Originally we had planned on visiting a few beaches today. However our AirBNB host had given some suggestions in the guidebook and one was jumping out at us. There was a recommendation for us to visit the Kerama Islands. These were a small set of Islands west of Okinawa and the prospect of snorkeling, diving and possibly visiting a “uninhabited” island was appealing to us. So after a bit of research we decided to visit Tokashiki Island.
Ferrying to Tokashiki Island
Once we decided where we wanted to go, getting there was actually quite complicated. There are only two ferries that go between Tokashiki and Okinawa. It took us a while to figure out which ferry would work for us and what sort of activities we’d have available in the time between our inbound and outbound bookings. I’m not sure about the other islands, but there is a bit of distance between where the ferries dock and where the beaches are on Tokashiki. So you may also want to inquire about transportation on the island if you decide to go.
For us, given the last minute nature of this plan we only had the “Ferry Tokashiki” available to us. This was the regular speed ferry and (unfortunately) gave us the least amount of time on the Island. We would only have 4ish hours there. We arrived and boarded the ferry without incident and was an uneventful ride to the island.
Upon Arriving, there were several buses waiting for the ferry passengers. It looked like they all were from different tour operators. We found ours, got on the bus and took the 10 minute ride from the port to the beach. I did notice there was a public transit bus right behind us, so I imagine you may be able to get there independently if you wanted.
Aharen Beach
Aharen Beach is a beautiful white sand beach with the clear blue tropical waters. We were excited to see it when we arrived.
We had booked our activities with a company called Marine House Aharen. Originally, we planned to take their day trip option which included the bus transfer and a snorkeling tour. However after reviewing their offerings closer, we really wanted to take the “ride to a nearby deserted island“. So when we arrived at the “house” we asked the staff if we could forgo the snorkeling tour and simply get the ride to the island and rent some snorkeling gear. They agreed, we got our gear, and before we knew it, were on a banana boat being towed by jet ski to the deserted island!
Once we were dropped off, we were free to do anything we wanted! We set up shop near a shaded part of the rock and jumped in the water. We spent the next few hours snorkeling and enjoying the marine life the area had to offer!
Sadly our time went by so quickly! We probably could have stayed much longer but due to our ferry tickets we needed to get back. We gathered our stuff, banana boated back, showered at the marine house, boarded our bus to the port and hopped on the ferry.
Naha
We decided it would be a more chilled out afternoon. It wasn’t until we got back on the ferry that the energy exerted snorkeling caught up with us. It was a short walk back from the port to our place. Even along the walk sometimes you gain a good appreciation for the beauty of a city.
Salmonella decided to visit the markets and see what sort of souvenir shopping he could get up to. FunkyCat hung out at the apartment for a bit before heading out to do some shopping of his own. I spent a good part of the afternoon catching up on blogging before setting off into the market area to see what was there.
Hotto Motto
After an hour or two we all met up and headed for dinner. We had decided earlier on that we’d eat in and had passed by a “Bento Box” fast food chain called Hotto Motto on the way home from the port and made the point to go back there for dinner. We all made our selections and brought it home. It was a great lazy evening staying in, pigging out and enjoying you tube videos of Gundam and Pokemon.
We all really enjoyed our time here and all talked about making Okinawa its own destination on future trips. Sadly, we’d be leaving Okinawa tomorrow, moving on to the next leg of our journey.