Day 33: Okinawa

I arrived in Okinawa yesterday. One of the first things I noticed was all of the Hawaiian-style shirts that people working at the airport were wearing, which caused me to let out a little chuckle, since I thought, "Hawaii, baby!" Well, I knew I wasn't in Hawaii, but I was still happy to be here.

When I told some students and colleagues that I was going to Okinawa, the most common response was, "Ii naa," which basically means, "No way. That's so cool!" That's because most people, including me, associate Okinawa with sunshine, beaches, and blue water. The problem is, it's already rainy season here, so all I have is grey skies and rain.

Where I live, in Kyushu, the rainy season starts in early June. As far as I know, the rainy season isn't supposed to start here until a couple weeks from now. Lucky for me it started early.

Rainy season is a mean joke that Mother Nature plays on us. All winter long, it's been freezing. Just when the weather is finally warming up, it starts to rain every day. My response to that: "No way. That's so not cool!"

I had no clue that it would be raining here every day until I looked at the weather forecast a few days before I flew here. About ten days ago, one teacher actually told me it'd be raining every day, but I simply shrugged off what he said. I guess he knew better than me.

Anyway, I'm in Naha right now, the capital of the prefecture, down in the southern part of the island. The city is, for the most part, pretty ugly, to tell the truth. There's one beach in town not too far from where I'm staying, but even that is pretty lame, mostly due to the pathetic view, which includes a major roadway.

I was thinking about going to a small island called Zamami today, which is a 2-hour ferry ride away. Due to the crappy weather, though, I've decided to do sightseeing here instead. If I go to Zamami, I will have to pay more than $50 for about four hours on the island before having to catch the last ferry back.

I've seen pictures of Zamami and they make the island look ridiculously beautiful, making me think, "Zamami is where it's at." Zamami = White sand beaches, crystal clear water, and luscious vegetation. I think that's where I'm supposed to be hanging out, rather than here in a big city.

I guess I'll have to save paradise for some other day.