My husband and I got out of ROM (Restriction Of Movement, aka "Quarantine") here in Okinawa on October 10, moved into our new apartment on October 19, and then had our first Japan excursion to Zamami Island on Sunday, October 25! A lot of people were surprised that we had gotten off of the main island so quickly since we are super new to the area, and we were honestly surprised, too! We likely would not have island hopped if it wasn't for a close friend inviting us to join along on their trip.
As of today, November 21, we still don't have 99% of our belongings, but hopefully we will be getting our shipment in early December. A lot of people are traveling to mainland over the Thanksgiving holiday, but since it still feels like we are living out of our suitcases, and COVID-19 cases are rising across Japan, so it feels best to just stay home. And, as our first major holiday as a married couple, we are looking forward to cooking our own Thanksgiving Day meal, decorating for Christmas (with what little decorations we have right now), drinking some holiday beverages, and cozying up to some winter movies (despite it being 80 degrees outside this November).
Keep reading below for Zamami Island photo inspiration, maps, and more!
ZAMAMI ISLAND
We travelled to Zamami via ferry by booking tickets on this online reservation platform. I can't say the website was easy to follow, but I finally figured it out, and that's what matters. Click 'log in' and it will take you to the ticket portal. I booked us the high speed ferry, leaving Tomari (a neighborhood of Naha) Port at 900 and returning at 1620. This gave us more than enough time to explore the gorgeous island, snorkel, and eat local.
I would budget about an hour for the boat ride from Naha (Tomari) to Zamami, and highly recommend arriving to the boat EARLY since the seats are first-come-first-served. Luckily my husband and I were able to sit together, but some others that we travelled with had to sit individually. If you get motion sickness easily, I recommend packing anti-nausea medicine with you because it's a bumpy ride.
Immediately after getting off the ferry, we walked to the Takutsuki-Yama Observation Deck for a stunning view of the island (pictured above). DO NOT rent your bikes before this because the walk up to the observation deck is STEEP!! Think 26 minutes of straight incline - not something you want to ride a bike up. If for some crazy reason you do decide to rent the bike first - please let me know how it went! The route pictured below will guide you in walking from Zamami Port to the observation deck. Along this route is also where you will find the shisa wall and the family restaurant we ate at just prior to departing.
Keep reading to see just how ~ family owned~ this restaurant is!
The shisa wall is a fun backdrop for photos, however please be respectful because it is someones house. Do not touch or move the shisa! Since the shisa wall is directly in front of 105 Grocery Store, this is the ideal spot to stop on the way up the hill for water, and on the way down for a snack (and more water). While the business name does say 'grocery store', think very small convenience store. It is a very tiny space, and aisles are extremely close together. At the front near the entrance, they have baskets of homemade goodies including a delicious chicken sandwich.
Once you're done with your welcome to zamami hike, now is time to rent your bikes! Here is a map of convenient locations near the port where you can rent your bike, but the place where we rented from was Rental Miyamura a self service bike rental station:
You can rent the bikes for a daily rate of ¥1,500, which is approximately $15 USD. After hiking and wandering around this region of the island, we rented the bikes for the 4 hour time slot. Keep in mind that this is yen only, so you will want to make sure you are carrying cash with you.
Another thing to consider with bike rentals like this, is that they are not going to be bikes that are in the best condition. The bikes that my friends got were relatively okay - however the one I had - the chain was not attached very well so trying to take it up hills was nearly impossible. I unfortunately had to walk the bike on several occasions. My husband got the short end of the stick, literally, and the last bike available was significantly too small for him.
Click here to see what I mean! (This makes me crack up every time)
Once we all got our bikes, we trekked out to another overlook: Mirador Kaminohama. After, we rode our bikes back down, and stopped at a small beach between the overlook and Ama Beach for snorkeling.
While the small, nameless, beach was absolutely gorgeous and we enjoyed our time there for the most part, I do NOT recommend going there for snorkeling for a few reasons:
It's technically not allowed. We got in trouble by the Ama Beach employees, who sent one of their employees over on a jet ski to tell us we could not be there any longer. Luckily for us, this happened when we were already planning on leaving and had been there for several hours already. He was very thorough, and followed each person individually in to the shore (which had those of us watching from the beach rolling with laughter).
Rip Currents. When my husband and I were snorkeling, we got caught in a rip current momentarily, and it was quite scary. We are both very strong swimmers but struggled to get out of the current we became stuck in. Come to find out, this is one of the many reasons people are not allowed to snorkel here. Better to be safe than sorry, folks! Even if you have to pay a few extra dollars, you might as well go snorkeling on Ama Beach where it is much safer (and you will likely get to see sea turtles)!
Sharp rocks/SHARK! Firstly, if you don't have the appropriate gear, this is a very painful area to go snorkeling in. The 'sand' is primarily sharp rocks (both outside of the water and in the water) which does not make for an easy or enjoyable stroll. After my husband and I had a less than stellar time trying to have a relaxing snorkel, we decided we had enough of being in the ocean for the day, and opted for relaxing on the sand, and later put our sneakers back on to go for a beach walk. Others that we were with decided to go back in the water, but this time around the corner (closer in the direction of the second overlook) behind some larger rocks, which leads me into the second point: they saw a massive shark. Granted, if you're going into the ocean, it's a basic understanding that sharks are in the water, naturally, but you definitely don't want to find yourself crossing paths with one.
Snorkel summary: don't snorkel where we snorkeled, go to Ama Beach!
Once we got kicked off of the "private beach" we went back to the side of town near Zamami Port to return bicycles and grab a late lunch. We found the cutest little restaurant café that is quite literally operated out of someones backyard.
View Slideshow:
You could literally see into their living room and the kitchen! The family and children were sitting at the next table playing games, listening to music, skateboarding, and relaxing. The neighborhood cats were climbing on the roof, someone (who I assume to be maybe an Uncle?) was frying small vegetables for the kids on a side grill. It felt like we had just walked in on a family's Sunday supper on their back patio.
Honestly though, I live for experiences like this! Don't you??
We ordered taco rice and curry. Taco rice is very big here in Okinawa, and is pretty much just a taco salad- but insanely good. Curry in Okinawa is not like Indian curry, it is very different, but I'm no food critic so I'm not quite sure how to explain it. All I know is that when you go here you should order these two things:
Keep in mind that for this you will need yen as well! Eating here took some time, too, as it's a small family owned cafe, it's not a large up and running restaurant with wait staff, multiple cooks, and plenty of employees. This is important to consider when it comes to getting back to the ferry for your return trip home. Budget at a minimum, about an hour and a half for this experience. It is better to have extra time at the end of the meal, than to be rushing around to get back to the ferry.
If you don't arrive at the ferry early enough, the line will be long, the seats will fill up, and you will have to ride on the roof of the ferry. No seats, no seat belts, and sea water spraying you for an hour. I didn't mind the roof too much considering the wind felt nice after being in the sun all day, but it definitely got a little bit uncomfortable near the end of the journey.
Keep reading to get the link to my Zamami Island budget & packing list!
And with that, our first Okinawan excursion was in the books! Since we were on limited time, we stuck to just one side of the island, but there is so much more to see there! I am hoping to go back again in the next three years while here in Japan so that I can explore some other parts of Zamami (and have a re-do at snorkeling in the area)! Let me know if you used this guide to help you visit Zamami on your own!
CLICK HERE FOR MY ZAMAMI ISLAND BUDGET AND PACKING LIST
Happy and SAFE travels,
Austin Marie
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