Sightseeing

Miyako Island Miyako Island is a hidden gem in the southern Ryuku island chain. It is only about 60 square miles and has a population of around 46,000. It is easy to get to (a short 50-minute flight from Naha Airport in Okinawa) and is a very affordable vacation spot with inexpensive rental cars (reserve ahead of time especially if you’re going during a Japanese holiday) and lots of places to stay along the coastline from 5-star luxury resorts to low-cost condos. Yonaha Beach Once...

I took a week-long vacation to Ishigaki Island in April. My experience was restorative and allowed me to explore the entire island from upscale restaurants to its verdant mountain peaks and tranquil bays. Here are some of the highlights from that wonderful trip you can use to inform your own travels. Fly to Ishigaki Island Ishigaki has a Hawaiian vibe, minus the traffic and insane prices. After a brief 55-minute flight from Naha, my wife and I landed at the New Ishigaki Airport. Opened...

If you've spent any time on social media, you've no doubt seen people posing with ornate or colorful mural wings. The Global Angel Wings Project was created in 2012 "to remind humanity we are the angels of this Earth." Founder Colette Miller has painted wings all over the world since the project inception. Okinawa is, fortunately, one of the locations as of 2017! Ms. Millers' artwork is found in American Village, on the 3rd floor of the Depot Island Building. They are on a balcony to the...

There have been a lot of new places built for tourists in Okinawa lately. However, I believe Kokusai Street (Kokusai Dori; International Street) is the first thing that most tourists tend to visit while here. So, I thought I would give some useful information on the exciting tourist destinations today. Kokusai Street is located within a 10-minute drive from Naha Airport and stretches roughly 2 kilometers. If you are driving, paid parking lots are plentiful and located around the area but...

Most people will recognize Sefa Utaki solely by one picture alone. Yet, there's much more to the most sacred site of the Ryukyu Kingdom than merely that rock formation. In fact, there's a significant history behind the place; so much so, that it was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with 8 others in Okinawa, under "Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu." Getting there these days with GPS isn't a challenge, especially using the pin below. However...