Night life in Okinawa!

Compared to Tokyo, Okinawa is very different. Very different. Lots of Americans, lots of cars, lots of English, and no trains. I guess I've become somewhat used to the big bad city though because it was weird to me that stores weren't open at all hours of the night. 

We went to a place called Western World... in Okinawa! Seemed a little weird, it was a line dancing/country western bar. There weren't too many people there when we got there, oh, and also none of us knew how to line dance. 

So we just sat and watched. and listened to non-stop country music

This is not the most flattering picture but this is Aya's sister Kanako. She actually knows how to line dance! 

We only stayed in Western World for about an hour, before we headed for the bars closer to home. Alex's description of the fellas in Western World as 'something out of Deliverance' pretty much summed it up.

We played Jenga in the bar! It was pretty fun. Fun Fact- the woman in the black with the white pants standing in the background thought I was cute and offered to buy me a drink..

 

I lost at Jenga... the wooden blocks flew everywhere. It was only slightly embarrassing.

Saturday Night we went to the famous Kokusai Dori (International Street) in Naha city. We went to a salsa dancing bar! I don't know how to salsa so we just kind of tried to mimic the people around us. It was fun! 

 The other thing that was different about going out in Okinawa was the amount of Americans. So many! Being at a bar in Tokyo, you're able to dance and hang out without being bothered by guys creeping up on you.. Well, at least it's easier to play the 'gaijin card' and pretend like you don't speak the language.

This is a bar near Alex's house that is also a nail salon! How convenient!

スノーケル！ Snorkeling!

 Emelie and I were lucky enough to get a few hours worth of snorkeling in during our little Okinawan holiday. It was amazing! There were so many beaches and coves everywhere that we weren't sure where the best place to snorkel would be...  but we asked as many people as possible and they all said the best place was just out by the sea wall. So as soon as the sun came out that's where we headed. The water was actually warm (for the most part. I'll admit I am a little bit of a beach brat.. I'm used to the white sandy beaches of Florida..) I was also lucky to have switched camera's with my mom before I left for Japan.. she had a waterproof, shockproof, freezeproof, basically idiot proof camera while mine was just a pretty color. It came in handy! Prepare yourself for the ridiculous amount of underwater pictures we took. A lot of them will look similar.. since we kind of just stalked the fish and took pictures.

Blue Starfish!

We managed to snorkel in our bathing suits, a t-shirt, and sneakers while all around us were scuba divers looking official in their wet-suits and scuba gear. 

Theme of the day was blue.

This is me about to dive in..

Just kidding. It's me being a chicken and not wanting to dive into the cold, cold water. Eventually I went in though!

proof that I went in the water

This little guy was cool. We stalked him for quite some time.

family of blue fish!

When we went in the water was a bit rough.. It was low tide so very shallow and then the waves would knock you down right into the reef. Being the graceful gal that I am, I struggled quite a bit.

My legs were all sorts of cut up and bleeding once we got out of the water.

Emelie seemed to manage a little better in the coral reef than I did.

Snorkeling was so much fun though and I'm glad we got the chance to do it! It was nice to be able to dry off in the sunshine afterwards!

Beach!

The first couple days in  Okinawa were a bit rainy, overcast, and cold. But eventually the sun peeked out - at least enough for me to get some sunburn.  

Not sure we ever found out what kind of trees these were. They had some sort of pineapple looking fruit in the shape of a soccer ball on them. 

It was windy but we were able to wear shorts! It was such a nice change from the winter weather we've been having in Tokyo.

The water was so clear it was beautiful! 

 

 

 

This was a little beach right by Alex's house. About a 15 minute walk.

Low tide

Walking barefoot probably wasn't the best idea because of all the coral and rocks but we did it anyways, since we forgot to pack flip-flops.

Not sure if someone lived here or if it was abandoned but it was a little house that was tucked in behind some trees right on the beach! 

At a different beach (more sandy, less coral-y) with Aya!

Sunny walk along the sea wall

This beach is right next to American Village in Okinawa.. about a 30 minute walk from Alex's house.

Look how clear the water is!

Quickest way around the beach was through the water!

Once you get away from all the touristy things and military bases you get a chance to notice that it really is pretty in Okinawa. Extremely touristy and so many places speak English and take American dollars, but it is pretty. It's definitely something more of a vacation destination, not sure if I could see myself living there full time... but it was such a fun place to visit!