Okinawa

15.7.10

Shuttle to Haneda Airport

Arrive in Naha,

Okinawa.

Meet up with Yoriko and Kalin

1:00 Ferry to Tokashiki Island

Arrrive in Aharen Beach

16.7.10

I arrived in Okinawa yesterday. It is subtropical and hot, but so laid back—it is a Japanese version of a Southeast Asian country. Okinawans have the longest longevity in the world. It is said it is due to their diet and low stress life. There was nothing to do in Tokashiki (which has maybe 80 permanent residents) except sleep, eat and go to the beach.

Okinawa is known for its coral reefs and the sealife that inhabit them. With borrowed snorkeling equipment from Yuki, I went out to snorkel among the reefs but I am not a good swimmer: I got tired and felt claustrophobic. I learned to use a flotation device (boogie board or life vest) and the experience was much better.

Snorkeling among the coral is like being in an aquarium of beautiful creatures: clown fish, parrotfish, eels, sea snakes, angelfish, Moorish idols, tang fish, sea anemones, star fish, and myriads of kinds of coral. The white sand (made of coral skeleton) makes the water very blue and the many colors of the coral and fish: blue, yellow, pink and purple is dazzling. Many snorklers swam freely. I wish I could swim as well.

Yoriko & Kalin on the boat.

© Hector Lee, 2010