Naha

Okinawa isn’t on the main tourist route for Westerners who come to Japan because it takes a bit of extra effort to get there. But if you’re a WWII history enthusiast, it is absolutely worth the visit. My bucket list locations to visit while in Okinawa were the former Japanese Navy Underground Headquarters and Hacksaw Ridge. I am so grateful to have been able to visit both of these haunting locations. In between the museum visits, we prioritized spending time on Okinawa’s beautiful beaches, to decompress. Visiting places where the sadness and violence of decades past still permeates the air definitely requires time to reflect afterwards.

Even though we visited Japan during winter, the temperature in Okinawa was the same as back home in Australia. Hot and humid. I bought this set to wear for bike rides, and it ended up being the perfect thing to pack for our short trip to Okinawa. The outfits I planned for this part of our trip were more low key as I did not feel it would be appropriate to turn up to museums and war memorials decked out in something extravagant. It is an amusing coincidence though that this outfit has the colours of the Japanese flag!

You might be able to tell from the last photo that it was actually blowing a gale when we took these, so I don’t think I could have planned a better look. Of course I have to thank Lana Turner in The Postman Always Rings Twice for the inspiration behind this comfortable and chic outfit. My only regret about the time we spent in Okinawa was my initial reluctance to try the Ube ice cream, which is an Okinawa specialty. Even though I am familiar with Japanese sweet potatoes and cook them at home, the thought of eating an ice cream made from them was too much for me. I only tried one as we were leaving, in a now or never moment of new found bravery; and I immediately understood what the hype was about. Ube ice cream is absolutely delicious.