okinawa hai!

This post was originally published on December 31, 2010.  We’re pulling it out of the archives for those of you who are looking for a fun evening activity that can help you keep the holiday spirit going for a little while longer.  This display will be available until February 14th. CONTRIBUTED BY MEGAN HOOSER I [...]

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CONTRIBUTED BY LEAH MAGID Miyako View by Stephanie Magid Miyako Beach Mid-October, my little family and I took a much-needed vacation to the small island of Miyako (Jima is “island”). I had been looking for a quiet, close place to visit for a while, and a few months ago I found Miyako. Just a 45 [...]

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If you want to know even more about Okinawa, I highly recommend this book. It covers so much material abouth holidays, places to see/eat/stay, as well as some historical facts. I have used this book in conjunction with the TripAdvisor App to “explore” all there is to do on the Okinawa Prefecture. In my experience, [...]

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Oki Marriot View to Pool CONTRIBUTED BY MEGAN PARKER Feeling the familiar itch of needing a break from the daily routine, I knew I was getting antsy to get off this rock. Unfortunately, getting out of dodge just wasn’t possible at this particular time so I began looking for an on-island escape – and one [...]

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Continuing our features on the Yaeyama Islands… CONTRIBUTED BY LISA RUPPERT On our second full day in Ishigaki we decided to take a ferry to explore Iriomote Island, an island located about 25km west of Ishigaki.  Iriomote is in stark contrast to Ishigaki with its subtropical forests, mountains and rivers providing a wealth of opportunities [...]

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CONTRIBUTED BY LISA RUPPERT Our spring break get-away to Ishigaki Island provided us with the perfect opportunity to explore this quaint little island.  Taketomi Island is small, roughly 2.5km wide by 3.5km in length, and is located about 6km from Ishigaki’s port (in the southern portion of Ishigaki).   Taking a trip to Taketomi Island is [...]

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CONTRIBUTED BY LISA RUPPERT In an effort to escape the doldrums of daily life and work, my husband and I decided to plan a little vacation during our daughter’s spring break holiday.  We had seen programs highlighting Iriomote and Taketomi Islands on one of the AFN channels and we knew that these were two places [...]

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We were recently invited to enjoy a complimentary night at the ANA Intercontinental on Ishigaki Island.  Sarah & her husband happily obliged, but the opinions below are totally theirs.  CONTRIBUTED BY SARAH FORTE Remember weekend escapes? Those little chances to sneak away for a quick weekend; long enough to take a break, but not so [...]

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CONTRIBUTED BY MICHELLE D.     Among the many marine activities you can experience in Okinawa, whale watching is probably one of the easiest and most rewarding.  The start of the new year heralds the return of humpback whales (ザトウクジラ) to Okinawa, the Philippines, and Hawaii when these great mammals migrate south from the Arctic to mate [...]

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CONTRIBUTED BY JENNIFER SHUE (of I'm the Map fame)           You know how sometimes you’ll be sitting at your computer, rain pouring down outside (as it has done for days on end), staring at some maps thinking to yourself, “I wonder what’s over there?” And then the sun comes out and you [...]

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