Island Paradise in Okinawa Keramashoto National Park japan-guide.com

When it comes to beach holidays, azure blue waters, pristine white beaches, and a laid-back atmosphere come to mind. Okinawa, Japan's southernmost prefecture, is the country's premier beach destination, with numerous islands and seas abundant with coral and marine wildlife. Less than an hour by boat from the prefectural capital of Okinawa, lay the remote Kerama Islands. The small islands are popular snorkeling and scuba diving destinations and are where one can enjoy carefree days. My name is Raina Ong, reporting for japan-guide.com. And in this video, we'll be going to Zamami Island, a popular destination in the Kerama Islands, for a slow and idyllic beach holiday. The Kerama Islands are about 40km west of Naha, the prefectural capital of Okinawa. The only way to access the islands is by high-speed boat or ferry from Naha, and the closest airport with scheduled flights is Naha Airport. Here's the plan. On Day 1, we take the high-speed boat from Naha's Tomari Port to Zamami Island. We'll spend the day snorkeling, checking out the main village, and dining at a local restaurant, before staying overnight at a typical island accommodation. On Day 2, we'll hike to a nearby observation deck, join a kayaking and snorkeling tour, before ending our trip with a view of the sunset. So follow along as we go on a beach holiday in the Kerama Islands. Day 1 From Tomari Port in Naha, I board a high-speed boat for Zamami Island. The boat ride took about 50 minutes, and I'm here in Zamami Island, ready to start my holiday! Zamami Island is relatively small, and the main tourist spots can be accessed on foot. However, a rental bicycle can make covering travel distances a little less time-consuming. Fortunately for me, the place where I'm staying also has rental bicycles, so I head there to drop my bag off and rent a bicycle for the day. A 10-minute ride takes me to the jewel of Zamami Island, Furuzamami Beach. This is Furuzamami Beach, and it's so pretty! Just looking at it makes me so happy. This highly-rated pristine white sand beach has clear blue waters populated with abundant marine life, and is a top spot for sunbathing and snorkeling. During the warmer months from around April through to October, rental shops at the beachfront open for business, renting gear like sunbeds, parasols, and snorkeling equipment, so one can turn up empty-handed and still do all the fun beach things. Got my life jacket and my snorkel gear, and I'm ready to go! The waters near Furuzamami Beach have a depth of about 2 to 5 meters, and there is a large coral reef a few meters from the shore. While these conditions make snorkeling an accessible activity for the young and for those who are not confident swimmers, adequate precautions should be taken as there is a sharp drop-off underwater. After that refreshing snorkeling experience, it was time to get dry and explore the main village on Zamami Island. The small village is where the port and majority of the island's lodgings and restaurants are centered. In fact, the main village is also where a large percentage of the island's approximately 600 inhabitants reside. This is the largest grocery slash convenience store on the island and also where the locals get their daily necessities from. Let's go inside and check it out! Walking around the village gives one an idea of the construction and decoration of Okinawan-style residences. Shisa are the lion-like statues that are seen at the roofs or entrances of many houses. These shisa, typically found in pairs, are said to ward off bad luck. You might have also noticed that some of the traditional-looking houses have low roofs and high stone walls surrounding the premises and many buildings tend to have flat roofs. The purpose for the flat or low-roof construction is to withstand the strong coastal winds as well as typhoons which frequently visit the region from late spring to autumn. After the nice urban exploration of the village, it was time to have dinner. And dining out is a great way to sample the regional and local ingredients. I'm at Aono-Umi, a restaurant on Zamame Island and I've ordered some local specialties for dinner. But before that, I'm gonna have a drink. Kampai! Look at this spread I've ordered for dinner! I'm so excited to eat everything! We've got mozuku, which is a local seaweed and I have it in vinegar as well as in tempura. I've also got half a grilled kanpachi fish head and octopus, deep-fried octopus, local fish, sashimi as well as somen champuru which is cooked in a typical Okinawan style with vegetables and a bit of broth. And pizza, we've got pizza and its topping is quite unique. It's got dafte on top and dafte is this simmered pork dish which is so tender and so beautiful. Excited to try that one! Day 2 I'm at the Takatsukiyama Observation Deck which is one of the highest points on Zamame Island. This is also a great place to see the sunrise which was what I did this morning. And on the other side, you get to look down on the village of Zamame. Following breakfast, I cycled to the Maryland dog statue located a few minutes away from my accommodation. There is a romantic and heartwarming story behind this dog statue and one which was made into a movie in 1988 titled Merari ni Aitai, A Longing for Marilyn. This is the statue of Marilyn and she's looking in the direction of Aka Island where her doggy boyfriend lived and he would swim 3km every day across the water just to meet her. And you might have guessed there's a matching statue of Shiro, Marilyn's companion on Aka Island. Their love is eternalized in bronze and their story will be remembered for ages. For my afternoon activity, I made advance reservations for a guided half-day sea kayak and snorkeling tour. I'm going on a sea kayaking and snorkeling activity to that uninhabited island behind me which is only accessible by tour. Let's go! Having a local guide is indispensable for those who want to know where the best places are and learn more about the local flora and fauna. My tour included all the equipment like kayaks and snorkeling gear and all I brought was my swimming stuff and sunny disposition. To bring my time on Zamami Island to a close, I watched the sunset from the Kaminohama Observation Deck after that fun tour. As the sun set, I thought about how this has been an excellent and relaxing trip. I got to explore the Kerama Blue Waters and see a multitude of marine life and most of all, got to thoroughly enjoy the simple island life in a national park. Thanks for joining me! I hope this video has been enjoyable and perhaps even inspires some ideas should you decide to plan a trip to a national park. For more information about this trip or to watch another video, click the links on the screen now or head over to japan-guide.com your comprehensive, up-to-date travel guide first-hand from Japan. Thanks for watching! Be sure to subscribe and click the notification bell for more videos about Japan. Happy travels!