The trip to Okinawa was like a treasure we found while strolling on the beach, full of tranquility and surprises. Even though we will move to Japan soon, we chose to visit Okinawa from Taiwan since it is much closer to Taiwan rather than where we will live in Japan. Just open to visitors, less popular season and the most outstanding remarkable ocean all made this trip unique for all of us. 

We drove directly to Motobu in a rental car from Naba Airport. Driving on the left side was not as hard as we imagined, aside from some confusion between wiper and turn signal lever. The first dinner at a local restaurant was quite enjoyable. The owner showed us his paper-cut art by mastering a simple scissor. Paper dragon, butterfly, tiger, mantis were cut out vividly in a magical rhythm. Kids dropped  their jaws and gathered all their voices to make compliments. The second day was filled with quite adventurous water activities. We could not recommend more about the program we signed up at Motobu Genki Village – swimming with dolphins. They offer a range of different interactions with dolphins and other animals. To be clear, animals there are treated very nicely and with respect. It was an unforgettable adventure for our big sister. She wrote her journal as below:

“I grabbed pama’s fin and took off. When I am writing this, I suddenly remember the feeling – I felt like a bubble bouncing up and down. Finally, I arrived on the shore. I have to admit I rode better than my mom. We also shook hands with Pama. At the end of our play, Pama would jump over our heads. I bravely opened my eyes just in time to see Mama twirling around us, like a ballerina. Even though we got all soaked, it was still an amazing experience.“

The rest of the trip was mostly at the beach. We rented our Airbnb near Mibaru beach in the south. 2-minutes walking distance from the beach made this vacation very relaxing. Kids had so much fun running around and hunting their treasures until the sun set at the horizon. During the day, we rode on a glass boat. Later when the sky was dyed into different lays of color, we had a picnic on the beach, accompanied by the shimmering moon gleaming on the waves. The chorus of waves surrounds us in peaceful solitude, only interrupted briefly by the greeting of a few airplanes passing overhead.

As a pre-trip to Japan, Okinawa gave us a heartwarming sneak peak of Japanese life, which we are looking forward to. And as a short weekend destination, Okinawa offered us a wonderful cozy getaway. If you are planning a trip to Okinawa, below link may help you decide where to go and where to enjoy the beach in the south. Enjoy!