After a 30h trip from Zurich, Tokyo, Okinawa to Ishigaki, I spent 9 days relaxing in the tropical south of Japan. Being the only person at the pool or beach during the day, I was wondering what the Japanese do during beach holidays. The choices are a) sightseeing during the day or b) hiding in the shadow and cool of the hotel room. Since the pool does get a bit crowded in the late afternoon I go for a).
Granted, I was anxious about driving around Okinawa, having a rental car for the first time in Japan. Although map and GPS are written in Japanese, it was not a big problem. Taking one step at a time, a sense of orientation and a good pack of common sense makes it actually quite a pleasure to drive around. A lot of diversity on this island, between a very populated middle part, including the American military bases, and interesting nature in the North and South of Okinawa. Typhoon ‘Roke’ was lurking out in the ocean, fortunately doing a donut during my stay.
