Ishigaki Island

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...

I cant get over how clean everything is. Reminds me of Canada, or Barbados.

""By the way, Okinawa was used as an US base during WW II.""

Ummmm... its still used as a US Aiforce base till this day! The Americans never left and protests in the 1950 & 60s were swiftly shut down.

Many there hate the Americans (and the Japanese) as during WW II both had a hand at killing 1/3rd of Okinawa's civillian population!

Wow! When can I visit!? Ill just tell them Im swedish, since Im tall, have blonde hair and blue eyes. Plus Im good with multi-function knives.

I want to retire there. Everything is so beautiful looking. :O

Hirito, don't you mean... dead coral? White coral is dead coral indeed.

@Sean: I see... Of course it is seen as a form of military occupation.

Ishigaki and Taketomi are indeed very different than Tokyo, but the surroundings and architecture look very beautiful. Love to visit them someday, it would certainly be a whole new experience. ^^

BTW, the little car on image 17272 looks awfully like a Japanese interpretation of the Opel Agila. XD

D_Blade :

From my experience in Okinawa it wasnt ""seen as a FORM of military occupation...""

It WAS and still IS military and political occupation.

After watching Azumanga Daioh back in 2002, about a year later, I managed to have a long weekend trip to Iriomote Jima. While we didn't see any cats, except the stuffed ones in the Wildlife Centre, we discovered so much else about this really remote island. This is truly the most remote and unspoiled place in Japan.

The local island school, I was told, had a grand total of six students at the time, despite being several buildings.

Oh, and if you want to see a real-life yamaneko, have a look at this webcam at the Wildlife Centre:
http://www.sizenken.biodic.go.jp/pc/live_en/cgi-bin/live.cgi?camera=43&area=07

P.S. There is a similar beach with star-shaped sand on Iriomote Jima, called Hoshisuna Beach.

Sorry, not seem like a psycho here, but
even the Iriomote people wouldnt consider themselves Japanese or "Living in Japan".

The word "Japanese" is reserved for mainlanders.

@Sean, Don't think anyone will think you are a psycho. You really know Okinawa well. Have you visited there often or is your girlfriend from there? One reason I have always held back from visiting Okinawa is I'm sure the last thing they want to see is another American. (^^;)

These place looks amaizing, but i afraid that If someday i can travel japan I can only visit the places that I really want to go...

Edward-

Yeah my ex-girlfriend was from Okinawa. Thats how I came across so much Okinawa-related info.

Okinawa is for example one of the only prefectures that dosent sing the "Kimigayo" (Japanese Nationalist song) in the mornings at school, or fly the Japanese flag.

(This would be the equivilant of the "Pledge of allegence" in the states)

More where that's from if anyone's interested...

Nice post. When I visit Japan i will go to Tokyo but I really want to go around and just see the country.

Those are some really gorge sou shots of the beach, holy~ I love how the water is so clear.

what a beautiful place! thank you, dannychoo, for the pics. I wish I were there right now.

I'd visit Tokyo first if I visit Japan. Then other places ^^

Indeed. Tokyo first, then the countryside.

The concept of living on an island with 2d characters reminds me of a certain series involving ninjas, though.

So I've peed in the sea water but that was when I was little, OK? OK!?

Okinawa looks beautiful, and NO I haven't peed in the beach water either ^^

Been living in Japan for years and yes I do travel around Japan.

On the other side, been raised almost in a beach and going into beach water since 0 years old, so obviously I've peed in there many times :)

Real pretty islands, and the clear blue beachwater! It's a real rarity here where I live, the only beach I've been to with clear blue beachwater like that is at the islands off Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.

"Depression not allowed." great ;D

no picture of the girlfriend in swimsuit ? ^^

Some really impressive photos Danny, the water looks really inviting. :)

really nice photos
but where are you?
should have some one snap a few of you at the beach soaking up the sun.

Wow, the water is so clear. Makes me think of that film The Beach.

Oh...so that's where deep fried ice cream came from....Want to eat it again....T_T

"The fish can't tell the difference between your fish and real fish."
I couldn't help laughing when I read this. It really made my day.

Nice pictures, just what I need in the cold winter:P
LOL @ "Depression not allowed."

Love the beach pics, I really need to check out the southern islands of Japan.

When i go Japan in august i'm going to be staying within Tokyo I think.

Mainly because its my first time on a holiday abroad by myself, so i don't want to stray to far!

But also because a lot of my plans revolve around tokyo, e.g. Comiket, a couple of trips to akihabara. Exploring Shinjuku, Harajuku etc...

Might try and plan a day to Osaka or somewhere if i can

For first timers in Tokyo, I recommend hitting up Kyoto. Its a great contrast from the big city to the older temples/shrines you can see everywhere.

Gonna stay in Tokyo for 4 months, then doing 4 months traineeship some place where they accept me.
I have like 2/3 months time to go traveling.

Still indecisive, as it's difficult to plan a connecting travel between one city and another.

Wow there's alot of places that I can visit once I get to Japan ^^

Looks like paradise 8D what would i give to be there right now....

My family lives on the outskirts of Kyoto so that's where we stay every time we go to Japan. Also have some relatives somewhere in Hokkaido. >.>

Meh, I don't know any other tourist attractions besides what has already been said, but every time I visit Japan, I always go to the school that I would've gone to had I not moved to America. School always provides a great opportunity to talk with the local students and make lots of new friends! ^^ My cousin is an English teacher at one of the schools, so she always invites me to come teach her English class for a day or two. It's a great experience! I am amazed each time I visit!

Looks like a fantastic place for a holiday ^^

Food being served up in the living room of someone's house would be unthinkable over here. And yet, it looks fantastic. Could that possibly be manga volumes on the shelf in the background? :3 *wishful thinking* Also, I see Kagami got left at home for this trip - I'm guessing Kagami only comes out when the wifey isn't around!

Nice to see the rustic buildings and the dry stone walls.

A colleague of mine used to be stationed out in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi prefecture in the 1970s. He always enthuses about how good a place it was to stay and in future I'd like to visit there to find out the difference between then and now. My next trip is purely in Tokyo, though. I'd certainly like to explore more of Japan at some point - especially if I end up working over there.

i have that odd feeling again that i've read this before...

hmm...im thinking about getting an Xacti...

great pics.

Taking my second trip to Tokyo for Hanami (same time as 2008) loved it and will be hitting Kamakura and Yokohama this time around. First time being outside of Tokyo. Can't wait! The dollar versus Yen is horrible right now, but I don't give a darn. You have to pay to play.

Tropical areas are nice to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. Hot and humid places aren't the type of places I like.

i love to visit the whole japan....if given a choice,tokyo,kyoto,kobe and hokaido...the red lake that appear on kindaichi manga,where exactly is that place...i love to visit that lake and the famous japan shrine that appear many times in manga and anime..couldn't wait to go...can i visit without understanding the japanese...very hard..i can't remember the hiragana...i remember when japanese speaking but not write or read the japanese...

Beach isnt really my type of place to visit though, I rather go to mountains ^^; or see some forest, also cuz I dont like hot weather or direct sunlight lol.. but I still dun mind to give a visit of a japanese beach XD

Wow, such beautiful pictures! I definitely want to visit this place! I am not a fan of swimming but I like nice landscapes.

I plan an two week Japan Tour. I want to see as much as possible from my dream country :D

Damn, that is the prettiest shore I've ever seen.

OH my god,
this are awesome photos of a nice place.

I like the two islands specialy the smaller one and judging by the pics I would say that you went to the beaches mostly during the week days and during a non holiday time of the year.

I plan to go to Japan in 4 years time though I would go sooner if I had my old salary before the economic collapse here in the states. Plans are to be there for 2 maybe 3 weeks spending time in Tokyo and heading out to the country side and smaller towns to learn learn learn and live live live.

Hey, I live on Ishigaki island. I'm a British guy and I'm building a website about it at the moment (it's available in Japanese and English). I can really recommend the island to anybody wishing to get away from life in one of the big cities for a week. There's loads to do. Diving, hiking, island-hopping etc. Check it out:

www.ishigaki-japan.com

Rich

Great photos! Ishigaki looks interesting, maybe I should have it on my must-visit list :D

And lol at "Depression not allowed" OTL

I went to cuba a week ago...now i wanna go to Okinawa

deep fried ice cream and the curry lunch set looks so delicious. I also find it unique that people would let others in their living room like that for a restaurant, it feels really homely - especially with the shelf full of manga.

Beautiful island, lol at "didn't spot any signs asking folks to look out for bikini girls" :D

my first time snorkeling was last year in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. ^^

What a lovely place! I should grab some pix of the beach we visited recently from my husband sometime! :)

image ID#17263 what's with the huge power button?

Goya is called Ampalaya here in the Philippines it has that somewhat strong bitter taste if you eat it raw. Here it's popularly served as Veggie dish called 'Pinakbet'. I think the english term would be bitter lemon.

image ID#17281 - Sure she did.

Is that building in the middle of the 2nd pic a chapel? if so i'm pretty sure the Mrs and I looked at that as a possible wedding venue!

You got some amazing weather and the food looks fantastic, who could ask for more? :)

Taketomi Island reminds me of tha anime Kurokami during the Okinawa Arc. Stone built walls were shown in that arc. Places to visit in japan would be akihabara (it's a given), shibuya & kyoto. Would definitely love to see the said areas if i get the chance.

Hmm, nice tropical island, definetely on my visit list. When I finally go I think I'll spend lots of time in and near Tokyo, but I'll take some time in the schedule to try and visit other places too.

The place I want to visit the most besides Tokyo is probably Kyoto and its Fushimi Inari Taisha. And I also want to visit Shirakawa-gou ^^

A beautiful island you have been to. It must have been refreshing.

Great looking water and cool fried ice cream. Amazing how old and new Japan looks.

THIS is why I visit DannyChoo.com. I am not a fan of anime -- I like some, but not even close to a third of it. Definitely not into plastic dolls either. (On the other hand, I can appreciate why some might -- I am a Lego fan myself -- how far removed is Lego from other toys made for display?) And while I like the sexy female models sometimes featured here, what I really like is the stuff about Japanese travel and tourism.

Visiting islands and interesting towns, covering events and historical locations? For me, that's where it's at. Great coverage on this one Mr. Choo. Give us more! How about visiting Eiga Mura in Kyoto? :-D I have been there but it might be nice to see it again through your site!

I would love to go to Okinawa and had it planned in my original trip to Japan which takes place next year March but the ferry fares are a bit high and it takes too long.
But the trip will loosely be: 1 week Tokyo > 2 days Hakone > 2 week trekking towards Kyoto and beyond > 1 day Tokyo international anime fair > last week in Tokyo > going back home :(

In Blood+ Okinawa was depicted as a paradise and a "home" to return to. These pictures merely strengthen that feeling.

wow the Taketomi Island pictures really reminded me of some scenes in "KuroKami" the animation....so in anime a lot of locations really are from actual places...hehehehe... also another good example is "Lucky Star". >.<

The fried ice cream and salad or whatever that is looks so yum.

image ID#17248: Hmm... I guess in Japan, small cars are popular. I'm not into those though. I prefer a big SUV XD

image ID#17250: Oh! This sign reminds me of the time I went to the beach. Scooped up a small jellyfish and buried it in the sand LOL XD

image ID#17252: To tell you the truth, I don't know. It's been a long time since I last went to the beach and I can't remember if I peed while I was in the water.

image ID#17257: How do they deep-fry ice cream anyway?! O_o

image ID#17268: THAT'S A SCHOOL!? Oh man, I wished my school looked like that XD

image ID#17276: I hope and pray that future generations would still see coral reefs in the ocean x_x

Aside from Tokyo, I might go to Okinawa too.

The pic from the secondary school looks amazing.Wish my school was like this when i was young.

I was only in Japan for a week when I visited, so stayed in Tokyo the whole time. Next time I hope to go for a bit longer and to spend most of my time exploring other places (Kyoto, Osaka, and maybe a few more).

Definitely hear you on the small population part, in Sado most shops and restaurants are attached to the owners home. Also did a little underwater swimming yesterday, I wish I had an underwater cam, hope to get one before next time. Now I want to visit Okinawa for sure.
Beautiful pictures.

Finally here, but all those places are rather far off from where I am. Not exactly a 1-2 day trip possible type of thing. I wanna go while it's still warm...T_T

Danny, in answering your question, my last trip was mainly in Tokyo & Kyoto with side-trip to Hiroshima. With my trip later this month; I'll slot in Tokyo at the beginning and the end of the trip. In between I'll visit Fuji-Yoshida, Hakone, Takayama, Shiragawa-go.

LOL Pokemon image ID#17282

Fried Ice Cream here in Malaysia is delicious but you have to eat it quickly or else it will melt .

Never been to Japan before but Tokyo will always be my First on the places in Japan list .

Ishigaki Island is like Bali in Japan ^_^

Wooo~ The restaurant is so cool. I wanna grab the manga.

Image ID#17259 Sign made me giggle.The pictures remind me alot of the beaches around here except we lack hills and its all flatland.Oh and I want image ID#17282's pokemon ring.I don't think I've had a pokemon ring but I do have tons of pokemon towels and toys though. And I wouldn't mind visiting Osaka if I ever visit Japan.

How many of you have peed in beach water before? (be honest.)

I was once on a boat trip and the small speed boats didn't have toilets. We took a break at a beach and I was told to pee in the water (which were full of people!) because nobody had come up with the idea to place toilets near this popular beach.

Didn't notice any colorful coral and some say that the coral has changed color due to the rise in water temperature = global warming.

People blame everything on global warming. It takes a certain amount of energy to heat up a litre of water 1 °C. If you start to calculate how much water you have in the top layer of the oceans and how much energy the sun can provide us with then you will see that it takes hundreds of years to change the temperature simply because it takes an unreliable amount of energy to heat up that amount of water. Likewise it takes quite a while to cool down.

If there is a change in the corals then I think it would more likely be due to the calcium responding negatively towards acid. China is burning a whole lot of coal in power plants, which aren't up to date. I'm not even sure they filter the smoke at all (I hope they do!). This means that the sulphur in the coal is turned into SO2 and when this gas hits water (which it does in clouds) then it turns into sulphuric acid, one of the strongest acids known. When it rains the acid comes down in form of acid rain and Ishigaki Island gets the wind from China. This means that acid rain produced by burning oil and coal in China is likely to affect Ishigaki Island. The main causes of acid rain is burning coal and different kinds of oil like diesel and fuel oil. Ships pollute quite severely with SO2 because they sail under international rules and nobody considered pollution when making those laws and nobody agreed to add restrictions either. This means that the amount of pollution for providing 1 horsepower for a minute on a ship is so severe it's multiple times the legal limit for land vehicles in most countries.

Personally couldn't imagine living on an island with only a few hundred people.
But wait. If they were all 2D characters then there is always a possibility.

That's what makes people different. I can imagine something like that and it would be a good thing. At the same time I can't imagine that I will ever live in a city with 1 million+ citizens.

will you travel to only Tokyo or do you have other locations to visit on your schedule?

I don't think I would go to Tokyo at all. It's so crowded. I have considered Kyoto in an off season period. I have also considered Hokkaido. I can't say anything for certain though because I haven't planned anything for the money I currently lack. If I do get the money I will investigate and figure out what I will see at that time based on what I know at that time.

look lovley how much dose it cost though

Ishigaki looks really nice...too bad i haven't been to either Okinawa or Ishigaki myself...hopefully i will go there someday...

Planing to go to Japan summer 2012 of funds are available. Have been using this site to help highlight the spots I want to go to. Aside from Akihabara, Shinjuku, and the other usual places, I want to go to the town used as the back drop for "Kami-chu". (I think it's called Hinode) As I'm only going to be able to go for two weeks or so, and funds will be limited, I'll have to decide in advance where I want to go (unless I win the lottery... :)

The only time I went swimming at an ocean beach was when I was down to Sydney for New years 2k. Can't remember If I peed or not, but Manley beach was lovely to swim in.

The way they serve their food is very interesting, it's much more different than hotel food here in the States XD Yours looks much more... edible haha! The water looks so gorgeous, I wouldn't mind a dip about now.

Amazing. I'm originally from St.Thomas,VI and this place looks like your typical Caribbean island with really cool architecture. I shouldn't visit else I wouldn't leave, I'd be 'home'.

Damn, I love your car. What year is it?

Hmm...If I were to go back to Japan soon then I would probably just stay in Tokyo. Not cause we have an apartment there or anything but cause There is just so much to see that I don't think I could possible see it all in even 2 weeks. Haha so when I do go it will probably be for like 2 months or so...

Awsome photos!
I went to Japan for the month of COtober last year and it was a lot of fun.
Harajuku is a must on Sunday imo. =D
One kinda secluded town that I stayed at was Hakuba ( a bit west of Nagano), it was very peaceful and relaxing. There were lots of good hiking trialsand onsens in the area too.

Danny, jellyfish can't bite. They don't exactly have mouths, and they definitely don't have teeth. They also don't have brains, and most species don't have eyes. Box jellyfish do have a sort of primitive eye, but that's not particularly comforting seeing as box jellies are amongst the most poisonous. Think drawstring bag with toxic fringe.

I know you probably already knew they couldn't bite, I'm just giving you a hard time. ;) Weird though, aren't they? I mean, they don't have brains, and yet several species migrate.

Both islands are just gorgeous! While Tokyo's top of my priority list, I'd like to also go to Sendai (my Japanese teacher's hometown), and think I might put Okinawa on the itinerary if I can. This won't be for several years though.

So many things to comment about.... The little school picture popped a scene from TTGL when Yoko is Sensei into my minds eye. Yes? No?
Snorkeling is a TON of fun when there's interesting things to see under water.
I would also see the 1. meter telescope they have and see what the difference is from mine, .114m :P
And then I would pester them to see how the radio telescope works. ^^
And they bring you into the living room for dinning? That is SO awesome and humbling. You cant get any more mom n pop shop then that. b(^v^)d

Lovely photos. Now I know where Kurokami based their settings in Okinawa, lol.

"Forgot the name of the beach but it had sand which were the shape of stars." That's possible? O_O

Shouldnt pee in the sea the pheromones attract sharks, i also heard that bears can smell a womans menstration. Which makes you wonder, if you fart in a forest and theres no one there to smell it. Who delt it?

Nice rental car btw, that Subaru R1 is a nice car to get around. I had one when I was in Tochigi City when I was doing some internship for Honda (go figures, lol). Great pictures btw hope you enjoyed your time and recharge those human batteries before you came back to the real world busy work pace.

"The bikini lady accidentally walked into the camera's line of sight." hahahah I laughed so hard. Well Only place I know that i would love to visit is Tokyo but i'm open for options ^^

I plan to travel to Tokyo then while living in Japan slowly but surely visit everywhere I can ^^

Wow looks really beautiful o.o This is so going on my place to visit when I go to Japan

looks like a peaceful and a relaxing place to chill in~

How do they deep fry ice cream? O.o lol

Simply gorgeous!

Deep fried ice cream - Tempting!

lol forgot that you had a waterproof camera, I panicked for a moment there. ^^;;; looks like you had a great time at Ishigaki Island. ^^

I love the Taketomi Island scenery.. looks like the setting of many morning musume's photo book

My wife and I where talking about Okinawa the other day. It is time for us to go back for a visit really soon. This really is one place that everyone should visit in Japan. Hopefully that is something we will all get to do. ^_^

Okinawa is so beautiful, I've always wanted to visit there.
My family once had an exchange student from Osaka named Haruka, and she had tons of photo albums with her. She used to share pictures of Japan with us, and she had a ton from Okinawa. They were always so amazing looking. Just like her album, these pictures are amazing...even more amazing with the quality these days. Had a fun time looking at them!

I love Ishigaki Island. I try to visit there every few years. Most of my family is from there.

Never been to Okinawa in person, thanks for the pics!