Hey there!
How was (or is) your summer vacation?

I came back from mine less than a week ago and it was AWESOME!!
There were a lot of ups and downs, but compared to the majority of my previous HORROR trips, this one was actually quite good!



As most of you know I decided to go to Okinawa yet again.
Although I was so unlucky and got 2 weeks of rain (or rainstorms) when I visited in winter, I still fell in love with Okinawa and I knew I wanted to go back.
And I'm so happy I decided to do so! ^____^


Let's start with a few of the downsides of the vacation (and I'm sure Twitter followers already know about them):
I had to stay 2 nights in a hotel where I had to fight against cockroaches, ants, salamanders, spiders, beetles, mosquitoes and other things all night long, so I couldn't really sleep. Furthermore there was no hot water.
On one of the small islands (Taketomi) I lost my smartphone and had to ride my bicycle around the whole island a second time while searching for it.
Luckily I found it, but the screen was completely destroyed. It looked like somebody shot the phone several times! (T__T'') ....



Later I went to the Docomo store in Ishigaki and they sent it back to my local Docomo store where people would try to fix it. For the time being they gave me another smartphone. Phew!!

As a typhoon was approaching the weather forecast was absolutely not accurate and because high waves were said to come, several ferries to the smaller islands I wanted to visit were cancelled (just in case), destroying my original schedule.

I also suddenly got sick one night with swollen tonsils and a slight fever, but some meds and sleep seemed to do the trick.


Apart from that I had a REALLY great vacation and here's why:




I finally got to see the beautiful turquoise color of the ocean in Okinawa! Something I wanted to see and experience so badly!
I went swimming in the crystal clear water (even at the beach where they shot the final of Hana Yori Dango - the second movie)!!!
I went snorkeling a few times, even saw a giant sea turtle (which is rather rare where we were snorkeling - at least that's what others told me). So lucky! ^^

On Yonaguni I went diving for the first time in my life (as it was raining the whole time and there was nothing else to do).




Kabira Bay in Ishigaki. Ishigaki is the biggest of the Yaeyama Islands (at least the population is the greatest). I spent 3 days there (all of them with a rental car).
Kabira Bay is still one of my favorite spots on Ishigaki. I went there on all three days.
With a car it's not that far from the city center.



A highlight was Iriomote Island where I spend 3 days (also all with a rental car).
I also visited Yubu Island. You can even walk there from Iriomote or use one of these awesome (touristy) water buffalo thingies (which I highly recommend)!!



It was so hot! It's the hottest summer in Japan ever after all.
However, Okinawa is relatively cool compared to the rest of Japan this year.
The water buffaloes enjoyed a cool bath.


Iriomote is famous for being the only island in the world that has the Iriomote cat. Of course, I didn't get to see one live, but there are signs everywhere on the streets that remind you to not drive faster than 40km/h.
Every year a lot of those endangered cats die because they're hit by cars! T___T ....

For one day I had a complete tour booked where we used a canoe to get to an awesome waterfall. You could bath beneath the waterfall and look up to it. Awesome experience!
After that we went by boat to a super tiny island and went snorkeling. Best snorkeling experience ever!



I also got to see one of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen on Iriomote!

Actually you can see the last sunset of Japan on Yonaguni, but as it was raining the majority of time there, I didn't get to see that one, but Iriomote is close enough and it's ONE of the last sunsets in Japan! ;)





With ferries you can visit a lot of smaller islands (10-80 mins away from Ishigaki). Some islands have a population of only 200. There are more cows, goats and horses than people!



One of these small islands is called Taketomi (where my smartphone got lost). It's the closest to Ishigaki and thus the island where most tourists visit.
It has some awesome beaches. After seeing the one above I just HAD to swim there! (*___*)b



The beaches around there are also famous for "star-shaped" sand (which is not really sand, though). You can either go and look for it yourself and then take it home or buy it in tiny bottles as a souvenir.



Hateruma has one of the most beautiful ocean views in Okinawa. The Nishi Hama Beach was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen!



In Hateruma you'll also find the southernmost point of Japan.




The island where I stayed the longest is Yonaguni. I stayed there for 4 whole days.
Unfortunately it was raining most of the time.
I came by plane. It takes less than 30 mins from Ishigaki, but there's also a ferry that'll take about 4h but doesn't run every day.

On Yonaguni cows and horses were running around freely (also on the streets), so you had to be careful when driving.
Yonaguni horses are the smallest horses in the world!



On Yonaguni you'll find the westernmost point of Japan! It's actually closer to Taiwan than to the rest of Japan and on clear days you can even see Taiwan (I wasn't that lucky btw.)!



As with a lot of the small islands on Okinawa you'll find unique life forms. There's "Yonaguni-san", the largest butterfly in the world!
It's as big as an adult's face! The one on the photo was still alive and you could just take it and take a photo with it next to your face. They are only active at night, so they were sleeping during the daytime and didn't really care about what we did! ;)



Yonaguni was shooting location for a Japanese drama called "Dr. Koto".
Now, most of you know that I'm a huge drama fan and that I've seen millions of dramas, but unfortunately not that one. :( ....
I really want to see it now!
In the photo above you can see "Dr. Koto's clinic".



I already mentioned that it was raining most of the time, so I decided to go diving because underwater the weather doesn't matter!
It was my first time ever and it was not planned at all! I spent a lot of extra money (I think this was my most expensive vacation ever), but it was totally worth it!

I'm the one on the very right in this photo, in the foreground!

I took a beginners' course and apart from me there was another young Japanese man (roughly 10 years younger than me) who had ZERO experience (as in: he has never even snorkeled before).
The air tank (or whatever it is called) was REALLY heavy, but as soon as you're in the water it doesn't matter anymore.
I was told that my breathing technique was already excellent (it's pretty much the same as for snorkeling), we just had to test if my ears can handle the depth of the ocean.
I can't remember exactly, but I think if your ears can survive 5m, you'll be fine.
My ears hurt, but I managed to "open" them again and again, so I was ready to go for the "real thing".



Yonaguni is famous for mysterious underwater ruins.
I thought that only licensed divers can go there. All the information sites in English say so.
Let me tell you that this is not true! If you book a "taiken course" and thus somebody experienced is with you, you can go!
After I heard that I wanted to go so badly!
Due to the horrible weather the waves were really high and we didn't know if we could actually make it or not. We had to go there and check before we could decide.
During that second diving tour of the day, the young man who also took the beginner's course left us.
So it was me and about 10 professional divers (T___T) ....
They were all super nice and I met a lot of nice people on Yonaguni in general! :D

Due to the high waves the boat was going up and down quite a bit. Everybody got seasick but I was the only one who actually threw up! :( .....
It's the first time this has ever happened. I get motion sick all the time! I guess it was a bit too much for my body. First diving experience, right after that a second diving session, the extremely high waves and the fact that I had a slight fever the day before.

Yet I wanted to go down and see the ruins! ^_____^
And I'm so glad I did!

Did you know that you shouldn't dive and fly in an airplane (or go hiking) on the same day? Apparently your body can't handle the difference in height / altitude very well!
Was news to me. Yeah, I know ... ^^;;; ....





On all the islands there were so many beautiful butterflies! They were flying around you all the time. It was so nice! ^^



A lot of colorful and nice lizards.



These are especially beautiful and you'll run into them everywhere!



I even met the most adorable squirrel monkeys ever!



And of course there were a lot of goats as well!

This is just a super small selection of animals and insects I came across!





And let's not forget about Okinawa's super delicious and healthy food!
In the photo above you see "Yaeyama soba". ^___^
There's also Ishigaki beef, goya champloo and vegetable curry among other things.


And that's it.
That was just a super brief introduction of my vacation.
I'll make sure to post about it in more detail on my blog, so make sure to check it out if you're interested!


I already miss Okinawa.
The people there (especially on the small islands) are all so laid-back and the mix of things I know from back home (cows, goats, horses) with the beautiful ocean views is just beyond imagination!
I think I became a fan of snorkeling and diving as well.
I know that I will be back in Okinawa at some point. Can't wait to go again!
I won't forget the time where I rode my bicycle on one of the small islands with the greatest view of the ocean and fresh green all around me, accompanied by beautiful butterflies flying right next to me! ^____^