Sea Change Okinawa: snorkeling

Life Lately - August

Life lately has been BUSY! Very busy! My role at work has changed a fair bit, which means more work for me and we've had lots of visitors! I feel like this year has flown by since our first visitors arrived in March, and I don't think it's going to slow down until the end of the year (if it actually does).

A couple of weeks ago my family came over for a visit. My mum had been to Okinawa before when I first moved to help look after G while we got settled in, but the weather was horrible, cold and windy. I was so paranoid about the weather leading up to their visit, but it ended up being perfect. I flew up to Tokyo to meet them when they arrived. We had a whirlwind stay in Ueno, where I took them out to an Izakaya for dinner, and we spent the next morning at Sensoji Temple, then exploring Ueno before catching a flight down to Okinawa.

I was lucky enough to get summer leave while they were here so we went snorkelling every day, which everyone knows is one of my favourite things to do here in Okinawa.

This weekend I am leaving for a week long work trip visiting different universities in Japan, travelling from Fukuoka to Osaka, Kobe and Tokyo. I'm looking forward to seeing more of Japan, but am going to miss my little family like crazy!

Sea turtle nests on my beach! Look at that cutie!

Learning the pianica

Ryu-pin at Onna no Eki in Okinawa sells the best kakigori of all!

Summer calls for Kakigori.

if you arrive to visit Sensoji temple in Asakusa early in the morning (before 10am) you can look at the beaufful shutters on the shops on Nakamise street before they open!

Shuttered shops early on Nakamise street, Asakusa Tokyo

Sensoji

The parents in Tokyo

I love koi!

Fruit stall in Ameyoko Ueno is great on a hot summers day!

I love the fruit stall in Ameyoko, Ueno

In my happy place

Coral snorkelling at Maeda Cape in Okinawa.

I need a better underwater camera

At Ocean Expo Park, Motobu

Eisa for Obon in my neighbourhood.

19:01
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Weekend recap

Okinawa

This past weekend was busy, but so lovely. The weather was perfection! Even though i've had a horrid cough for the past week, I had to get into the water!

Sunday morning we headed straight to Maeda Beach because the water was incredibly still and the tide was high. The water was so clear and because we arrived early there was hardly anyone there. We got into our snorkelling gear and got straight into the water. We spent a good 45 minutes snorkelling around. G is getting really great at putting his head under to look at this fish! It's definitely getting much easier snorkelling with a little one in tow.

Perfect way to start the day

Maeda Beach on Okinawa Mainland is a great beach for snorkelling right off the beach in low or high tide. The water is clear and there's a great variety of fish!

Maeda Beach was perfection this weekend

That afternoon after some rest time, we started getting ready for a little birthday party we were throwing at our house for G's little friend Kaisei. Although it was only the two kids and a few adults, we blew up plenty of balloons, had cake and of course we had to introduce everyone to the Australian kids party staple, fairy bread! It was a hit!

After the sun went down we finished the night with some fireworks on the beach across the road..... perfect really.

Fairy bread, an easy and delicious kids party snack!

Fairy Bread - Australian party staple

Getting into the party spirit

Sunset

17:30
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Tokashiki Island Daytrip - Do it!

beach

Last Friday was the first day of the Golden Week Holidays in Japan and I finally got organised and booked ferry tickets over to Tokashiki Island! I've been wanting to visit Tokashiki since we moved to Okinawa over a year ago, but just didn't get there last year. We have friends visiting from Australia right now and the weather forecast was looking good so I jumped on the opportunity and off to Tokashiki Island we went!

We opted for the 10am slow ferry over, and the 4pm slow ferry back because I thought for sure 5 hours on the island would be enough. If I could change that though, I would definitely opt for more time! By the time you get from the ferry to the beach and then get the bus back to the beach, we really only had 3 hours on the beach, which seems like a lot, but flew by!

When we got off the ferry at Tokashiki port, there were buses waiting to go to the beaches. We opted for Aharen Beach, basically just because the bus was the closest and I had read good reviews of both the popular beaches (Aharen and Tokashiku). The bus ride to the beach takes about 10 minutes and is up over twisty mountain road. The views coming down to the beach were stunning! The bus drops you right at the entrance to the beach with a shower/toilet changing block.

Aharen Beach

A day trip to Tokashiki is worth it during your stay in Okinawa

Even on a busy day, the beach wasn't too crowded.

We brought all our snorkels, beach shoes, picnic and a beach tent with us, but you can hire everything you would ever need at the beach. We actually decided to get a beach umbrella (1000yen for the day) for extra shade, and my friend even rented a swimming shirt because she forgot her own!

We set up our spot on the beach and headed straight in to the water to snorkel! At first I was a bit worried the snorkelling wouldn't be great because the swimming area looked netted, but it actually wasn't a net, just a barrier because there were water sports happening around the beach (jetskis, banana rides etc).

The crystal waters of Tokashiki are amazing for swimming and snorkelling

Can you believe this is Japan?

The water was crystal clear and there were heaps of fish following us around! I could spend all day snorkelling I swear! The only thing that got me out of the water was the fact that I was cold and hungry....

The 3 hours we had on the beach absolutely flew by, so I definitely recommend making a long day of it if you can. My one other tip would be to make sure you take something for sea sickness!! The ferry ride over to the island was pretty horrific, I'm not going to lie. I'm not one to get sick easily, and I think beause the ocean was a little rough, it might have made it worse, but I felt horrible the whole trip. Luckily the sold motion sickness tablets at a little souvenir stand at Tokashiki port so we bought some of those for the trip home, which I think helped a little. I definitely want to go back to Tokashiki, but I will come prepared for sea sickness next time.

Me in my happy place

Having fun

Some of the fish you will see when snorkelling in Tokashiki

H surrounded by fish!

Family <3

The water at Aharen Beach, Tokashiki Island, Japan is crystal blue.

That water! Can you believe it!

G loved climbing on the rocks!

This stray cat was wandering between beach umbrellas talking to everyone

The ferry

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Tokashiki Island is a short ferry from Mainland Okinawa, Japan. Snorkel in the crystal blue waters and relax on the beach! The perfect daytrip!

18:22
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Best Beaches in Okinawa

beach

As summer is approaching, I thought it would be a good time to share the best beaches I have found here in Okinawa (drivable from the mainland - not including the islands). The list below is obviously based on my own opinions and preferences and there are many beaches on the mainland I still haven't been to!

Now the things that I think make an amazing beach may differ from other people, but what makes a great beach for me is:

Water quality - I LOVE LOVE LOVE me some crystal water and this basically trumps all other requirements for me.
Can I snorkel? - I have become obsessed with snorkelling, so if I can get in some snorkelling while I'm at the beach, it's a win as far as i'm concerned.
Is there shade? - I love it when there's easy shade near the beach. I find that with a child in tow and the crazy hot Okinawa summers, it's much more enjoyable if i'm not worried about getting burned as so as we arrive. I do have a beach tent for this reason as well.

So now for the list of my favourite beaches:

Sesoko Island - Ok, so this is technically a whole island, but it's tiny and accessible by car from the mainland. I've been here twice now and both times (even though the second time the water was a little rougher), the water has been the clearest i've ever seen both in Okinawa, and Australia). Sesoko beach, which is a netted beach and you need to pay 1000yen for parking was still gorgeous and had great snorkelling within the netted area. You could even see the fish just standing up looking at the water without a snorkel, which is great for kids. The other beach on the Island, which is under the bridge as you drive over to the island, is not netted and has a lot of water sports, but the water is even more amazing, with more great snorkelling. Both beaches had changing and shower areas. You will need to wear reef shoes.

Ikei Beach, Ikei Jima - This beach on Ikei Island is really clean, has great facilities, and the water is gorgeous. I know people tend to prefer Oodomari Beach (Mama-san beach) a bit further up the road, but I find that beach a little annoying for some reason (maybe it's the needy fish that follow you around looking for food). Ikei beach has good changing facilities, a cafe with yummy kakigori (shaved ice) and two netted off swimming areas that are deep and clear with fun pontoons you can climb on. I also spotted some cool fish in the netted swimming area on the left. You have to pay to enter, but the facilities are great and it's really clean. You don't need any reef shoes here. There's even a kids play area. I have two posts on Ikei Beach. Here and Here

Maeda Beach/Maeda Flats - This beach can be a little hit or miss, so it"s best to go on a clear, calm day, but when you get it on a good day, it's really really good! You can snorkel off this beach, and although it can get crowded, there are a few secluded spots you can find. To get to this beach, keep diring past the main carpark for Maeda Cape and it's the first path on the left. Often there will be snorkelling tours down here if Maeda cape is closed. There is also another, less busy beach the next path along. Both are lovely. You will need reef shoes.

Nabee Beach and Manza Beach - These beaches are next to each other, and if I go to one, I usually go to both, so i'm including them as one. One of the reasons I love these beaches are that they are close to where I live, another is the fact that on Manza beach there is lots of shady nooks that you can sit in very close to the water. Nabee beach is great because it is netted and the sand is good so there's no need to wear reef shoes, Manza beach you definitely need reef shoes because there are lots of sea urchins (check the photos in the linked post) but the snorkelling is good. Nabee beach water is generally lovely and clear, however Manza is better on a calm day. You can find another post on these beaches here.

For more beach posts:

Sun Marina Beach
Muruku Beach - Hamahiga Island
Tokashiki Island - Day trip from the mainland

Please note, that i've found it's definitely worth investing in a pair of good reef shoes, as the sand is not like Australia. It's coarse and full of spiky coral. It's also worth buying your own snorkel set. They are cheap and it saves renting them at every beach (for around 1000yen a go).

Let me know what your favourite beaches on the Okinawa mainland are in the comments! Are there any you think I have missed?

16:15
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Sesoko Island, Paradise

Japan

Last weekend the weather was beautiful so we decided to pack up the car and venture to an island that we had never been to. Sesoko Island is off the Motobu peninsula, so about 1 hour north from where we live in Onna. You can reach the island by bridge, which I love because we didn't need to worry about ferry timetables.

When we first got to the Island, we drown down towards the beach under the bridge, which looked beautiful, but we decided to head over to Sesoko beach first. You have to pay 1000yen to park at Sesoko beach, which is a little pricey, but we did it anyway. When we got down to the beach there were some nice shaded areas next to the rocks to we set up in the shade then headed into the water. The swimming area is netted and you can't swim outside this area. They seem to strictly enforce it. Usually this really annoys me because although you are allowed to snorkel in the netted areas, there are never any fish. This beach, however was different! It was fantastic! There were heaps of fish, and the water was so clear you could just seem them from the surface, which is great for little kids that can't or wont put their heads under. Our little guy loved seeing all the fish from the surface, and even though he was happy to put his goggles on, he still doesn't want to put his head under.

Rocking those goggles

After Sesoko beach, we decided to head the the first beach we saw, just under the bridge. I'm so glad that we decided to stop there! It was literally what I imagine paradise to look like. The water was so so clear, like swimming in a pool! This beach isn't netted, but there were quite a few people snorkelling there, and they have a lot of water sport options (although I have no idea how much these cost). The visibility was amazing for snorkelling, and I highly recommend going to this beach on a calm day. We actually headed back here again a few days later, but the tide was higher (It was low when we went on the weekend) and it was a bit rough. Even though it was a bit rough, visibility for snorkelling was still amazing!