arcade entrance,
at the end of the Pottery Village.
Kokusaidori (International Street)
What use to be the biggest black market scene in Okinawa is now the main shopping district.
It extends over a few blocks, and it can easily be accessed by different monorail stations along the way.
Kokusaidori (International Street)
Okinawa Must Try Foods
Shuri Soba– we went here for lunch after I happened to stumble upon a blog that recommended it.
This place is popular for it’s soba. The soup has been stewed for a long time with pork meat that melts in your mouth. There’s said to always be a line, luckily our wait was maybe around 20-30 minutes.
Shuri Soba, Naha Okinawa.
Well worth the wait. The pork was melt in your mouth goodness! The menu is limited for the small shop that they are, but there is also a chow-han (chow-fan)/ fried rice dish that looked delicious!
My mini(?!) bowl of Shuri Soba.
Taco Rice – Taco Rice, is popular in Okinawa. We happily found a Charlie’s Taco’s, along Kokusaidori. (Restaurant came highly recommended online)
Charlie’s Taco, for Taco Rice.
Charlie’s Taco also has a “Lady’s Set”. Comes with a little bit of everything, including ice cream for dessert. Sadly guys, only women can order this…
Charlie’s Taco, Lady’s Set.
Habushu – venomous snake alcohol… The snake is not to be consumed, and it is recommend to sip this concoction, rather than chugging or pounding it back.
Okinawa Habushu – snake alcohol.
If the large habushu jars with snakes are too much for the wallet, the smaller and cheaper version can be found around ¥1280…but no snake. If alcohol isn’t appealing, there are plenty of other habu (snake) products to try, like a habu energy drink 🙂
To me, it tasted like very STRONG tequila…with a bit of cinnamon flavor. But, now I can say I tried Habushu \^.^/
Opted for the small, non-snake, Habushu.
BC Roll in Japan 