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Okinawa Travel Ideas 2017/1/10 23:51
Hi All,

At present, I have visited most Japanese prefectures but just have to visit some locations in Kyushu and Okinawa. As such, I'm starting to plan (or consider) my next trip which will possibly be CNY 2018 (I'm visiting Oita & Miyazaki in 2 weeks). As such, I'm considering Okinawa as a possible destination.

My hope is to spend a bit under 2 weeks in Okinawa during Feb 2018. My interests include culture, nature and reasonably easy walks that are not more than a couple of hours. Beaches are not really my thing - so visiting island chains that only have beaches is not of much interest.

It seems as though there is easily enough Okinawa Island for 4 nights if I hire a car. The Yaeyama Islands seem to be worth around 3 or so nights. Is it worth visiting the Kerama Islands & Kumejima Island?

Any general thoughts would be appreciated.
by mfedley  

Re: Okinawa Travel Ideas 2017/1/12 20:00
bump
by mfedley rate this post as useful

Re: Okinawa Travel Ideas 2017/1/13 07:44
The Main Island has by far the most to offer if you are not into beaches. It is where most of the former kingdom's history took place. And later it was the only part of Japan that experienced land battles during WW2. There are lots of historic sites in addition to cultural and religious sites, castles, natural sites (especially in the north) and entertainment.

Iriomote and Taketomijima in the Yaeyama Islands stand out to me as the two other, most interesting islands if you are not into beaches. Iriomote has the wildest "tropical" nature anywhere in Japan, while Taketomijima has the nicest, traditional-feeling Ryukyu town in existence.

And if you go to Yayeyama, you naturally also visit Ishigaki which has some minor sites of interest besides beaches.

But all the other islands have not much additional attractions to offer that you cannot see or experience on the above-mentioned four islands. They offer mostly beaches and rural, agricultural landscapes.

If any additional island, I would consider Amami Oshima rather than another one in Okinawa:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4690.html
by Uji rate this post as useful

Re: Okinawa Travel Ideas 2017/1/13 09:33


Beaches are not really my thing - so visiting island chains that only have beaches is not of much interest.

Visiting The Yaeyama islands without interest in beaches, water activities would be a "slow journey". However, to complete your "Japan Odyssey", a visit is still worth the trouble, even for the sake of just " being there"
Okinawa island is fairly big. However, unless you love diving/ snorkeling or other beach activities, over a week could be a wee bit too long for the visit. I spent 5 days, and found no compelling reason to extend.
by shinji (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Okinawa Travel Ideas 2017/1/14 19:12
If you want to try some of the less known attractions in Okinawa:

http://tokyofromtheinside.com/5-hidden-gems-okinawa-may-not-heard
by spd (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Okinawa Travel Ideas 2017/1/14 20:17
Feb will not be beach weather. We were in Ishigaki at Easter time, and we had some sunshine but it wasn't hot.

The temperature was maybe 20C or so - perfect weather for walking on the beaches, and there are some lovely deserted beaches to walk on - with spectacular views. Perfect for the short-ish walks you say would interest you.

You can also see the underwater life - even if you don't want to swim/snorkel/dive. There are glass-bottomed boat tours that show you coral and fishes. And then there's the BEEF (mmmmmmmmmmmmm).
by Winter Visitor rate this post as useful

Re: Okinawa Travel Ideas 2017/1/14 22:30
I haven't been there, but one island that intrigued me when I went to Okinawa was Izena Island. It was where the Ryukyuan king, King Sho En, was born. There are a modest number of sites but it still seems interesting.

An English blog:
http://okinawahai.com/izenajima/

Japanese tourist site:
http://vill.izena.okinawa.jp/izena/guidemap
by Rabbityama rate this post as useful

Re: Okinawa Travel Ideas 2017/1/14 23:47
Thanks all for the info. It's just confirmed where I might spend my time. I mentioned that I did not like island chains which only have beaches - I guess I was referring to going to some islands that have absolutely nothing to do apart from the beach.

Okinawa seems to have more than that - especially the main island which seems to have heaps of ruins and castles which is right up my alley.

I'll give it a think....
by mfedley rate this post as useful

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