Have you ever visited a place that made you realise your impressions of it were completely wrong?
If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know I love being in forests (especially rainforests), whereas the boyfriend being a typical Shonan boy, prefers beaches. When it comes to booking a trip, we try to find somewhere with a bit of a both to keep us happy (like Thailand, Bali, Langkawi & the covid-cancelled Fiji) 🌿
Like many in Japan I have this goal of travelling to all 47 prefectures, but Okinawa wasn’t one of the prefectures near the top of my list. For some reason, I had this image of Okinawa being full of expensive beach resorts with not much else to do apart from get burnt sunbathing 🦞 I’d always preferred the idea of going forest bathing & shrine hunting in somewhere like Yakushima, but he assured me I’d love the place so we booked 🌿
Honestly I couldn’t have been more wrong about a place, nor could I have fallen in love with it more than I have! I really don’t know where I got such an impression of it from because it couldn’t be further from what it’s like. There’s beautiful lush jungles, endless fields of sugar cane, quaint little villages, mysterious temples like this one, delicious specialty foods, a rich culture (still listening to Okinawa music since leaving!), and of course there are stunning beaches but they were full of nature & not resort-y at all 🏝
If Okinawa isn’t high on your list of places to visit in Japan, add it on there now! 🗾
📍 Kabira Kannon Temple, Ishigaki, Okinawa
