Okinawa ho!
Today we somehow managed to pack up, check out of the hotel, and make the long bus ride from Kyoto to Osaka Kansai airport in time for our flight to Okinawa. After the sake fest of the previous night, I'm still very impressed that we made it.
The JAL flight to Naha, Okinawa was pleasant. Michelle was amazed by the efficient yet very pleasant and polite security. It was almost like they were in customer service rather than security. Eric enjoyed watching the 700 people get off the plane before we boarded. (It was a very large plane for a two-hour trip, but then again they use 747s for the 45 minute flight between Osaka and Tokyo.) At the Okinawa airport, Michelle was impressed by the large, multi-chromatic array of real orchids. Her mom wouldn't have made it out of the airport. Alas, we didn't take photos, but hopefully on the way back.
Okinawa seems like an interesting place. The bus ride to the hotel showed some interesting scenery, but many of the buildings seem a bit run-down. It is, I believe, the poorest Japanese prefecture, relying on certain agricultural products for commerce. Tourism is now an important industry, but that's not necessarily a good thing.
We arrived at Moonbeach Hotel around 5:30 pm, about an hour before sunset. The hotel is probably typical of the resorts that sprang up post-war, but the beach is great and the water is a beautiful aqua-marine (imagine that). The western exposure promises some nice sunsets (and we have an ocean-view room). We took some photos, but we'll post them tomorrow.
For dinner, we gave the hotel restaurants a pass and wandered off-campus to look for one of the fabled Okinawa A&W's. We didn't find one, but we found an Italian place with a very enthusiastic hostess. She taught us the Japanese for "walnut" (kurumi; we taught her the English), which we enjoyed with gorgonzola cheese on a pizza. We also discovered the Okinawa sweet potato, imo, which seems very popular as an ice cream (it's purple, too). After dinner we had largely forgotten our unpleasant morning-after-sake (sake no ato no asa, aka bleah).
The JAL flight to Naha, Okinawa was pleasant. Michelle was amazed by the efficient yet very pleasant and polite security. It was almost like they were in customer service rather than security. Eric enjoyed watching the 700 people get off the plane before we boarded. (It was a very large plane for a two-hour trip, but then again they use 747s for the 45 minute flight between Osaka and Tokyo.) At the Okinawa airport, Michelle was impressed by the large, multi-chromatic array of real orchids. Her mom wouldn't have made it out of the airport. Alas, we didn't take photos, but hopefully on the way back.
Okinawa seems like an interesting place. The bus ride to the hotel showed some interesting scenery, but many of the buildings seem a bit run-down. It is, I believe, the poorest Japanese prefecture, relying on certain agricultural products for commerce. Tourism is now an important industry, but that's not necessarily a good thing.
We arrived at Moonbeach Hotel around 5:30 pm, about an hour before sunset. The hotel is probably typical of the resorts that sprang up post-war, but the beach is great and the water is a beautiful aqua-marine (imagine that). The western exposure promises some nice sunsets (and we have an ocean-view room). We took some photos, but we'll post them tomorrow.
For dinner, we gave the hotel restaurants a pass and wandered off-campus to look for one of the fabled Okinawa A&W's. We didn't find one, but we found an Italian place with a very enthusiastic hostess. She taught us the Japanese for "walnut" (kurumi; we taught her the English), which we enjoyed with gorgonzola cheese on a pizza. We also discovered the Okinawa sweet potato, imo, which seems very popular as an ice cream (it's purple, too). After dinner we had largely forgotten our unpleasant morning-after-sake (sake no ato no asa, aka bleah).
posted by Eric M. at 10:29 PM
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