Two weeks in Japan!

Arrived in Naha, Okinawa, after a long flight to Taiwan and puddle jumper to the island. Took a quick taxi to the hostel downtown, checked in, threw our bikinis on and ventured to the nearest beach on foot. The only beach accessible from the city is under a highway overpass and man-made, yet the ocean was absolutely stunning. We explored more of the city and got the most amazing udon, napped and waited for the rest of our group, then went bar hopping! We tried the famous Habuchu, alcohol infused with snake venom from a snake coiled up in the bottle.

Our first morning waking up in Naha, we took a taxi to our airbnb in Nanjo, Okinawa where we'd be staying for the next two nights (regrettably, wish we stayed longer!). Upon arriving, we dropped our bags pre-check-in and explored the beach near the house-- absolutely beautiful. It was unpopulated, shore filled with shells, sandbars, clear blue water, and around 70 degrees. It felt like we were locals living in a dream. The airbnb had ocean views and was located remotely so we felt immersed in the natural beauty of the island. On the beach there was a beautiful wooden multiple level cafe built into the cliff (called Hamabe no Chaya) where we tried a variety of Japanese "snacks" and drinks such as Onigiri croque monsieur yoghurt partfaits, sweet potato cheesecake, pizza bread, chiffon cake, Shesquasa juice, and of course Orion beer, the beer of the island (Orion peraphernalia everywhere). Afterwards, we trekked an hour up to the nearest grocery store where we bought ingredients to cook dinner the next two nights, as we were far from any restaurants. On that walk we ventured through several gardens, papaya farms, and flowered alleyways. Then, we cooked a delicious dinner of rice, sashimi, dumplings, and chicken. The next morning, we arose early to taxi back to Naha to catch a 1.5 hour ferry to Tokashiki island for a free curry lunch and snorkeling for five hours before heading back. We easily rented snorkel gear for cheap, played in the crystal blue water, explored the beach, sunbathed on giant rocks, and ate ice cream. We saw a myriad of fish and a sea turtle! Once again, this beach felt unpopulated and quaint. That night, we went home to cook a nice ramen dinner, play card games, and stargaze on the roof-- absolutely magical. The last morning before checking out we went into the ceramics shop owned by the airbnb owners and purchased a couple of beautiful handmade items. The airbnb owners were wonderful, and their home is absolutely majestic. No notes, just wish we stayed longer!

note: the ferry trip was a daytrip through "GetYourGuide" titled "From Naha: Tokashiki Island Day Trip by Boat" and was $241.28 USD for four people. Highly recommend:)

aribnb: KsHouse 901-0603, Okinawa, Nanjo, Tamagusuku, Hyakuna-1280 Tamagusuku, Japan

beach near airbnb: Miibaru Beach

After leaving our airbnb, we ventured to another airbnb via bus from Naha to Onna, Okinawa. Upon arriving we napped and then took a walk to the local beach nearby (about a five min walk), which was small and beautiful. We went shell-hunting for a while in sweatshirts because it was a bit cloudy and chilly. Tired from traveling, we walked to the nearest dinner place (although Onna is a very local place, the restaurant felt a little bit too American, and we were one of two white American groups in there; nevertheless, lovely service). Unfortunately the next morning we had to check-out, and Tom our host let us store our bags in his shed for the day while we walked to the beach to enjoy the ocean one last time before trucking back to Naha airport to fly to Osaka for our next leg of the trip.

airbnb: "Island Breeze" 3323-2 Maeda, Onna-son, Okinawa-ken, Japan 904-0417 (also can search "Island Breeze" on google maps)

We took several trains arriving to downtown Osaka from the airport and got there around 1am (took off around 8:30pm, two hour flight). However, once we arrived we realized that we missed our hotel check-in, and were left stranded in the city without a place to stay the night in the middle of the night. We wandered into several hotels that were fully booked, and finally stumbled on a Marriott that pulled some strings to host us. Although it was a bit out of our college budget price range, we needed a bed to sleep in so we just splurged. The rooms were very nice. Shoutout Marriott! The next morning we walked to our airbnb we had booked for the next two nights in Osaka.

The next morning we ventured to our airbnb we had booked for two more nights in downtown Osaka, and began exploring everything the streets had to offer. I ate Takoyaki (which I had no idea was octopus or else I wouldn't have eaten it because I don't believe it's humane), but I hate to say it was delicious either way. I also highly recommend getting matcha ice cream, holy cow it was insane. Our airbnb was snug but lovely for staying in the heart of the city. The next day we took the train to Nara and got to see all of the infamous deer wandering around! Beware... some are very greedy for their wafers and will even bite your clothes to get an extra (personal experience). We saw the Tōdai-ji, Hase-dera, and Yakushi-ji temples, which were sacred and glorious.

That night, we went out to get some sushi and classic Osaka dishes, then wandered back to our airbnb looking for some cool, intimate bar vibes. We found exactly that! There was the most perfect, intimate outdoor corner bar with four seats just for us. It had groovy music playing, the air was warm, and there were dollar bills and graffiti all over it. They made such good Gin and Tonics that we each had more than two..

Our last night in Osaka, I ate the best meal I have ever had in my entire life. It was a savory pancake called "Okonomiyaki." After dinner, we jokingly wandered to "America Town" to make fun of ourselves and dive into the stereotype for the fun of it. Ironically we found a super fun bar called "Giggle Bar" in Sennichimae and had a couple espresso martinis while listening to American punk music. After that, we headed back toward our airbnb and found my favorite bar of all time. It was dimly lit, reds and oranges, incredible drinks, vinyls and classic films all over the wall, tv showing old music videos, and an even cooler bartender. It was us four and another American dude from Florida who was cracking us up with his tales. The best vibes of all time, a night i will remember forever. I'm not sure of the name of the bar, but here is the address: 6-2, Sennichimae 1-Chōme, Chuo, Osaka, Osaka, Japan 542-0074

Osaka airbnb in Chuo, Osaka-fu

From Osaka, we took the bullet train to the Tokyo station. This was such a cool experience, it felt like being in a plane but on the ground. PSA, I did feel a bit sick from the high speed and quick turns. The bullet train station has amazing food as well, we got to-go plates of chicken and rice that satiated us perfectly. From there, we finally made it out of the chaotic crowded station and to our airbnb. It was more cramped than expected and a further walk than anticipated, but it did the trick. Not super easy to carry bags up windy stairs to the floor we were on. We were about 25 minutes from civilization and still a little ways away from the heart of Tokyo, so we didn't end up making it there. We explored Shinjuku instead, and went to some cool vintage stores, a cool bar, and the Deus store (a favorite brand of my boyfriend and I). For our meals, not going to lie, 7-11 was the best option and we craved our little delicacies there (seaweed triangles).