Okinawa. The Japanese chain of islands known for its turqoise blue waters, white sandy beaches and of course, its amazing Okinawan food. Okinawa is also one of 5 blue zones in the world where people tend to live longer and healthier – a direct link to the Okinawan cuisine on the island. This time, we travelled to Okinawa because of the amazing deals on Jetstar where you’ll be able to do a return trip for only $300SGD (or less!). Best of all, Jetstar is the only airline to fly direct to Okinawa from Singapore – 5 hours straight.

On day 1 of our travel itinerary to Okinawa, we started in the evening where we headed to the airport to have dinner at one of the Priority Pass Lounges before taking our flight at 2:20am. The flight was scheduled to arrive at 8:30am the next morning (Okinawa is 1 hour ahead of Singapore time). After alighting from our Grab ride, everything was going quite well until we scanned our passport with one of the self check-in machines to get our boarding pass…

IT SHOWED THAT WE WERE ON A FLIGHT TO DARWIN! :O

At this, Tom was unfazed as he was quite sure that he booked the correct flight. Calmly, he asked Kate to scan her passport.

IT STILL SHOWED THAT WE WERE ON A FLIGHT TO DARWIN! :O

This time, we were both starting to get a little nervous as we had BOTH made boo boos in flight bookings before (Kate – Niagara Falls, Tom – Bali)

So we decided to key in the booking reference instead of scanning our passport. This time, it finally registered our flight to Okinawa. Phew. Disaster averted. Initially, we wanted to check out the new Changi Lounge at Jewel but as they were quite strict with the timings (you can only enter 4 hours prior to flight), we decided to head to TGM before having some draft beers at Plaza Premium Lounge.

The flight itself was a breeze. We managed to catch some shut-eye all the way to Okinawa. Before long, we had arrived in Okinawa!

Our first order of the day was to collect the Ninja Wifi (a portable router) so that we could have access to Google Maps and do translations in case we need them. Next, we had a quick breakfast at Naha Airport’s Family Mart (one of our favourite “shopping spots” in Japan) where we had a salmon cheese (180 yen), pan (120 yen) and cafe latte large (300 yen)…

Our next order of business was to break a 10,000 yen note which we changed during our visit to Tokyo a couple of years back. This we did at McDonald’s, about 10 minutes walk away. Thankfully, the staff was obliging in accepting our note eventhough we only bought a choco pie for 130 yen. With these few jobs done, we headed to find our car rental – Orix.

At the departure entrance, you’ll see some staff holding signs to car rental pick up spots. These are located quite a distance away from the airport. Hence, the airport shuttle to bring you there. We were directed by one of these staff to the staff of Orix rental. After a short wait, we were directed to the bus. This time, we were the only 2 passengers heading towards Orix rental – which happens to be a short walk away from Okinawa Outlet Mall ASHIBINAA. The bus ride took about 15 minutes.

The rental process was quite straight-forward. Though there were several restrictions that we were made known to

1. Keep right to pay in cash if you’re travelling on toll roads.

2. Never park in residential areas.

3. Pump the correct type of fuel.

We decided to get the CDW (for 5USD more per day) and declined the roadside assistance. A lady then showed us to our car, surveyed the car (to look for scratch/bump marks) before setting the GPS to English for us. Before long, we were on our way to Henza Island!

味華海鮮食堂 (Okinawa Henza Island Seafood Restaurant)

At Henza Island, our first stop was at 味華海鮮食堂 – a local seafood restaurant that is adjacent to the local fish market. This is also where the freshest catch of the day arrives at Henza island. This time, we ordered the Seafood Don (1300 yen) as well as the Unagi Don (1500 yen)…

Both orders had generous portions of rice and seafood. For the seafood don, there were 4 different types of fish as well as the sweet shrimp (amaebi). In addition, we also had our first taste of the sea grapes which literally pops in your mouth! The fish slices were sweet! Omai! As for the unagi don, the portion was huge (2 huge slices) and the secret seasoning made the dish so much more appetizing. Makes you want to have a little more rice on every bite. With no further tax added, the meal at 2800 yen was surprisingly affordable. This time, we also saw aunties and uncles ordering a whole fish by itself. Perhaps you should try it when you’re there as well 😉

Nuchi Masu Sea Salt Factory Okinawa Henza

Since we were already on Henza island, Kate decided to drop by Nuchi Masu Sea Salt Factory…

There are 3 reasons why visitors visit Nuchi Masu Sea Salt Factory. Firstly, to witness how sea salt is made here…

Using a patented process, sea water is vaporised into microscopic droplets which floats in the air and hastens the evaporation process. This is why it seems “misty” inside the evaporation room. Salt crystals are then formed and collected at the base of the room.

The second reason why visitors come to Nuchi Masu Sea Salt Factory, is to check out all its sea salt products – particularly, its sea salt ice cream!

The ice cream here was sooo good! Slightly sweet and slightly salty with a rich milky taste. At 540 yen a pop, it was quite expensive but coupled with the views from the outdoor deck, it was well worth it.

The third reason why visitors come to Nuchi Masu Sea Salt Factory is because of Happy Cliff…

A short walk (2 minutes) from the entrance of Nuchi Masu Sea Salt Factory, we were able to head to Happy Cliff. The views were amazing. Beautiful turqoise waters, just as how you’d imagine it to be.

After taking in the sights, we headed to Chokoto cafe for afternoon tea. Not before we took in some other amazing views along the way…

Chokoto Cafe Hamahiga Island Okinawa

For the chiffon cakes, you can choose from chocolate, matcha, coffee, apricot seed, lemon, salt caramel and earl grey. As earl grey was out, we were introduced to the Irish Whiskey Cream Tea Chiffon, which was light and fluffy. Went well with the vanilla ice cream that was served together. The cafe itself is small and is located in a neighbourhood. Nearby, there’s a park with kayaking options available…

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To end off the evening, we arrived at Kariyushi Condominium Resort Kin Yaka Seaside. Kate chose this location because parking was free and there’s a Family Mart nearby (as no breakfast was provided). Unfortunately, we didn’t take any photos of this room as we were busy squashing the lizards into room (yes plural). Thereafter, we headed to Family Mart (again! :P) for noodles with spam before chilling out with Orion Beer and plum chips.

We hope you have enjoyed day 1 of our Okinawa Travel Itinerary. Stay tuned as we check out the attractions in Yambaru – 冲绳岛北部 (North of Okinawa Island).

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Okinawa Travel Itinerary Day 1: Driving North and Checking Out the Attractions of Henza Island

Okinawa Travel Itinerary Day 2: Tasting Okinawa Soba, Driving on Melody Road Okinawa and Seeing the Yambaru Kuina (Rail)!

Okinawa Travel Itinerary Day 3: Playing Putt Golf, Visiting Cape Hedo and Checking in to Westeria Condominium Okinawa!

Okinawa Travel Itinerary Day 4: Visiting Okinawa Ocean Expo Park, Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, Tropical Dream Center and Okichan Dolphin Theater

Okinawa Travel Itinerary Day 5: Visiting Okinawa Fruits Land, Daiso, Orion Happy Park and Capes Manzamo, Maeda and Zanpa!

Okinawa Travel Itinerary Day 6: Okinawa Outlet Mall and Free Flow Awamori at Hotel Aqua Citta Naha!

Okinawa Travel Itinerary Day 7: Cooking Experience at Taste of Okinawa and Dinner at Akamaru Ramen Shop

Okinawa Travel Itinerary Day 8: Hotel Maruki, Motobu Beef Restaurant and International Street Okinawa

Okinawa Travel Itinerary Day 9: Chillaxing in Naha City and Watching the Japanese “Bucket List” Movie (最高の人生の見つけ方)

Okinawa Travel Itinerary Day 10: Shurijo Castle, Nishihara Marine Park, Cape Chinen, Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Park and Umikaji Terrace Senagajima