Ikei Island

I know I haven't seen much of the world, but I must say Okinawa has some truly incredible, beautiful beaches. If I weren't so afraid of driving here I think I would have liked to have gotten a car just to drive around and visit as many beaches as I could here--and I'm not really a beach person. I do love seeing beautiful things in nature and this is the place to do that.

By the way, if you're wondering why a non-beach person chose Okinawa, I'm also a Cheimaphobic or Cheimatophobic, a person who has a fear of the cold. (For more phobia names, check out phobialist.com.) When I applied for JET I asked for a place that had mild winters. I didn't care how hot the summers were, and that's how I was placed in Okinawa.

I was invited to a BBQ and beach party at a friend's house. Really, it was her grandmother's house, I think. Apparently, to have a house on Ikei Island is something special, and after having been there, I can see why. Unfortunately, by the time I arrived at the house, it was low tide so I wasn't able to go snorkeling. I was able to see some new things I hadn't seen before in other tide pools, so that was nice. Oh, and if you go, be careful. It's very slippery. The beach was nice. the company was fun. And the food. When I was told it was going to be a BBQ, I assumed they meant Japanese BBQ, like yakiniku, which I also love. It was a very nice surprise when I found out they meant Western BBQ with BBQ sauce and ribs and hamburgers. It was too delicious! I ate and drank waaaaay more than what's good for me, but I don't care, It was so good. I was definitely a nice break from my everyday fare.