Family Reunion Cruise -- 8-Day Roundtrip Keelung, Taiwan on Diamond Princess
Day 8 -- Naha, Okinawa, Japan November 25, 2018 (7:00 AM~3:00 PM)
We have never been to Okinawa before, so this would be a brand new experience for us. Some of our family members have been here and they knew exactly what they wanted to do. For us, we decided to hire a private driver for the day because this is a shorter port day and the monorail will not take us to where we wanted to go. There is also a 20~30-minute walk from port to the closest monorail station, I was told. This private bus worked out really well for us that day.
I have asked the bus to meet us at 8:00 that morning and as soon as we walked out the port, Mr. Kot, the person in charge of the bus services, and the driver were already waiting there.
Getting on the bus at the parking lot.
Here it is!
Leaving port
See you in a few hours, Diamond!
Comfortably inside the bus.
The closest monorail station, I believe.
Former Japanese Navy Underground Headquarters
This was where ChC wanted to visit on our day in Okinawa. We have been to a couple of war tunnels in Vietnam and even though this will be a somber place to see we all agreed to spend some time there. We were a little early, before they even opened, so we just walked around and enjoyed the panoramic view of the city from the hill top.
Entering the grounds of the headquarters.
Entrance to the tunnel.
Panoramic view
Memorial
Detail description in Japanese
War Museum
Shrine
A beautiful day!
Tablet in the rock
War Museum at the top of the hill.
Entering the tunnel
Going back up from the tunnel.
Origami of peace
Displays inside the War Museum
One of the many photos of war time Okinawa.
Our next stop would be the Shurijo Castle.
Shurijo Castle
The monorail station is quite a distance away but our bus was able to park right at the underground parking lot. Saving us a lot of walking.
Shurijo Castle is the main attraction in Naha.
The main castle
Gentleman dressed in traditional Okinawan outfit.
We paid the 800Y to enter the castle, free entry for FIL (disabled) and one companion. The rest of the castle ground is free.
It was very crowded inside the castle and it got difficult to take photos without anyone right in front of the camera.
The best I could do of the throne inside. The whole place was very Chinese.
Finally got out and put our shoes back on. This is the back wall of the castle.
Sturdy and strong.
Overlooking the city.
Got a picture with no one!
So pretty!
We spent a little over an hour there before leaving for the Kokusai Dori Shopping Street.
Naha is a small city but a lot of traffic.
A restaurant specialized in goat meat.
I was so impressed by these two high school girls. They had already crossed the street but decided to walk back when they saw this old man moving slowly on the crosswalk. They kept him company and making sure that he was safe. As they reached the sidewalk, the two girls bowed at all the drivers, thanking them for being patience. That's education at its best and a wonderful show of kindness!
Kokusai Street, the main shopping area in town.
First Makishi Public Market with many stores and restaurants.
While ChC went to look for the taco rice place he found on the internet, we decided to have a try on the Okinawan cuisine at this tiny restaurant in the market.
They had nine different set lunch priced at $1000Y each, and they had the menu in Chinese!
We were lucky that they still had tables for us but once we sat down and ordered, the whole place was filled up with customers.
Some interesting dishes and these are all for one person.
Tofu with pork, with Chinese influence.
Stir-fried spam and egg with bitter melon, Okinawan specialty.
Boiled pork
We were happy with our lunch.
ChC came back and told me that I should try this grilled Ishigaki beef.
It was very good!
I ate the whole thing! See the restaurant where we had our lunch right behind?
They also had a Pablo on the main street, but I was too full to even think about cheese tarts.
Now they blocked off traffic on the main section of Kokusai Street.
It was a Sunday, so they must be expecting lots of people in this area.
Games for the kids
After walking up and down Kokusai Street, it was time for us to get back to the meeting point. I just had to get an order of fries from the Calbee store at the street corner. Oh, so yummy!
It took us 30 minutes to get from Kokusai Street to the cruise port and made it back right at 2:00 PM. We saw many people walking back and certainly glad we were on the bus.
Back at the cruise terminal.
For private transportation in Okinawa:
Mr. Kot's email address: johnny_kot@hotmail.co.jp
We Chat: 2244197189
What's app: +81 9019428445
Line: johnnykot1688
More vendors at port.
A taiko drum team performing at the pier.
We had a nice day in Okinawa. Time was short but we basically accomplished what we set out for. Hope that we will be able to come back one of these days.
Naha Airport right by the shore.
Our final dinner on this cruise.
They were selling the lemoncello that evening for $3 each. I just wanted that tiny glass to keep.
Iced peach soup
Veal
Fried prawns
"All the Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."
II Timothy 3:16