travel
A NEON JUNGLE
AND A SILVER SEA
Rob McGovern makes
must try followed closely by Rafuti, a dish of fatty revealing the East China Sea in all its aquama-
pork stewed in miso, soy and the local tipple, rine glory. After stepping onto Tokashiku beach,
for the island of Okinawa Awamori. The sweet, tender meat is wrapped in a bypassing stalls selling and hiring snorkelling
prefecture of Japan, and
blanket of fat and elevates Rafuti to an essential and scuba equipment, you would be forgiven for
Okinawan eat. The other must-try food is a hang- thinking that the bus had driven you right into a
finds a dizzying array
over from the from the US occupation. Spicy salsa, postcard. The beach is a brilliant white and the
of colours, sights and
beef and crisp lettuce sit on a bed of sticky Japa- sea so clear that the glassy waters freely reveal
sensations
nese rice and come accompanied by French fries. the corals that lie just meters from the beach and
It may sound like a Mexican-American hybrid, but are home to an impressive array of psychedelic
Taco Rice is a part of modern Okinawa and a part marine life.
of the island’s history. The main island isn’t big by any means but it is
T
he site of the bloodiest battle ground of
WWII, the Japanese prefecture of Okina-
Standard Japanese is spoken and understood ev- well stocked with sights. Buses ply the island
wa is almost 1,000 miles from Tokyo and
erywhere in the prefecture, but there are many na- from tip to tip and the timetables, although almost
hides coral encrusted seas, white sand
tive languages that have so far survived modernity. exclusively in Japanese, present no real problems
beaches and the scars of an all-out assault by
The most common is the dialect of Naha, which if you do a bit of homework. There are plenty of
1,300 American ships and 60,000 American troops.
is estimated to have around 900,000 speakers. options for sleeping too, from campsites and hos-
A short flight from mainland Japan, Okinawa is
Learning a few words might open a few doors or tels right up to high-end hotels. Budget-conscious
the tropical jewel in the Japanese tourism crown.
put smiles on a few faces. travellers should pay no heed to myths about
Naha is the capital of Okinawa and the nucleus
Perhaps the main reason people come to Okinawa Japan being uber-expensive, because with the
of the island’s tourist industry. The tourist traps
is for the sun-drenched beaches and glassy sea. application of a little common sense – and some
come to a sense assaulting crescendo of tat on
There are dozens of islands that are easily acces- self-restraint – Okinawa needn’t break the bank.
Kokusai-dori, the main street. A neon jungle of
sible by ferry from Naha, including Tokashiki. To
knick-knacks and feeding stations, Kokusai-dori
get there you need to take a two-hour boat trip
offers opportunities to eat, drink, rest and shop.
followed by a 10-minute bus ride that teases and Info: A flight from London Heathrow to Okina-
Of the local food, Okinawa Soba is probably the
builds excitement with a slow, rollercoaster-like wa, with a change in Narita, will cost around
most famous dish of the island and really is a
ascent to the crest of a mountain before finally £600 but prices vary according to the season.
BUZZ 28
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