Paradise Islands of Japan

Japan has way more to offer than just bustling cities, culture and incredible food. The country is made up of over 6,000 islands and is surrounded by some of the clearest water in the world. Whilst travelling and working on a cruise ship in 2017, one of our main routes was sailing to three islands in the East China Sea between Taiwan and Japan's mainland. Okinawa, Miyakojima and Ishigaki are all in the Okinawa Prefecture.

I hadn’t even heard of this part of the world let alone fall completely in love with it. Japanese people are incredibly respectful, the streets are clean and are very proud to be where they’re from. I’m not completely surprised that they want to keep this slice of paradise to themselves. These islands do see a lot of tourism however in my opinion they could easily be on par with The Maldives and The Seychelles.

From these three islands, we also took boat trips to even more exclusive islands that were nothing short of paradise.

I cannot wait to share this all with you. Definitely something to add to your bucket list!

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Okinawa

Alone, there are 113 islands in the Okinawa Prefecture which is part of the larger Ryukyu Islands group. Naha is the capital city and the whole island is 7 miles wide and 70 miles long. Okinawa is famous for having over 60% of all Japan’s United States military bases. As well as having a major role in the Second World War, the people of Okinawa are known for having the longest life expectancy in the world - 83.7 years on average. The islands are also known for being the ‘Hawaii of Japan.’

Naha is fun! Kokusai Street aka International street is a huge hotspot for tourists as it boasts 2km of quirky shops, great food and entertainment. You definitely won’t come away empty-handed. My top tip is to walk down one side of the road and then back down the other, as you don’t want to miss a thing! Mario and his gang drove by one night as I was heading back to the cruise ship.

Final note, in Naha you must check out Napoli, which serves the best Italian food on the island!

Miyakojima

P-A-R-A-D-I-S-E! I have never seen water so clear anywhere else in the world. Miyakojima Island is 300km away from the Okinawan mainland - either a 50-minute flight from Naha or 3 hours from Tokyo. There isn’t much ‘to do’ on the island as such, as it’s still pretty much a local area. However, the natural beauty, nature and beaches are endless.

Sunayama beach is a cove with white sand and turquoise water, located on the northwest side of the island. One of the most incredible hidden gems you will ever find. However… if you have a phobia of spiders then maybe this isn’t the place for you. To get to the beach from the main road, there is a narrow sandy path to follow, with overgrown trees and bushes on either side. This lush greenery is home to some of the biggest, yellow and black spiders you will ever see in your life. We didn’t notice them at first but after a few metres of walking down the path, we saw thick cobwebs above our heads, linking the bushes from either side. Then we saw the spiders. The size of your hand. Less than a metre away from our faces. We ran… and found paradise a little bit quicker than first anticipated. The beach was incredible, but we knew there was only way back to the car park…

Ishigaki

By far my favourite island that we visited. Ishigaki is smaller than Okinawa but still had lots to offer with daily boat trips to all the smaller surrounding islands. Yet again the beaches were incredible - the perfect place to snorkel, dive and surf. I was lucky enough to visit all the best beaches on the island, Maesato Beach, Painagama Beach and Kabira Bay.

Euglena Mall is in walking distance from the port. Lots of quirky shops, boutiques and restaurants. I ended up going back here multiple times to buy souvenirs - a Hawaiian shirt for my dad and handmade Japanese jewellery for my mum and sisters. I also couldn’t leave the island without buying a tub of chocolate Blue Seal ice-cream - delicious!

Taketomi

A 10-minute ferry ride from Ishigaki takes you to a Pacific Ocean paradise island called Taketomi. It has a circumference of 9km, turquoise sea, white sand, tropical creatures, and only 350 inhabitants (very lucky people!)

From the port, there are shuttle buses that take you to the tourist centre. From here you can hire bikes for the day and cycle around the entire island. Which is exactly what I did. Twice. I had never felt more content with the world or myself after doing so. Cycling along the sandy paths, seeing the exquisite blue waters peeping through the greenery, the cool breeze in my hair and hardly seeing another soul. Visiting Star Sand Beach and Kondoi Beach were the highlight of my trip!

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