Features

Time out in Okinawa: Pacific bounty

1 Nov 2017 by Jeremy Tredinnick
Shuri Castle in Naha, Okinawa

There are many places to see a breathtaking sunset, and I’ve been lucky enough to experience my fair share – almost to the point of indifference. Almost. Here in Okinawa, the largest of Japan’s subtropical Ryukyu island chain, surrounded by pollution-free sky and the deep, clear waters of the Pacific, I am treated to a truly memorable ten minutes on aptly named Sunset Beach, a short stroll or free electric buggy ride from the plush surroundings of my lodgings at the Hilton Okinawa Chatan Resort.

This particular sunset has me mesmerised, my gaze fixed – like the hundred plus people around me – on a horizon comprised of low, purple-black storm clouds (which drenched us earlier in the day); a thin strip of bright-blue sky; and an ocean of deep-blue water, from which emerge the silhouetted peaks of the distant Kerama Islands.

Behind the clouds, where the sun is hiding, the sky first glows bright orange, then rich gold, before the heavy fiery ball emerges briefly and triumphantly (to “oohs” and “aahs” from the crowd), then quickly dips below the waterline – providing the perfect photo op for young couples and families to frame each other against the kaleidoscopic backdrop. It’s a deeply satisfying feeling, seeing Mother Nature put on a show like that.

SEAS OF CHANGE 

Okinawa is an intriguing island of many faces. Its ancient and recent history fall into very different categories: centuries-old castle ruins with thick walls of coral limestone serve as a fascinating reminder of the Ryukyu Kingdom, whose rulers oversaw a powerful dynasty that lasted almost 500 years from the early 15th to late 19th centuries. Its success was built on the sea trade between Japan, Korea, China and Southeast Asia, a strategic location on the main sailing routes bringing it wealth and power.

Unfortunately, in the latter part of WWII it was Okinawa’s strategic location that made it the focus of imperial Japan’s final defence against the advancing US Naval forces. The Battle of Okinawa involved three months of fierce and desperate fighting from April to June 1945, claiming the lives of more than 120,000 Japanese soldiers and native Okinawans.

Churaumi Aquarium, Okinawa

It was the largest battle of the Pacific campaign, and is considered an important factor in the US’s decision to drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki less than two months later – the thought of facing such desperate but determined resistance in a land invasion of mainland Japan gave the American tacticians serious food for thought at the potential loss of life all round.

After the war Okinawa was the site of a large-scale US military base, and it was only in 1972 that it was finally returned to the Japanese. Since then it has slowly developed into a tropical holiday hotspot for Japanese, Koreans and increasingly mainland Chinese, who come for the sun, sea, sand… and shopping.

SERIOUS SHOPPING 

The hub for serious retail enthusiasts is in Naha, the island’s main city in the southern part of the island, where the airport is also located. The neat, efficient Yui Rail monorail transit system curls right through Naha; get off at Makishi station and you’re at the northern end of a long, straight street running right through the downtown area all the way to City Hall. This is the famous Kokusai-dori, a mecca for shopaholics with bulk-buying on their minds. I watch as groups of young women sashay down the sidewalk pushing empty four-wheeled suitcases – all destined to be heavy with cosmetics, T-shirts and local snacks and delicacies by day’s end.

Kokusai-dori is lined to the rafters with touristy souvenir shops selling Okinawan coral and pearl trinkets, international and local-brand coffee shops, and fast-food outlets. There are also duty-free shops fronted by oversized models of all shapes and descriptions – from six-foot-high anthropomorphic hot dogs to great white sharks and anime characters; and restaurants with faux limestone-walled booths where you can sample shabu-shabu (hotpot), Okinawan pork and the island’s own distinctive purple sweet potato whilst being entertained by song-and-dance acts from traditional Okinawan performers.

Branching off Kokusai-dori are a series of covered market streets collectively known as Heiwa-dori. In this warren of shops you’ll find arts and crafts stalls, tropical clothing outlets, noodle shops (try the udon with black sesame), cheap souvenirs and plenty of cosmetics stores.

Kokusaidori Street, Okinawa

CULTURAL REBIRTH

On the largest hill overlooking Naha is Shurijo Castle (oki-park.jp/shurijo/en), home of the Ryukyu kings. Surrounded by impressive three-metre-thick walls, its architectural design, open squares and immaculate gardens, as well as the decorative themes throughout, are a curious blend of cultural traditions that came about because of the many influences of the surrounding kingdoms with whom the Ryukyus traded. The emblem of the Ryukyu kings was the dragon – a symbol appropriated from the Chinese and overtly displayed on the roof of the Seiden, Shurijo’s main building, in the many dragon pillars both inside the audience room and throughout the complex, and on murals and carvings everywhere.

Terracotta red paint and lacquer covers almost everything; the tour is relatively short but very interesting, and you’re free to wander Shurijo Castle Park afterwards, where viewing points give panoramic views across the city and out to sea. Destroyed completely during the Battle of Okinawa, as well as on a number of occasions in previous centuries, Shurijo was restored carefully and accurately by craftsmen from the 1950s on, and in 2000 was named a World Heritage site.

As I walk down the hill I stumble upon the royal kings’ tomb complex known as the Tama-u-dun. I have the place to myself, including the small basement museum room that shows old photos of the stone caskets inside the three tomb rooms. Okinawa has many more castle ruins scattered across the island, but Shurijo is the must-visit cultural highlight.

Mihama American Village, Okinawa

ISLAND LIFE

In need of some “do nothing” time, I spend the morning by the Hilton Okinawa Chatan Resort’s (hilton.com) outdoor pool. In a stroke of genius, the hotel created this and a shallow family pool with slides, etc just far enough apart (over a walking bridge) to keep everyone happy. Sipping a mocktail – it is the morning, after all – I admire the long, gentle curve of the 346-room resort’s west-facing façade, designed like a wave and offering sea (and sunset) views and balconies to almost all its luxurious rooms.

Hilton is building a second low-rise property next door under the Doubletree brand, which is due to open next year. The Chatan district of the island is a major tourist destination; as well as being close to the island’s remaining US air base, Sunset Beach draws the crowds, and the Sunabe Seawall is a popular spot for an evening stroll. However, the jewel in Chatan’s crown is Mihama American Village (okinawa-americanvillage.com), four blocks of land devoted to a Japanese rendering of leisure-lifestyle Americana that’s rooted in Okinawa’s large US military population of decades ago, and now teems with tourists by day and night.

It’s gaudy and gauche, but friendly and fun if you’re in the holiday spirit. A Ferris wheel stands over one “Carnival” mall; an American Depot store boasts pirate statues and convertible cars on the walls; there’s a multiplex cinema and colourful Tex-Mex style buildings filled with pizza and taco eateries, as well as fashion stores and ice-cream parlours – be sure to try Okinawa’s famed salted ice cream!

Of course there are plenty of other tourist districts on the west coast. South of Chatan is Araha Beach and Ginowan, where the Okinawa Convention Center and neighbouring Laguna Garden Hotel (laguna-garden.jp/en) are situated within an expansive green space (with its own baseball park) next to a marina.

North of Chatan in the central part of the island is Onna Village, a laid-back enclave that in recent years has seen many new resorts opening alongside the housestays, from a Rennaissance, Hotel Monterey and Moon Beach, to the ANA Intercontinental, Sheraton, Marriott and Ritz-Carlton – with a Hyatt Regency said to be on the way too.

Hilton Chatan Resort, Okinawa

WATER, BOTH OFFSHORE AND ONSHORE

All of these areas – Naha included – offer day trips around the island but there’s a particular focus on the many water activities possible in this pristine ocean environment. With deep marine trenches nearby, and carefully managed reefs that flourish on warm currents and plentiful nutrients, Okinawa and the nearby collection of islands called the Keramas are blessed with wonderful snorkelling and diving potential.

Dive thrills just off the central Okinawan shoreline include feeding batfish off Maeda Point, swimming with sea snakes off Sunabe Seawall, marvelling at the rock formations of the Blue Cave, or playing peekaboo with garden eels at Manza Dreamhole. In the north just off Kouri Island is the wreck of the USS Emmons, a deep but fascinating dive of the ill-fated American destroyer that was sunk by multiple kamikaze planes during WWII.

Only 45 minutes away by boat, the beautiful Kerama Islands offer shallow diving and snorkelling on colourful reefs that teem with life. Over the course of a few dives I spend quality time with hawksbill turtles, watch eagle rays soar past, explore underwater canyons and have a tête-à-tête (of sorts) with a very large spotted moray eel.

But my most inspiring fish encounter comes on land, when I visit the Churaumi Aquarium (churaumi.okinawa/en) on Okinawa’s northern Motobu Peninsula. Japan’s largest aquarium is part of the Ocean Expo Park, which also includes an arboretum and tropical flower garden, a traditional Okinawan native village, and the fascinating Oceanic Culture Museum, filled with all manner of Polynesian outriggers and seafaring craft.

The majority head directly for the aquarium though, and it’s easy to  understand why: there are a host of interesting tanks and displays. When I arrive at the enormous main tank (it seems more of a mini-ocean in many respects) I’m as gobsmacked as the rest by the sight of not one but two gigantic whale sharks, four manta rays, numerous other sharks and rays, great trevallies and schooling fishes, all moving in graceful splendour round their manmade marine habitat.

I stand and watch for half an hour, then sit in the café with tables next to the glass for another 30 minutes – as mesmerised as I had been on Sunset Beach at the start of my Okinawan sojourn. There’s no doubt about it: nature in the Pacific sure knows how to put on a show.

Loading comments...

Search Flight

See a whole year of Reward Seat Availability on one page at SeatSpy.com

Business Traveller March 2024 edition
Business Traveller March 2024 edition
Be up-to-date
Magazine Subscription
To see our latest subscription offers for Business Traveller editions worldwide, click on the Subscribe & Save link below
Polls