CONTRIBUTED BY JEANIE ANGEL
When we read an article about this place, we just had to find it! It is so amazing, different from anywhere I’ve had soba on this whole island. My husband loves soba, so that’s saying a lot. When you arrive there is a faint smell of slow burning wood. Smokey. It is a very eccentric place....
If you are reading this, you are part of something special. You are part of Okinawa Hai, a group of people exploring exotic new places, eating exciting new food and making new friends. You do all of this while sharing the experiences with others, on Facebook, Instagram, or contributing to our site.
Okinawa Hai is always seeking to build relationships...
CONTRIBUTED BY JENNIFER GILES
We never expected to find such a lovely French fusion restaurant in Okinawa, but that's exactly what we found in “Auberge” Bonne Chere Raout French restaurant in Onna Village.
French country décor fills the intimate second story dinning room dimly lit by chandeliers. They serve a set four-course dinner menu with a basket of fresh baked bread, an...
CONTRIBUTED BY KEVIN "ELVIS" KING
The interior of the diminutive Buddhist hall was dark and uninviting. The top half of the open entry was filled with thick, sooty smoke attempting to escape confinement within the enclosure. The imposing yet mysterious chamber was too much to pass up, and like a curious cat, I ducked below most of the effuse and...
Editor’s Note: Ryukyu Mura was originally reviewed on Okinawa Hai on November 1, 2007; you can read a PDF copy of that original review here. The post below is an updated take on this site, published January 22, 2016.
CONTRIBUTED BY MARISSA MATSUZAKI
“What do you think you would be most interested in doing when you visit me in Okinawa?” I asked my...
CONTRIBUTED BY MICHELLE BUDZIEN
Are you interested in traveling to New Zealand and Australia, but you don’t want to have to worry about transportation between cities and packing up all of your luggage to switch hotels? A cruise is a great way to experience as much as possible during a relatively short time! To learn more about how we got to...
CONTRIBUTED BY MICHELLE BUDZIEN
Are interested in traveling down under, but you don’t know which city to go to? Do you want to maximize your time by seeing as many different cities as possible? Are you ready for a break from backpacking, going to and from the airport to get between cities, and going to a different hotel every couple...
CONTRIBUTED BY JENNIFER GILES
If you are looking for a place to become a “regular”, Kitchen Dining Toki in Yomitan is your restaurant. It has a residential location, helpful staff, extensive menu and some extra touches that will keep you coming back.
Our friend wouldn’t stop raving about this restaurant, so we joined him there one night. Their extensive menu has...
CONTRIBUTED BY KEVIN KING
The animal passed close abeam, close enough that I could stretch out an arm and allow my hand to brush against the length of its flesh as it swam by. I was breathing slowly, trying to take in as much as I could, this being my first time swimming with such massive creatures. But just as...
CONTRIBUTED BY CAPTAIN IAN
Eureka! I have found the source of all Ice Cream! It’s called Ark Café and is located in the most beautiful location in Okinawa; overlooking Ocean Expo park and a few islands on the Motobu Peninsula. They have over 15 delicious flavors in their unique style of ice cream. My personal favorites are the fruity flavors....
CONTRIBUTED BY CAPTAIN IAN
Looking for a sheer, unadulterated, organic adventure in the form of a gorgeous fresh water river trek? Here's our answer!
I have been trekking up this river for 2 years. I discovered it during a Coleman Camping photo shoot. Coleman sent a small team of spot scouts looking for the perfect place to capitalize on their new...
CONTRIBUTED BY KEVIN "ELVIS" KING
A ryokan (旅館) or “inn” is a type of traditional Japanese lodge that originated beginning back in the 17th century, maturing as today’s concept in the late 19th century. Originally serving travelers along Japan’s foot and horse paths, they now serve modern tourists at major sites throughout Japan. Typical features include tatami-matted rooms, communal hot...
The 2016 calendar was available for purchase from November 2015 through March 2016. This was our final year creating and publishing this wall calendar; many thanks to all who contributed photos and haikus over the past few years, and to those of you who purchased these calendars to display in your homes.
The photo on January's page was of Kume Island.
Photo Credit:...
CONTRIBUTED BY KACEY A.
Happy New Year everyone! Below you’ll find a list of local events. Events on the island are constantly being created and changed, so please make sure to use the contact info provided on each event to verify information. If you know of an additional event that you’d like to share with our readers, please add it...
CONTRIBUTED BY KYLENE O'CONNOR
What is the best part about the Milk House Ice Cream Stand? The milk flavored ice cream! My first thought was that "milk" flavored ice cream seemed too simple to be anything special, but let me tell you: the taste was spectacular. It was a perfect combination of creamy, milky and sweet that reminded me that...
CONTRIBUTED BY HANNAH CURTIS
One Saturday afternoon we ventured out wanting to try some place new to eat and settled on Seaside Cafe Hanon.
We actually had no idea what they served and didn’t look at the menu until we were all seated, which is when we realized they do pancakes; you can’t go wrong with pancakes, right?!
The kids were especially...
CONTRIBUTED BY SARAH BANCROFT
Craving some tacos? If you're near Torii Station, Champion Tacos is the place to go! Located right off of the 6, Champion Tacos is a quaint ticket restaurant. Their menu is small, but don't let that fool you: their food is very good.
They serve tacos in a set of 5 and you can choose either hard...
CONTRIBUTED BY EMILY BUREK
My husband and I often find ourselves tired and hungry after longs days at the beach. As we all know, hours of swimming and snorkeling can really wear a person out! Many restaurants are closed for a 2 or 3 hour period in between lunch and dinner, so finding a place that is open around 3 or...
CONTRIBUTED BY INORI HAYASHI
“To have faith is to believe in something you cannot see,” said my father who is also a pastor at a church during a Christmas conference 10 years ago. It did not sink in when I was younger, but every Christmas I remember his sermon and appreciate the message he delivered. The sermon was about having...
CONTRIBUTED BY CAPTAIN IAN
In world war II the Japanese began leafletting propaganda from airplanes over Okinawa preceding the immanent invasion of the American Naval fleet in 1945. Because of the heavy propaganda and confusion during the war, most Okinawans didn’t choose sides. They simply hid in caves and tombs.
Happy cave in Yomitan has an amazing story! Before explosions caved...
CONTRIBUTED BY HANNAH CURTIS
Perched up on a hill Naminoue-gu Shrine overlooks Naminoue Beach and of course the East China Sea.
In 1605 Naminoue became the top shrine of the Ryukyu Kingdom and was officially recorded as such and still today remains the main Shinto shrine for Okinawa.
Unfortunately, like much of Okinawa, the shrine was destroyed during the Battle of Okinawa...
CONTRIBUTED BY ALFI VELASCO
Breyette Thai Massage is Thai Massage at its finest, along with the intensity needed to ensure all those little “stuck” spots get unstuck.
I went in stiff and sore, and left feeling like my youthful self! Well... I'm sixty, but really the effects of youth stayed with me for a week. It was just lovely! I am definitely making...
CONTRIBUTED BY JEANIE ANGEL
This restaurant is an izakaya style restaurant with a mixture of foods. They offered such things as pizza but also had all the normal Japanese offerings. Sushi, soups and noodles, rice dishes, etc. We were intrigued to find upon sitting that they were offering 100 yen Orion drafts from 6-8pm. We have children so that is prime time for...
CONTRIBUTED BY HANNAH CURTIS
Having been on island for two years, we have been to our fair share of festivals, but I have to say the Ryujin no Utage (Feast of the Dragon God and also called the Uruma Sparkling Festival!) to date, has been my favorite.
While it is called a festival it is much more like a full blown...
The 2015 calendar was available for purchase in November and December of 2014. This was December's page.
Shuri Castle
Photo credit: Meredith Novario
Meredith Novario Photography Facebook Page
"Sunrise and sunset
Ohayo and konbanwa
Love, Okinawa" --Calyn Paquin
Ginowan
Photo credit: Irina Vulakh
CONTRIBUTED BY MARIE PROPES
If you're looking for great sushi, look no longer. Yoshi's is the place to be. The restaurant was opened by Mr. Yoshi Mayekawa back in 1992. Mr. Yoshi started his cooking career in Okinawa before moving to the United States where he would learn to make sushi "American Style". He lived in the U.S. for 12...
CONTRIBUTED BY MICHELLE BUDZIEN
Are you interested in seeing the Great Wall of China, but you don’t want to pay the hefty Chinese visa fee? There’s a way around it! Michelle, from SemperTravel.com, is sharing the secrets of the 72-hour visa in a five-part series. Today’s chapter: Seoul
Follow along with her trip here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
We loved...
CONTRIBUTED BY THE WANDERING WAFFLE HEADS
One of things that we love doing in Okinawa is exploring. It might be a new beach on a different island or new local store down the street, but what excites us the most is finding a new place to eat. It gives us great pleasure to find secret places that offers something new...
CONTRIBUTED BY CAPTAIN IAN
Oasis… My my what a gem! My day started normal – On a quest for unique items at secondhand stores. I was looking for a corner desk and wasn’t having any luck, so I ended up at Yellow Box, which led me to Oasis. Oasis is where the Yellow Box too... discounted items find their final...
CONTRIBUTED BY HANNAH CURTIS
You don’t have to look very far in Okinawa for gorgeous pottery; you can take a trip to the Yomitan Pottery village, head to Naha to Tsuboya Pottery Street and I am forever seeing beautiful ceramics at cafes.
It’s no wonder that many people collect pottery while living in Okinawa, I know I do!
I, like the next...