pikanya~! (I think) -by Osaka Anyway, Okinawa huh... I would like to go (bot because of Azumanga influence) for the cultural experience...
Actually if you get jellyfish burn, one not so pleasant remedy is peeing on the injury. Pretty odd, I hope I never get close to a floating jellyfish.
Tempura Ice Cream is great! I can't believe you've never had it before... IIRC there's a great place for Tempura in Shibz... where was it... gah > < don't remember off hand... I think maybe Tokyu Plaza..? Anyway, it serves Tempura Ice cream... honestly great :P
Nice pictures Danny! Love Okinawa too. They have a VERY different culture to Japan - mainly because they are not actually Japanese. My girlfriend used to tell me that kids in playground would call each-other "Japanese!" as an insult(!) Okinawans are a chilled out , relaxed sort of people and all my experiences with them have been great Naha is so different to Tokyo its unbelievable. Oh Danny, a little spelling error with "Okinawaians", its "Okinawans". Which. I cant really blame you for as I'm sure you mainly speak about and to Okinawans in Japanese. Thanks for great Pics once again - natsukashi, ne?
Haven't been to Okinawa yet. I'd really want to go someday... I think goya is called bitter gourd. I'm not a big fan of it, but it has cancer fighting properties. One of those wonder vegetables.
Some nice pictures there! I haven't visited Okinawa before but would definitely want to in the future. Some of the events from byouoksu 5cm happens there as well. Okinawans kinda remind me of Obi wan ^^; @Danny: Have you managed to pick up cycling/biking?
Sean, My spelling is terrible ^^; Windbell, Thats where I must have seen the post office! As for biking - I'm still Terrible.
Okinawa is not really japanese it probably a cross between japanese and chinese. When the japanese took over they decided to formalise there language and started speaking japanese at around 1879... and teaching them in schools.... It use to be call ryuku kingdom... karate was also invented over there
I'll try to travel all around Japan. You take the most beautiful and great pictures Danny, the water looks great and clear, the hotel seems VERY nice. Oh, and I've taken a piss/wiss or two at the beach before, suddenly warm when I do. The greatest post this week, I'll try to find you when I go, I'll try, you'll see!
Well, I have to brush up on my Japanese so I can visit Tokyo and all the other cities that are on my new list.
Next time I go, I will. First time was a 25-day family trip. Tokyo mostly... a weekend in Osaka and that was it. Too many things to see... we didn't even see half the stuff we wanted in Tokyo alone. We did use the JR tourist pass plenty though.. heh. Nice pics!
I managed to spend 3 days in Japan a few years ago. Wasn't anywhere near long enough :( We stayed in Narita i think its called and spent a day in Tokyo. Having wendy's in the middle of tokyo was funny, tasted the same as in canada lol. I want to go back for a proper visit soon.
I have been to Japan twice both for work with some days tagged on for fun. Was in Hisroshima, Kyoto, and Tokyo. Definately looking forward to another visit. The beaces in Tokyo didn't look anything like the ones on Ishigaki Island...in Tokyo I would be very reluctant to jump into the water.
I kinda feel bad for you that you haven't had Fried Ice Cream before. My 2 favorite things, fried food and ice cream!
those were some excellent pix
Danny, These pics are beautiful. Reminds me of your Okinawa pics. The red curry looked delicious! Im going to go have a pasty now (which is like the tastiest hot pocket ever, for those of you that dont know). Ever had a pasty before Danny?
The restaurant there is really interesting. Do they have only one table per restaurant?
wow so jealous of the curry...looks so tasty~~
I want to go..!! ..I had never been to Japan before, my family doesn't like to travel and I can't go on a solo overseas trip, probably because I'm underage restricted, ahaha =.=; Danny, you must take pics whenever you go on an outing!!~
I do not pee in the sea, I think... And lol at the lady "accidentally" caught in the camera's line of sight... I think I might go to the country IF I visit Japan, it's a one time opportunity... Must be all out!
lovely lovely pix Danny! :) Make us wish we were there! I like the curry rice Mmmm must try that way of presentation someday when I cook! Goya is supposedly good for the skin, and is very "cooling" heehee but very bitter :P
The pic of your Xacti soaking in water was the most surprising to me. I never knew video cameras were so durable these days!!!
Nice pictures Danny. Thanks for showing us this "beach side" of Japan.
I've honestly taken a whiz in the ocean lol, all the fish do it, I just wanted to be popular. Getting away from the city is nice, I live near the beach now so whenever I drive to school I get the nice sea salt smell in my car when I roll my windows down. The beach looks nice, maybe I'll take a swim (and a whiz ;p) in the ocean the next time I visit.
Coming to japan on the 5th of may '08 and staying untill the 29th of may...First 2 days in Tokyo, then 9 days in Kyoto, 3 days in the Fuji-sawa region and then 12 days back in Tokyo....I hope I can meet you somewhere Danny...that would be awesome ! :)
Wow! Can't think of any other way to express myself right now. ^^; What you didn't take the DSLR! Great pictures as always Danny . How is car rental in the Okinawa area? Hope it's not too expensive. I would like to the same when my fiancee and I go to visit Okinawa. Our plans are to visit different places every year once we get back to Japan. Nice! I forgot that the Xacti was waterproof. I should get one of those things, but then what would I do. I can't swim well at all. ^^; Restaurant that are living rooms in someone's home?!. Only in Japan would I feel safe eating in a restaurant like that.
thanx for sharing the pictures with us Danny!!(now i feel like going to the beach even if it's cold outside ^^)
I've been to Sendai twice now. I really like it up there. Its nice. Tokyo is too big for me. It feels depressing all the buildings.
Wow, the beach looks so beautiful. Nothing like that where I'm from. The ones near me are polluted with trashes.
love those beach shots Danny, and those underwater images look great! Makes me wish I got myself an Xacti on my last visit to Akiba. anyway hope you had a great time on your well deserved vacation. ^^ with regards to recommendations to fellow otakus, I highly recommend staying in a Ryokan. http://www.dannychoo.com/blog_entry/eng/369/Hakone/ personally I think its something every otaku should experience at least once in their lifetime. I was lucky enough to go to one at Noto, Ishikawa called Kagaya Inn. I was hesitant of going there at first since I wanted more time for shopping around Tokyo (specifically Akihabara) ^^. but in the end it turned out to be one of the better highlights of our trip. http://www.marvinryan.com/blog/2007/11/08/japan-day-4-to-5-noto-ishikawa/ another recommendation would be going into an onsen bath. ^^ I know some folks might have hesitations on bathing in public with nothing but their birthday suit on. but still, it's probably something one would appreciate only after one has done it.
Yes, I think, I would stay in Tokyo for a week and then travel around. I'm planning to visit Japan for 3 weeks next year. Great shots, Danny. It feels good, watching them while there is currently a lot of cold rain outside.
@Danny, speaking of beaches you ever go, or plan to go to the Ocean Dome on Kyushu island? I wanted to check it out as I heard its huge, but my friend questioned why I'd go to a man made beach rather than a real one. Suppose she has a point. I mainly stuck to the urban centres when visiting Japan. Started off in Tokyo doing the usual stops (Shibuya, Akihabara, Ginza, etc). Lotsa interesting sites, lotsa fabulous toys, lotsa beautiful girls, lotsa $$$ spent. Then bullet trained it to Kyoto which was a excellent stop for historical culture with modern conveniences. Then back to Tokyo to get a real feel for the city, and some night life in the Roppongi district. Then venture off for day trips to Yokohama just to see what it was like. I could write 50 pages on all the stuff I saw and did, but this post is not the place to do it as I'm sure you've stopped reading already. The Big tip: have as much funds available to you as possible. It's highly consumer oriented as you can imagine. The more you're willing to spend the more your experience will grow exponentally. ^_____^
Ah man, that place is as pristine as can be. sharp contrast to city Singapore.
beautiful place... reminds me of the local beach here but without the clear blue sea...
IMO, it looks just as good as if not better than the beaches in my country.
Yep, Ninja Mari is right. Goya is also known as bitter melon (or gourd). I usually think of it as ampalaya. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitter_melon Excellent photos. That looks like a great place to visit and pee in the ocean. It reminds me of some of the great beaches we have here on the Gulf coast.
FatB, I thought that closed down? Edward, SLR was a hassle to carry around. Car Rental was cheap - a few thousand yen per day. krapoutchat, Let mw know closer to the time you are in town ^^ Benjamin Takeyo, Some had one big table to sit around. Dragun, pasty?
So beautiful (place, food and pictures). I wish it was summer around here again. Got to wait, then. Snow, blizzards and ice will wait for me when I get back there in Montie. *Major sigh*
By the way, Okinawa was used as an US base during WW II. Danny, hilarious comments for your pictures at times. Kudos to you.
Damn Danny, you're right. Did a google search and it closed down Oct 1, 2007. Now I really wish I had visited when I had the chance.
Thanks Danny....I will for sure :)
Excellent pics Danny, glad you enjoyed the trip.. reminds me of Hawaii..clear water, rolling hills and everything.. lived there for 5 years..damn I miss it :( If you get a chance Danny, go on a trip to Hawaii.. and if you can hop on over to Kauai.. lot more rural than Oahu and more beutiful.. you hike up to the north shore to beaches that disappear in winter beacuse of the waves.. na pali coast i belive if you wana look it up.. picturisque.. :D.. one day i'll go back..
Next week I'll be visiting Japan for the first time, and will be traveling to Hokkaido, Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka regions over the span of 24 days. I would definitely love to travel to all the more rural towns to truly experience Japan as a whole, but time, cost and language constraints, I'm sticking to the main towns for now. Will be at C73 for all 3 days though ^^. And yea for the corals, due to global warming they're getting "bleached", thus losing color. Would love to try diving in Okinawa one day, when i save up the money to visit again.
thats a beautiful island and looks like a great place for a vacation. I would like to think that at some point I will get to visit Japan and cover more then just one city. I would like to think so.
Looks nice. Those pristine beaches made me forget my troubles momentarily :D Great post Danny~
Beautiful pictures Danny, I'd like to jump in the sea immediately :O
danny, nice shoots. it makes me really crave to visit japan some day, but what trouble me most is to get a visa..also the budget is a problem, the price between china and japan is just like heaven to hell, a steep contrast!! the Goya you mentioned is called 苦瓜 in chinese, taste of a little bitter, but many people like it... i checked a chinese-english dic.. it's describled as follow. balsam pear n. 苦瓜 balsam pear balsam pear n.（名词） A tropical, Old World, tendril-bearing, annual vine (Momordica charantia), having yellow flowers and orange, warty fruits that open at maturity to expose red-coated seeds. 苦瓜：一种东半球的热带卷须一年生藤本植物（苦瓜属苦瓜） ，开黄花，结橙色树瘤似的果实，成熟后裂开，露出包有红衣的种子 The immature fruit of this plant, used as a vegetable in Asian cuisine. The ripe fruit is not eaten.Also called In this sense, also called bitter gourd 苦瓜果：这种植物不成熟的果实，在亚洲烹饪中作蔬菜。其成熟的果实不能食用也作 在此意义上也可称作 bitter gourd don't know if it the exact word, you know sometimes the dic is stupid..and english is just my second language...
