Christian's Travel Blog

Naha, the regional capital of Okinawa prefecture, serves as a gateway to scattered islands east and west. There are three ports forming a kind of ferry hub. Shipping into Tomari port back from the Kerama islands, the new Aguni ferry was already docked next the Kume ferry for tomorrow's trip - both of them providing a daily service. I decided to visit Aguni-jima - not much bigger than 7 square kilometers and just under 1000 inhabitants - because of the production of one of the most common food additives: salt. However, Aguni island salt is not any salt, but produced according to a unique and traditional method. In good mood after arrival I had my lunchbox first. Next checking one of the Minshukus for two nights accommodation. But I forgot already the hardship people were having due to Covid19. All four on my list were closed, as guests outside the main season are almost exclusively Japanese coming for diving, and travel restrictions for remote isl...

What distinguishes camping from most other ways of traveling is living with the elements - the direct impact of nature and close environment. The idea of island hopping becomes a different experience surrounded by the sounds of sea, wind and rain. And after a rainy and stormy night in the tent, the early morning birds surprise again and again. There's no doubt about the beauty as well as power of changing weather that the pearl necklace-like lined up Ryukyu islands are exposed. Today the morning sun invited me on a trail for one of the whale-spotting lookouts, but till i climbed up the condition had changed - a dark wall was approaching from north. No escape, but wide screen cinema in dolby sound. And an hour later the rainbow gave the signal for a great, sunny day out in the sea - turtels, i'm coming. I asked at the reception to organise a wetsuit (for tall alien ; ) and 15 minutes later I entered already that unimaginable colour...

Camping for two weeks at Yaeyama islands passed quickly. Whereas I was weatherwise somewhat lucky on Iriomote-jima, the Inoda Campground on Ishigaki-jima confirmed to be on the wet eastcoast - 5 days and a grey rainy sky did not allow for one morning sunrise shot. Yesterday I had my one-hour flight to Naha, Okinawa, up north. There are no more ferries these days connecting the Yaeyamas with Okinawa. And my plan was to walk straight to Tomari port to catch the last ferry to Zamami-jima, my next remote camping destination. Rushing in rain from Miebashi monorail station to Tomari port, the ticket office was closed ... and the last ferry departed 20 minutes ago. A late plane and wrong departure information upfront, and you find yourself on a rainy day in search for a cheap place to stay. I have to add here, that I do not have a local sim-card to access internet ... hence walking out there into a grey, wet late afternoon. Yep, moral was low. Finally I deci...

Although I toured the globe with a tent in my backpack for decades - preferably on my motorbike - this is my first camping experience in Japan. I spent now two weeks on Iriomote-jima and Ishigaki-jima at three out of five listed campgrounds. Three campsites are on Iriomote and two on Ishigaki, whereas the supposed best located campground on Yonehara Beach continues to be closed since last year. Don't be fooled, as still a busline 'Yonehara Campground Line' runs daily from the airport to the west coast. Therefore Inoda Auto Campground was the only option on Ishigaki - spacious and directly located in dense native bush right at Inoda Beach. There is a reception and reasonable facilities, like a sanitation block with hot showers, covered cooking facilities and a mini-shop. End of March temperatures are still around 20 degrees and weather - probably all year round - is rather changeable. Too early for swimming, except you have a wetsuit for some of the b...

Okinawa - by some compared as Japan's Hawaii - is known to most travelers to Asia and Japan in particular. It is also the favourite destination for Japanese tourists in the Ryukyus. They get what they look for - a well developed and convenient sub-tropical holiday paradise. But maybe it's only due to lack of time, as the entire island chain of some 150 islands streches over more than 1.000 km from the southern end of Kyushu to Taiwan. The Ryukyus itself are locally better known by its regional archipelagos, like the Osumi Islands, Amami Islands, Okinawa Islands, and down South the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands. So maybe it is good to have a rough guide of the journey in your mind, and it is obvious that you need time. Especially when the starting point is solotravel, backpacking and camping, whereever possible. A rough guide is not that difficult, as 'island hopping' in the Ryukyus is nowadays as simple as reliable - mostly by ferry, and larger dist...