We had a bit of a stressful morning linking 5 trains to get from Kinugawa to Narita airport for our 1pm flight but we made it! Barely… great exercise speed walking between terminals with all our gear.
Once we were checked in it was a quick hop to Okinawa and an easy taxi to our place on the seawall in Chatan.
The seawall was a hub of activity and it was wonderful to sip coffee on our deck and watch all the action. There was a reef break across the street and a lot of locals were surfing every morning, even when the surf wasn’t really up. Seemed like they just wanted to get out there.
When the tide was out the kids loved exploring the tide pools. It was like having 100 aquariums!
Lots of fish, sea cucumbers and star fish.
Our place is the white building in the background with the 3 rectangular windows.
Every other day Zeke and Ty and I went for a run. There is an American military base in Chatan and a big presence of soldiers. A lot of people use the seawall as their outdoor gym, so we fit right in.
We did a bit of swimming but the ubiquitous reef wasn’t really conducive to a relaxing swim.
Better for exploring…
Had to find a dentist for Mikaya to get this bizarre tooth extracted…
The military base really contributed to the nightlife in the area. There were restaurants everywhere! The shop under our place was called Cheesus and specialized in grilled cheese. Their logo was a cross made of melted cheese…
One night we walked down the seawall to American Village, a tourist area initially built for the US soldiers and their families. Kind of like a Japanese Disney dream of what America is like. Interesting vibe. More Japanese tourists than Americans. Everyone seemed to be having fun.
Mikaya sure did.
We found this amazing used bookstore in our neighborhood set in an old American school bus (how did it get there?? Even the owner didn’t know) The owner was very friendly and helpful. She recommended her favourite Ramen restaurant and taught us a bit about okinawan food.
We came out 5 or 6 books richer. Including the last Harry Potter which Levi was really looking forward to after finishing the 6th.
Our living room with a view…
On one of the hottest days we took a cab out to Araha beach, a beautiful sandy swimming beach that was great for kids and had an amazing park. The crowd was extremely multicultural. Also at least 5 wedding parties. Fun afternoon.
Drinks on the deck.
Mmmmm ramen. This place was amazing. They only had 10 chairs and there was almost always a line but it moved quick.
Night walks on the seawall.
Day walks on the seawall…
More ramen!
More tide pools! We were on a bit of a loop here.
It was quite relaxing to stay in the same spot for a week.
Our last night we went for Texas BBQ! Or at least the okinawan version. Still delicious.
Here is Ty posing with his childhood catchphrase “chicken beer!” (Followed by manic laughter)
More tide pools.
More ramen.
An interesting change from Japan. A lot more English and more food variety. Initially fun to watch/hear the fighter jets thunder overhead but then did get a little disquieting when we realized they were all heading for the Middle East. Some of the time it was quiet but there were a couple days when there seemed like 100s of departures including choppers and troop transports.
So many young families in the area, Kylie and I were wondering how many of them already had one parent on active duty.
Overall people here were quite friendly and the parks and the Seawall were very multicultural and felt a lot more like Canada. Only with more fighter jets!
From Chatan it was a quick ferry ride to our final destination in Japan. Tokashiki island!
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