the beaches in okinawa (沖縄) were some of the prettiest things ive ever seen. the water was clear and warm. the sand was soft and white. the coral was colorful, the weather was sunny, the girls were beautiful. ah, 'twas truly an awesome trip.

aragusuku beach, miyakojima (宮古島の新城ビーチ)

snorkeling at aragusuku beach, miyakojima (宮古島の新城ビーチ)

i stayed on a small southern island called miyakojima (宮古島) for three days. even though there was a typhoon fast approaching japan, i braved the strong waves and snorkeled in the crystal-clear waters at aragusuku beach (新城ビーチ). the next day i went to maehama beach (前浜ビーチ), which could very well be the nicest beach ive ever seen. its pristine white sand stretched out for what seemed like miles into the horizon. after swimming and tanning (tanning? pssh, more like burning) for a bit, i went to a small nearby island called kurima (来間島) where i climbed the stairs to the top of a watch tower and gazed at the beautiful shoreline below.

underwater pic of the coral reef at aragusuku (新城ビーチ)

maehama beach, okinawa (沖縄の前浜ビーチ)

next, i spent a day and a half on the main island, okinawa hontou (沖縄本島). i spent my time there checking out an average japanese castle and a sweet aquarium with whale sharks and manta rays.

a whale shark and his friends at an aquarium in okinawa

an okinawan sunset from the shores of miyakojima (宮古島)

for all of the beauty that okinawa had to offer, it also had a really crappy side to it. because of the heavy american military presence that still exists there, it has quite a different feel from mainland japan. the people in okinawa were much less friendly than im used to, either because our rude american customs have rubbed off on them or because there are more anti-westerners due to the many US bases. though the people in miyakojima were nicer, they were upsettingly open about selling sex to tourists (almost as much as amsterdams red light district). when the sun went down it seemed like every block had girls standing outside wearing too much makeup and fake smiles, eager to hike up their skirts whenever i walked by.

kurima island, okinawa (沖縄の来間島)

outside of the rudeness and sex-peddling, okinawa was an awesome place to spend a week in the sun. im glad i went, and i hope i can visit it again someday.