Okinawa

Okinawa is a small island down the south of Japan  This is were I spent my silver week. The people of Okinawa are quite different in their looks and they have an alternative culture. They call themselves Okinawans as opposed to Japanese. A bit like Hawaii and America I suppose.

A week in paradise with a bunch of the greatest friends.

We all have one thing in common which is JET, we are a group hand picked from a few hundred, therefore we have similar personalities and the same adventurous outlook. I have been lucky enough to be handed a group of instant best friends. My roomies Laura and Ciara from Tokyo are two girls that are extremely entertaining and we believe that fate brought us together, they get the Irish humour and that’s all that mattered last week!

We started in Naha (the capital of Okinawa) rented a car for the first few days and explored the main island. Stumbling across countless stunning beaches and loads of deadly bridges! The Aquarium up North was unbelievable, I’m not a serious aquarium goer but this place was unreal. The main attraction is a bloody huge tank with whale sharks, sting rays, manta rays, sharks, the list goes on, but the sheer size of this thing is really quite something. The beauty of the place was that we were in Japan so everyone is quiet, no screaming or shouting just watching. I could have stayed there for hours watching this world that has always intrigued me.

The last few days we took the boat to Zanami Island and Aka-Jima. These are beautiful tiny remote islands off the coast of Okinawa mainland. They had a little bit of magic hidden in them. We camped in wooden cabins and spent the days exploring beaches, cycling, snorkeling, and ‘just chillin’. The highlight would have to have been swimming with a crazy turtle at sunset on a deserted beach. The peace and quiet in these places reminded me of summers spent on Inis Meain where doing nothing, just watching and enjoying, was all part of the adventure.

XXXxxx Happy Noodles day xxxXXX