Aloha Okinawa or what?

Japaaan! Arrived in the Land of Smiles! But wait a minute - it's not as Japanese as we imagined ... and why do we constantly see US soldiers walking around here? Hmm, Okinawa is considered a kind of Japan's Mallorca, with a small but ever-present touch of America. No wonder, it is the largest US military base in Asia. We constantly had some military squadron flying over our heads or a GI standing next to us at the traffic lights with his car. But back to the Japanese ... and us:

So Okinawa was our first stop in Japan. A few final days with beach, palm trees, and sea. In terms of climate, it is similar to Hawaii, as it is approximately on the same latitude. Even though Okinawa is said to be different from Japan itself, you immediately notice the things that make it so beautifully Japanese. Firstly, there are the funny little and angular cars that are not always beautiful, but they are true space wonders. We immediately tested one of them and went on a little road trip on the island. Oh yes, there was also the matter of driving on the left ... which at the beginning always brings the problem of unintentionally turning on the windscreen wipers instead of signaling. - The distinguishing feature among right-driving foreigners 😉 " ... oh look, he's cleaning his windshield even though he wants to turn!

The next thing that definitely couldn't be more Japanese - the toilet! A high-end first-class device! But how on earth do you use that thing? First of all ... sit down! 😊 ... then try all the buttons and be curious about what happens! The Japanese toilet is a kind of mix between a toilet and a bidet. After doing your business, you can immediately get "sprayed" clean. To do this, a rod with a nozzle extends from the back of the toilet, which then sprays water on command. Water pressure, temperature, and position can be adjusted as desired with the push of a button. There are also differences between men and women in the direction of the stream - caution is advised for the gentlemen! 😉 After the wash, you can also get blow-dried. To drown out unpleasant noises during the "business", you can play music along with the sound of water flushing. (In the past, so much water was wasted by constantly flushing the toilet to drown out "THOSE noises" that a solution had to be found.) To make it really comfortable in the bathroom, most toilets also have a seat heating - that, on the other hand, we found the most unusual! But the ultimate ... an odor extraction function! - The Japanese have thought of everything! Amazing! 😊

What we immediately fell in love with from the first day are the Japanese sleeping quarters! Sleeping on the Tatami floor (rice straw mat) with futons as a mattress. It looks hard and uncomfortable (but it absolutely isn't!!!), but those who have tried it once and who already sleep badly on worn-out and too soft mattresses, will love it! We haven't slept so well in a long time!!

But what else does Okinawa have to offer? Well, let's just say it was manageable, but quite nice. We drove around a bit and made a few stops here and there. One of the highlights of Okinawa is the largest aquarium in the world, with whale sharks, manta rays, sharks, and much more. Since we personally prefer to experience these amazing animals while diving in the wild, we decided against visiting the aquarium and regretted it later, because it was, as we later found out, actually the only true highlight of Okinawa. Instead, we will always remember an overpriced and quirky visit to a pineapple park, where we were driven through a pineapple plantation in a self-driving pineapple golf cart (creepy!) and had to listen to the same terrifying Japanese pineapple nursery rhyme over and over again. We had an earworm for days afterwards! Uuaahhh!

However, the beaches, reefs, and nature were very beautiful! Therefore, it is also a popular venue for weddings, there were countless chapels right on the beach - a dream scenery like in a Hollywood movie! However, the nature here also hides a creeping danger ... the Habu, a venomous snake. But even for that, a use has been found ... pickled in Japan's oldest spirit, Awamori rice liquor, it is now laid to rest.

....well, who wants a souvenir??? 😉