Like the  Battle Sites Tour offered by MCCS in Okinawa, the Tunnel Rats tour was another tour offered that was very adventurous and informative. The tour offered an inside look, literally of two caves on the island that were used as shelters and bunkers by locals during the Battle of Okinawa.  What Exactly are Tunnel Rats? I gathered from several sources that Tunnel Rats was the name given to American, Australian, and New Zealand soldiers who were typically trained combat engineers. These combat engineers would crawl through enemy tunnels during the Vietnam War to perform specific missions, usually very dangerous.  During the Vietnam War, tunnels were complex underground structure that served many purposes. Some tunnels were large enough to house hospitals, training facilities, and even barracks for the soldiers. The tunnels were very difficult to see from above and little damage was done to them from ground level. In order to either gain intelligence on what was going on in the tunnels or just flat out destroying the tunnels, soldiers would have to sneak into the tunnels to perform the missions. The soldiers that entered these networks of tunnels were known as “Tunnel Rats.” Tunnel Rats, Okinawa The Tunnel Rats Tour in Okinawa, didn’t really have anything to do with Tunnel Rats or the history of them. But none the less, the tour was incredibly interesting and full of adventure.  The tour is provided by MCCS, so like the Battle Site Tour, I understand that not everyone visiting Okinawa will have access to this, but there are local Battle Site tours and even guides that provide tours. Most of these will be strictly in Japanese though.  The two caves we explored were open and free to the public. They aren’t really tourist attractions, so I would have never guessed they existed based on locations. The first cave was near a new housing area and the second cave was on a small plot of forested land.  Even though the tour itself had nothing to do with Tunnel Rats, it was probably one of my favorites tours offered. Our guide would give us information on the cave and how it was used during the Battle of Okinawa. Once we arrived at the cave entrance, he would set us free where we could explore as a group or alone. History of the Caves For the Tunnel Rats Tour, we visited two caves. The first cave we visited was Shimuku Gama Cave in Yomitan also know as “Happy Cave” and the second cave was called Garabigama in the Shimajiri District of southern Okinawa. Shimuku Gama Cave also known as “Happy Cave”, was the first cave on the tour. This cave was pretty big with multiple chambers. During the Battle of Okinawa, over a thousand people hid in Shimuku Gama Cave to escape the violence occurring above ground. Apparently, people hid in this cave for over three months.  How did Shimuku Gama Cave become known as Happy Cave? There is also a cave nearby that people refer to as Sad Cave. My tour guide wasn’t a fan of these names given to the caves, in reality what happened in both caves wasn’t pleasant. But one cave had survivors while the other cave did not.  Long story short, our tour guide told us that during the war, the United States rounded up Japanese people living in the United States and hired Japanese speaking individuals as translators to assist during the war. The story goes that, at the time there were over a thousand people hiding in Happy Cave. US troops found the cave and two translators convinced the people within the cave that no harm would be done if they exited the cave. The people in the cave eventually came out and no harm was done to them, everyone in this cave survived hence the name Happy Cave.  Sad Cave started in a similar way. US Troops found the cave and translators tried to coax out the citizens living there. These people were not as trusting as the ones hiding in Happy Cave. Several times, troops and translators tried to tell the locals that no harm would be done if they would simply come out. No one exited the cave. The troops knew the people were hungry and thirsty. They set out food and water for the people to have. Still no one came out. People were afraid that the United States troops would poison the food. Knowing this, a few troops ate the food and drank the water to show the people it was safe. The people hiding believe that the troops were immune to it, so they didn’t come out. After a while there was no more communication or anything from the citizens living in the cave so troops went inside only to find that everyone within the cave committed suicide. Because of this, the cave is known as Sad Cave.  Garigama Cave  was the second cave visited on the tour. This cave was secluded, tucked away in the jungle. A small trail through the brush lead to a gigantic opening. I’ve been to many caves and this was one of the largest and most impressive cave opening I’ve seen. It’s hard to describe, but when nearing the cave entrance, looking up it was like we were already in a huge outside cavern. There were stalactites hanging from the ceiling and jungle all around us.  The pictures below are a better depiction of what I am trying to say.  There isn’t as much information on this cave as Shimuku Gama Cave. All we know is that this cave was also used by locals to hide during the Battle of Okinawa. There is evidence of a long history in this cave from broken pieces of pottery to human bones. Below are a few photos I took of broken pottery found throughout the cave.  Exploring the Caves Today Anyone can freely walk to and explore both Shimuku Gama Cave and Garigama Cave. These are natural caves open to the public. Again, I realize that a Tunnel Rat tour is not available to everyone. If you do decide to visit the caves, I recommend reading this post or do research prior to visiting just to learn some of the background about the caves.  Exploring these caves is not an easy task and I don’t recommend it for young children, people who are out of shape, and for people who are claustrophobic. These caves are not maintained. There are no lights inside nor are there boardwalks or suggested paths. It is up to you to decide how far in you want to go and how much you want to explore.  We explored both caves pretty extensively, at least as far as the caves went without us getting stuck and lost somewhere. Shimuku Gama Cave had multiple chambers to explore. One portion was a bit sketchy as you have crawl your way to the last chamber and kind of slide on your butt.  Garigama Cave was a little bit easier to explore as there was one massive cavern. You could make this as easy or as hard as you’d like. The entrance to the cave was the only portion that was a bit scary as we had to shimmy down a few boulders. Once that was out the way the massive cavern was ours to explore. I lead a group to the end of the cave. I went down a steep wall and ended up in a cavern full of water. We easily spent an hour exploring this cave. This cave was so large, I was in awe the whole time, I’ve never seen anything like it.  Cave Information and Coordinates Both caves are open 24/7 These are natural caves and open to the public. Visitors are free to enter and explore the caves at their own risks. That being said, below are the coordinates to the cave entrances.  Shimuku Gama Cave – 26.4026787, 127.7317323 Garigama Cave – 26.1372132, 127.7438258 Checklist, What to Bring on a Tunnel Rat Tour in Okinawa Treat a Tunnel Rat Tour or Cave Exploration as if you are going on a hike. Proper Footwear Long Pants Gloves Bug Spray Sun Block A Hat (As a thin protective layer between rocks and your head) Flashlight Water   **This post contains affiliate links. If you click on one of the links throughout the page, whether it be TripAdvisor, Booking.com. Agoda.com, or any other affiliate, I might receive commission at no extra cost to you. For more information, you can visit my affiliate link page here. Thanks for the support! Enjoying my photos and want to see more? Check out my Picfair Store. 

Ie Shima, a quick 30-minute ferry ride from Motobu Port on Okinawa’s main island. “Shima” meaning “Island” in Japanese. Ie Shima is characterized by the upright standalone mountain in the eastern part of the island. Mt. Gusuku, or “Tacchu” a name given by locals is the dominant geographical feature of Ie Shima. Apart from Mt. Gusuku, the rest of the island is flat and consists mainly of agriculture. Exploring Ie Shima doesn’t stop with a hike to the top of Mt. Gusuku, the island is also rich in history and has many beautiful beaches and overlooks. **This post contains affiliate links. If you click on one of the links throughout the page, whether it be TripAdvisor, Booking.com. Agoda.com, or any other affiliate, I might receive commission at no extra cost to you. For more information, you can visit my affiliate link page here. Thanks for the support! Getting to Ie Shima and Ferry Information Ie Shima, is an island located off the Motobu Peninsula of the main island of Okinawa, just south of the  Churaumi Aquarium. If taking the ferry, visitors must arrive at Motobu Port. There is a large parking garage here. Parking was fairly cheap, only ¥700 for 24 hours. Facilities at Motobu Port include a ticket counter, restrooms, waiting areas, and of course vending machines are abundant.  I recommend checking the  Ie Village Official Website for updated ferry times and fares.  Regular services for the ferry depart Motobu Port daily at 9:00, 11:00, 15:00, and 17:00.  Ferries depart Ie Shima Port daily at 8:00, 10:00, 13:00, and 16:00.  Round-trip fares for adults are ¥1390 and ¥710 for children.  There is a fare for vehicles, motorcycles, and bikes.  Getting Around Ie Shima Ie Shima isn’t that big, yet big enough where visitors need some sort of transportation to see some of the sites and explore the island more.  Across from the ferry terminal there are companies that rent out bicycles, cars, mini cars, electric scooters, and scooters (mopeds). We saw people driving miniature Jeep Wranglers. These looked more like toys then actual vehicles but they blew by us. For transportation rentals and to check out prices, I’d recommend visiting the TM Planning website. The ferry was big enough to transport cars (I would make sure to call ahead and make a reservation). Cycling Around Ie Shima We found the easiest way for us to explore Ie Shima was to bring our own bikes. We’ve done this on several islands and never have issues getting our bikes on and off the ferry.  We rode an even 26 kilometers around Ie Shima. You can’t completely do the circumference of the island because there is a military base that is fenced off on the western part of the island.  The roads around Ie Shima for the most part, were flat with very little if any traffic. The only real up hill we did was on the route toward Mt. Gusuku  Exploring Ie Shima’s History Like many areas of Okinawa, Ie Shima saw heavy fighting during WWII. In 1945, for five days, from April 16th until April 21st, American troops landed and fought on Ie Shima. The airstrip on Ie Shima was being used by Japanese forces but American forces wanted control of the airstrip.  When biking around Ie Shima, we stopped at the Ernie Pyle Monument. Ernie Pyle was an American Journalist and a war correspondent, meaning he was right in with all the action covering the stories.  While on Ie Shima on April 18, 1945, Ernie Pyle lost his life. The vehicle he was in came under fire and Ernie Pyle was hit and died immediately.  Today, there is a nice memorial in place at the location where Ernie Pyle was killed. It reads, “At This Spot the 77th Infantry Division Lost a Buddy, Ernie Pyle.” The next WWII site we stopped at was the Municipal Pawnshop. Almost all buildings on Ie Shima were completely destroyed. On a placard near the Municipal Pawnshop, it was stated that this building in particular was heavily damaged due to shelling but still kept its original shape. Today, the building still stands, the walls are riddled with bullet holes and signs of shelling.  Beaches and other Attractions Around Ie Shima Ie Shima has beautiful beaches, coastal views, caves to explore, and a mountain worth hiking. Plain and simple, Ie Shima has a lot to offer and deserves a full day of exploration.  Once we got off the ferry, we rode our bikes in a clockwise direction. Our first stop was the Ernie Pyle Monument. After a brief stop at the monument we stopped at our first couple beaches on the south side of the island.  Based on Google Maps, the beaches were called GI Beach and イシヤラ.  イシヤラ is written in Romaji as Isuyara Beach. I found Isuyara Beach to be the nicer of the two as it was secluded, had white soft sand, and clear turquoise water.  About two minutes from イシヤラ, we found ourselves at the Niya-Thiya Cave. The Niya-Thiya Cave was much bigger then I anticipated. I expected to see maybe a maybe a small opening made by a few rocks leaning against each other. Instead we found ourselves walking in a cave large enough to fit hundreds of people.  Locals call the cave “Sen-nin Gama,” which translates to “The Cave of 1,000 people.” When American forces arrived on Ie Shima during WWII, it is said that over 1,000 locals used this cave as shelter. Although both sides knew of the cave, they did not attack the area and left it in peace. Thankfully, no lives were lost here due to war.  After exploring the Niya-Thiya Cave, we stopped along one or two more beaches along the southern coast of Ie Shima. The beaches and water here were absolutely spectacular.  Unfortunately, due to the military base on the western side of the island, you can’t completely go around the island. We had to snake our way up north, heading through farm fields and dirt roads before arriving at the Wajee Viewpoint. The Wajee Point is located on the northern side of Ie Shima. This observation deck is a great place to take a breather, have a snack, and enjoy the beautiful views of the cliffs above the ocean.  At Wajee Viewpoint, there was a restroom and vending machines. There even appeared to be a small shack serving up food. I assume this is seasonal as they were closed when we were here. I always hear about places around the world that have beautiful cliffs, like the Cliffs of Moher or the White Cliffs of Dover in England. I never hear about the beautiful cliffs in Okinawa but I guarantee that they are just as impressive!  After taking a short break at Wajee Viewpoint, we hopped on our bike and continued around Ie Shima. Since the island was semi flat and Mt. Gusuku is the highest point on the island, we got glimpses of the mountain throughout the journey.  Looking at the picture below of Mt. Gusuku, had I not wrote about it in this post, most people would think this is somewhere in Africa. The farm fields look like savanna, the tall thin trees resemble Acacia Trees on the savanna and the mountain in the background appears to be something out of the Lion King. It was crazy to think that this was just an island in Japan off the coast of Okinawa.  We stopped at the Hibiscus Gardens on the North-East side of the island. We saw wild hibiscus flowers on the island, so we were hoping the gardens would have been in full bloom. Maybe we missed their planting season but here were hardly any hibiscus flowers at the garden. I’d give this attraction a hard pass.  After passing more beaches along the way we completed our goal of cycling the island. We still had time to ride to Mt. Gusuku and trek to the top.  Mt. Gusuku or Tatchu, is a mountain that stands 172 meters (565 ft). At the base of the mountain there is a parking lot, restroom, and shop selling local goods. From here, there is a maintained trail to the top. The majority of the trail consisted of steep stairs, I would suggest being in decent shape. Depending on your physical fitness I would say the hike can take anywhere from 15-40 minutes. We made it to the top and admired the view for about 10 minutes. Seeing the island from above was amazing. You can see   Cape Hedo from here, Izena and Iheya Islands, southern Okinawa, and oceans as far as the eye can see.  The trek down from Mt. Gusuku was fairly quick, I’d say 10-20 minutes. But do watch out as the stairs are steep. Thankfully, there were chains on the side of the trail to hold on to.  Mt. Gusuku wrapped up our tour of Ie Shima. We rode our bikes back to the ferry port and took the 30 minute ferry ride back to Motobu Port.  I plan on visiting more of the islands off of the main island of Okinawa. We’ve been to  Zamami Island and Iriomote Island. We plan on visiting Izena and Iheya Islands, which can be seen from Ie Shima.   Where to Find Food on Ie Shima It can be difficult to find restaurants and places to find food on some of the smaller islands around Okinawa. Ie Shima is no exception. There are a few restaurants, but many of them close on certain days or open later on in the day after the ferry leaves.  There are two Family Mart’s on the island and an A-Coop, which is a grocery store.  On the second floor of the ferry terminal is a delicious Syokudo restaurant serving fresh seafood (Pictured Above). I ordered fish tempura and it was huge. My meal came with a fish tempura bowl with rice, seaweed, soup, a salad, and other dish for ¥1000, can’t beat that!  Ie Shima Lily Festival Every year on Ie Shima visitors can visit and enjoy the Is Shima Lily Festival. This festival is Japan’s earliest Lily Festival and takes place from late April into early May.  One million lilies blanket Lily Field Park and there are over 100 different varieties of lily planted for us to enjoy. This festival not only has lily flowers but food vendors and live entertainment.  Enjoying my photos and want to see more? Check out my Picfair Store.  Plan Your Trip: 🗺 ✈️ 🇯🇵  Booking Accommodations ⛺️ 🛖  For booking recommendations on the best deals and locations, check out Agoda or Booking.com Activities and Tours  🏖 🚁  Find fun activities and things to do through Tripadvisor. If you are looking for tours and day trips, Viator and Get Your Guide have a lot of great options.  In need of a car rental? 🚗 🚘  I recommend checking with Rental Cars. Train Travel 🚂 🚊  For the JR Pass, tickets can be purchased on the JR Pass site. 

Sapporo, a “Winter Wonderland,” during the winter months, is Japan’s 5th largest city and by far Hokkaido’s most populous city. Sapporo hosted the Winter Olympics in 1972 and is one of Japan’s most popular destinations for winter activities. Compared to other cities in Japan , Sapporo is fairly new, being established in the late 1800’s. One of Sapporo’s most famous winter events, where visitors from around the world flock to is the famous Ice Festival. We had plans on visiting the Ice Festival in February 2022, because of COVID-19, the festival was cancelled for a second straight year. We still planned on visiting Sapporo and spent a weekend exploring the city, here is our weekend itinerary for Sapporo.  Sapporo and How to Get Here Sapporo is the capital city of the Japanese island of Hokkaido. If you look at the map of Japan above, Hokkaido is the large oddly shaped island above the main island (Honshu) of Japan.  The easiest way to reach Sapporo is by plane although rail is also an option if coming from northern Honshu. The main hub for Hokkaido is the New Chitose Airport. This airport is located south-east of Sapporo. To reach Sapporo’s city center from the New Chitose Airport visitors have a few options. There is the obvious and more expensive taxi. But Buses and Trains are the recommended and cheapest modes of transportation. Visitors can hop on the JR Line directly from the airport, or take the Express Bus. The JR Line is the quicker option and is about ¥100-¥200 more expensive, in my mind, totally worth it!  Word of advice. Once again we learned the hard way. Since Sapporo does receive massive amounts of snowfall, the JR Line does cancel its services if the weather is bad. On our last day, we headed to the train station to head back to the airport only to find out that the trains weren’t in service. We were told to take the subway to Fukuzumi Station, head to the bus station there and hop on a bus toward the airport. It seemed everyone had a similar itinerary for Sapporo and were headed back that same day. With all the trains shut down, everyone scrambled to the bus station. The line literally wrapped around the building and then some. Prior to this, we met a nice military family on our flight to Sapporo and ran into them again at the bus station. Our flight was due to depart in two hours and the line for the bus didn’t move an inch after several minutes. The military family mentioned taking a taxi and left the line. After a few minutes of debating, Jill and I both opted to catch a taxi as well to the airport. The taxi was actually quite memorable as we shared the cab with a Japanese couple and had a great time talking to them the hour-ish cab ride to the airport. We made it to the airport with only a few minutes to spare. Luckily, we made it on board. There was no way we would have made the flight if we waited in line for the bus. Our flight was half full, meaning there were a lot of other not so lucky travelers that were most likely still in line at the bus stop as we flew off. So my word of advice is have a plan when heading to the airport and leave several hours prior. Also, if staying at a hotel, the staff might be able to inform you on travel delays.  Climate and Snowfall Sapporo has a semi-continental climate consisting of long, cold, and snowy winters and warm weather and rain during the summer months. Temperatures and weather can change drastically here, so always do your research and come prepared.  Sapporo is considered the second snowiest city of its size in the world. It receives around 15 ft. of snowfall a year. During winter, the cold winds come from Siberia which collects moisture over the Sea of Japan dumbing massive amounts of snow on the city. I read that Sapporo gets more then double the snow of Buffalo, New York which is The United States snowiest city.  Surprisingly enough, the amount of snow Sapporo receives doesn’t really affect daily lives of the local residents. Everyone was out and about doing normal daily activities. Honestly, everyone here is so used to it. The sidewalks and roads were nicely cleared. If the sidewalk couldn’t be cleared, they still cut out paths within the snow. I was so surprised by the drivers here, especially the little Kei cars (Kei cars are small Japanese passenger vehicles with tiny engines). Not one fender bender, heck cars didn’t even slide around or have problems going after being stopped at a light. In America, this amount of snowfall on the roads would cause mass chaos!   Itinerary for Sapporo Since the Snow Festival was yet again cancelled, we still decided to fly to Sapporo and check out the city and enjoy the snow. We basically had a full weekend here with two travel days. Each day, we really had one set plan. Saturday we would go to Sapporo Brewery and Sunday we had plans to visit the Ishiya Chocolate Factory. Everything else we did was based on location from our hotel and access to and from our main plans. Without having set plans, we still found ourselves out and about exploring pretty much all day. Our itinerary for Sapporo and what we saw and ate is outlined below.  Like Jill jumping into the snow, Let’s dive in! Day 1 The only set plan for our first day was a visit to the Sapporo Brewery. The brewery was about a 30 minute walk from the hotel. Of course, our travel days usually start off with pastries and coffee. We found a Vie de France, one of our favorite bakery chains on mainland Japan.  After breakfast and along the way to the brewery, we stopped at the Nijo Market, which is a large fish market in the middle of town. Sapporo is famous for its seafood especially the hairy crab. I’ll be honest, I didn’t try it this time around. I do love local markets, especially seafood markets, so I enjoyed walking around looking at the fresh seafood being sold.  After browsing Nijo Makert, we walked through local neighborhoods eventually ending up at Sapporo Brewery. I’ll be up front, I’m not a huge fan of Sapporo Beer, but I do like visiting older breweries and sampling beer during the tours.  Sapporo is Japan’s oldest brewery and was founded in 1876. Seibei Nakagawa, considered to be Japan’s first “German-trained brewmaster,” (according to information read at the brewerymuseum). He traveled to Germany in his teen years and learned how to brew beer the right way. With his new knowledge of brewing, Sapporo Beer was born!  Today, visitors can tour the brewery. There are two tour options, a Free tour and a Premium Tour. Currently because of Covid-19, the Free Tour is the only option available. Additional information regarding the museum and tours is below.  Sapporo Beer Museum  Open – 11:00 am to 6:00 pm Premium Tour – Approx. 50 minutes. ¥500 per adult.  Premium Tour Hours begin at 11:30 am until 4:30 pm, and tours are offered every half hour. The Premium Tour is in Japanese only.  We did the free tour. It was a bit underwhelming, I would say the museum can be covered in about 10-20 minutes. The free tour is on one floor and has information on the history and beer. Some of the signs had English explanations. After the museum, visitors exit through the tasting room. Here, you can order a single beer or flight. We ordered a flight which included three samples, Sapporo’s Black Label, Classic, and Kaitakuchi Beer. The Sapporo Classic is a limited edition Hokkaido beer and can’t be purchased anywhere else. The Sapporo Classic tasted just like the regular Sapporo Beer and was nothing to write home about. I found the Kaitakuchi Beer to be the best out of the bunch.  After exiting the museum, Jill and I headed next door to their restaurant for more drinks and bar foods. The restaurant serves up a Genghis Khan style all-you-can-eat. In Japan, they name all-you-can-eat Genghis Khan or Viking. Either way, it was yakiniku style which means grilled meat. Each table had a small grill placed in the center, and you can order meat and vegetables using a tablet for an unlimited time. We actually didn’t do the Genghis Khan here but it looked delicious, so next time. We just ordered a few appetizers and more beer. The best feature about this restaurant was the waiter. The waiter was a robot (picture on the right) that served food directly to our table!    After a visit to the Sapporo Brewery, we stopped at the Hokkaido Shrine Tongu and it started to snow pretty heavily. We briefly made a pit stop here before the brewery when it was still sunny out. Below is a fun before and after photo.  Prior to the trip, we knew we wanted to have ramen. After all, ramen is the perfect meal for a cold wintry day. There is a spot near central Sapporo known as Ramen Alley.  Apparently, Ramen Alley is where Miso Ramen got its start and made Sapporo a “Ramen Destination.” Ramen Alley started in 1948 with 8 small restaurants, now there are at least 17 different ramen restaurants that are currently open. Assuming all the restaurants are good, we kind of just picked one and went inside. These restaurants are small, maybe room enough for six people max. I don’t even know the name of the restaurant we went to but the ramen was delicious, filling, and extremely satisfying!  Day 2 The heavy snow from the previous day never let up. Day two, started off with a wintry walk to a bakery called Dominique Geulin, which was located in one of Sapporo’s underground walkways.  After breakfast, our plan was to visit the Ishiya Chocolate Factory, located north-west of Sapporo. From Sapporo Station, we took the subway line to Miyanosawa Station which was a short walk to the chocolate factory. Ishiya Chocolate Factory was part of Shiroikoibito Park. Upon arrival, we noticed the beautiful building that housed the chocolate factory, it was very European looking.  Tickets to take the tour and visit the factory were ¥800 per person. Honestly the experience was a bit underwhelming. We got a few free chocolate snacks and got to see the actual factory. Their little minions around the factory were little cats, that we enjoyed looking at, they were everywhere and very cute.  The museum had a very nice café on the second floor and gift shop on the first floor. I don’t know why, but I expected more, I guess it’s probably a lot more fun for couples with children. The Shiroikoibito Park itself was pretty fun, small but fun. There was a tiny village set up. Again, more for kids, but Jill had fun peaking inside the little houses. Oh, and there were cute snowmen set up around the park. Their seasonal decorations change, so there is always something new. We were probably here for an hour or two before moving on. I was pretty fascinated by the Tongu Shrine being blanketed by snow and wanted to check out more shrines. The Chocolate Factory wasn’t far from Maruyama Park and the Hokkaido Jingu Shrine. We stepped off the subway at Maruyama Koen Station and walked 5 minutes to the park. To be honest, visiting this park was probably my favorite stop we did in Sapporo. During the winter months, Maruyama Park is a true “Winter Wonderland.” There are several walking trails here leading toward the Hokkaido Jingu Shrine. The trails were snow covered yet walkable. On either side of the trail were several feet of snow with tall pine trees scattered throughout.  After meandering through the park, we

Nagoya, located in Aichi Prefecture is an overlooked city in Japan that is home to an abundance of attractions, both old and new. In my opinion, Nagoya has one of Japan’s finest castles, even more charming then Osaka Castle. Outside from the castle and multiple shrines around the city, Nagoya is home to many famous manufacturing companies like Toyota and Honda. Therefore, Nagoya has a lot of futuristic and innovative museums and attractions that are well worth visiting. If you are planning a trip and wondering what to do in Nagoya? This post is a guide to Nagoya with my recommendations on attractions, places to eat, and day trips.  **This post contains affiliate links. If you click on one of the links or banners throughout the page, whether it be TripAdvisor, Booking.com. Agoda.com, or any other affiliate, I might receive commission at no extra cost to you. For more information, you can visit my affiliate link page here. Thanks for the support! Travel to Nagoya and Getting Here Nagoya, Japan is in Aichi Prefecture located in the Chubu region of Japan’s largest island, Honshu.  Nagoya, is conveniently located between Osaka and Tokyo. Being Japan’s fourth largest city, Nagoya has a large international airport (Chubu Centrair International Airport) and is located along the Tokaido Shinkansen Route.  The airport was built on an artificial island about 30-40 minutes south of Nagoya’s city center. Side note, this is probably our favorite airport in Japan so far, based on the traditional Japanese influence they used to decorate the interior. We flew with Peach Airlines from Naha, Okinawa to Chubu Centrair International Airport, roughly a two hour flight. We easily navigated the airport to the train station and found the Meitetsu Airport Line and took the train to Nagoya Station which was in the vicinity of our hotel. Nagoya is south enough where our ICOCA cards worked, so we loaded money on our cards and had no issues navigating the trains and subways. Recommended Places to Stay in Nagoya When picking hotels in Japan especially when the budget is tight, I always recommended hotel chains like APA or Toyoko Inn. Both great, cheap, and comfortable hotels in Japan and there are plenty of both chains in Nagoya.  For our trip to Nagoya,  we decided to stay at Kuretake Inn Premium Meiekiminami. We chose this hotel based on the approximate location to Nagoya Station and their daily breakfast buffet.  I’ve said it before and mentioned this in my  10 Things I Love About Japan post, that I absolutely love Japanese hotels. The hotels are so unique, they might be on the smaller side but have traditional Japanese bathrooms and modern furniture. Most hotels even have free bathroom amenities (combs, tooth brush, razor, etc..). One of my favorite aspects of the hotels are their breakfast buffets. Only in Japan (and probably other Asian countries), can you get fermented vegetables, a croissant, spaghetti, soup, eggs, rice and curry all in one sitting. Below are some photos of random breakfast plates we had. Must See Attractions and Sites in Nagoya Nagoya is a huge city, it’s Japan’s fourth largest city. The city has many different districts and neighborhoods. Thankfully most places can be reached by train or subway throughout the city. Several attractions and sites are spread out across the city. Jill and I tend to walk a lot, so many attractions we just walked to. I felt Nagoya to be very walkable. We only had about 2.5 days in Nagoya, which included our half day trip to Inuyama. But we saw many major attractions in Nagoya to include the Nagoya Castle, Toyota Commemorative Museum, and much more!  Nagoya Castle If planning to travel to Nagoya, make the Nagoya Castle a must. Nagoya Castle was our favorite site in Nagoya. Honestly, I felt this castle is more impressive then the Castle in Osaka. This castle is open from 9:00 am until 4:30 pm daily. It is closed on December 29 – January 1. Entrance Fee is ¥500 Nagoya Castle is not an original castle but has a very important history and is still regarded as one of Japan’s finest. Nagoya Castle was built in the year 1612 by the Owari Domain. During its reign of power, Nagoya Castle was one of the most powerful castles hosting one of the most important and powerful castle towns.  Unfortunately, the castle was destroyed by air raids during WWII. The main keep and palace were all completely ruined. The main keep and surrounding watch towers have been restored with steel reinforced concrete. The Hommaru Palace was rebuilt in 2018, visitors can now walk the extensive palace.  Visitors can walk the castle grounds, visit the palace, stroll through the gardens, and even visit a tea house for a traditional tea experience.  For more information regarding Nagoya Castle, I recommend visiting their  Website.  Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology Japan does museums right. They are generally cheap, informative, and interactive. To this date, I’ve enjoyed every museum I’ve visited while in Japan, but the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology might rank amongst my favorites.  This museum is ¥500 for adults, ¥300 for seniors and Junior/High School students, and ¥200 for Elementary students.  When you think of Toyota, you probably automatically think of cars. Actually, Toyota started as a company that built automatic looms.  The automatic looms were invented by Sakichi Toyoda. Sakichi’s oldest son, Kiichiro spent his childhood in the factory and learned many skills to include engineering. From here, Kiichiro’s passion began to evolve into motor vehicles, which eventually led to the Toyota Motor Corporation. So yeah, the automobile maker we all know as Toyota started as an invention of automatic looms by Sakichi Toyoda.  We spent well over two hours exploring the museum. It started in the Textile Machinery Pavilion, which had displays of the original loom and how it progressed as technology made further advancements. Many museum employees showed us demonstrations on separating and strengthening cotton and gave presentations on how certain machinery worked.  After visiting the Textile Machinery Pavilion, we made our way to the Automobile Pavilion. I very much enjoyed this section. The automobile portion had many interactive displays, you would press a button and it would show you the technology used to assemble a car. There was also many showcasings of cars on display, everything from Toyota’s first cars the A1 and G1, all the way to fancy and expensive sports cars.  Adding to the cherry on top, there is a violin playing robot at this museum near the entrance. He plays a several times a day, there is a schedule with the times. The partner robot played 2 songs and received a round of applause from the audience. Nagoya City Science Museum We visited the Science Museum on a snowy December morning. Because of the weather and it being a weekend, the museum was pretty crowded, mainly families with kids. The outside of the museum is pretty noticeable since there is a large circular structure in the center of the museum. This is actually the world’s largest planetarium. We decided to pass on the planetarium because I read reviews that it was only in Japanese, so I feel it would be wasted on us. Instead we just explored the exhibits on each floor and played around with the fun science experiments set up for visitors.  Osu Shopping District Osu Shopping District was a large arcade style street in Nagoya that we visited one evening. Compared to other arcade streets, this one was lively and the majority of the shops and restaurants were open. I always recommend checking out the covered arcade roads in Japan.  Shikemichi Shikemichi is a historic street near Nagoya Castle lined with old historical wooden buildings. During the construction of Nagoya Castle, a large castle town surrounded it, and Shikemichi was a district for merchants. A fire in 1700 destroyed a lot of this district, but the present day homes here date back to 1740.  Must Try Restaurants in Nagoya Miso is King in Nagoya. Miso is a sauce or seasoning that is created by fermenting soybeans with salt and grains. Miso compliments tonkatsu well, so misokatsu is found all over Nagoya.  Another popular and surprising popular food item in Nagoya was chicken wings. Chicken wings were found in almost all izakaya’s in Nagoya. Most places used their own seasoning. A tad salty but paired nicely with a cold beer.  Misokatsu Yabaton I read that you can’t leave Nagoya without trying Misokatsu. Misokatsu is a fried pork cutlet with a red miso sauce. Based on a quick Google search, we found Misokatsu Yabaton, which is considered one of the more popular chains around Nagoya. Their logo is a fun Sumo Wrestling Pig. We each ordered a misokatsu set with cabbage, rice, miso soup, and fermented vegetables. The misokatsu was excellent, we very much enjoyed our meal here. Yamachan Yamachan was recommended to me by a co-worker. This restaurant is known for their seasoned chicken wings. This restaurant is more of an Izakaya style, as they have many cheap small dishes that are meant for sharing. After walking all day, our appetites were large so we ordered wings, salads, fried pork, fried cheese, bean sprout stir fry, and gyoza. Everything we ordered was excellent, it was such a great experience. To be honest, I felt their wings were a bit to salty, still good but I found other items on their menu to be better.  Y Market Brewing I try to at least visit one brewery while visiting a new city in Japan. Breweries are still few and far in between in Japan, so it’s always a treat to find one. Craft beer here is not cheap, anywhere from ¥700 to ¥1200+ for a pint. I found Y Market on my Untappd app and we spend a few hours there sampling IPA’s. Their beer menu was heavy on the IPA’s, out of the 15 or so beers on they had, at least 10 of them were IPA’s, I’m wasn’t complaining. My favorite beer they brewed was the Lupulin Nectar Imperial IPA. I ranked it 4 out of 5 stars on Untappd. Side note, their beers are sold throughout grocery stores in Nagoya and are much cheaper. Y Market also serves food, we ordered a plate of their wings and I must say they were superior to Yamachan’s. Popular Day Trips from Nagoya If you travel to Nagoya, Japan, there is plenty to do in the city to keep you busy for a few days. Nagoya is also a great place to use as a home base and do day trips from. From old castles and shrines to potter footpaths and cat artworks, here are a few of my favorite day trips from Nagoya.  Inuyama If you are looking to venture out of Nagoya and see an original castle, I highly recommend a day trip to Inuyama.  A 30 minute train ride from Nagoya Station, visitors can find themselves at Inuyama Station. From Inuyama Station, it is about a 20 minute walk to Inuyama Castle.  Leading to the castle is Inuyama-jokamachi, a castle street lined with old homes turned into souvenir shops and local restaurants.  Inuyama Castle is Japan’s castle. Inuyama Castle was built in 1537 by Oda Yojirou Noboyasu, Oda Nobunaga’s uncle.  Inuyama Castle has seen several battles. During the Meiji Period in 1871, the government seized the castle and tore down many of the remaining buildings and structures. In the 1960’s, restoration began on the castle, bringing it back to life.  Today, visitors can go to Inuyama Castle, tour the main keep, walk the grounds, and get incredible views of the Kiso River and surrounding mountains.  Tagata Jinja Shrine If you are like me and enjoy bizarre attractions in Japan, I recommend a brief stop at the Tagata Jinja Shrine.  A visit to Tagata Jinja Shrine can be done as a day trip from Nagoya or added to a trip to visiting Inuyama

Up until 1609, Okinawa and the surrounding islands were its own country known as the Ryukyu Kingdom. In 1609, the Satsuma Domain from present day Kagoshima Prefecture invaded Okinawa. After the invasion, the Ryukyu Kingdom was considered a tributary state of Japan. The Ryukyu Kingdom at this point was still ruled by the royal family of Shuri Castle. In 1879, the Ryukyu Kingdom ultimately became a prefecture of Japan known as Okinawa Prefecture.  Okinawa has thousands of years of history. But during the 12th and 17th centuries (about 500 years worth of history), the Ryukyu Kingdom flourished during a time known as the Golden Age of the Ryukyu Kingdom. There are hundreds of historical and cultural sites around Okinawa. But in the year 2000, nine sites were combined into one by UNESCO. These sites were grouped under the name of the “Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu”. These Okinawa World Heritage Sites are scattered throughout the main island of Okinawa and include five castles, two stone monuments, and two cultural landscapes. A lot of research for this post was from the  UNESCO website and historical markers and signs from all nine sites we’ve visited.  **This post contains affiliate links. If you click on one of the links or banners throughout the page, whether it be TripAdvisor, Booking.com. Agoda.com, or any other affiliate, I might receive commission at no extra cost to you. For more information, you can visit my affiliate link page here. Thanks for the support! Katsuren Castle One of the more scenic castles, due to its locations is Katsuren Castle. Katsuren Castle is located on top of a hill overlooking the coast. Like many of the castles left of the Ryukyu Kingdom, only the walls and some foundation still stand.  According to  japan-guide, the castle was for Lord Amawari in the 15th century. He was considered a strong leader and defeated an opponent to take over the castle. Unfortunately, it seemed he got to greedy and tried attacking Shuri Castle, and Lord Amawari was defeated. Since Okinawa, is not that big, you would think that these war lords would unite together to defend against attacks from mainland Japan. But all these warlords who built these castles around Okinawa were at war with each other.  Admission for Katsuren Castle is ¥600 for adults and ¥400 for children.  Nakagusuku Castle Nakagusuku Castle, is located in the Okinawan district of Kitanakagusuku. The term “Gusuku” is Okinawan for castle or fortress. In the Japanese language a castle is referred to as “Shiro”. To visit Nakagusuku Castle there is an entrance price of ¥400, parking is free at least. This castle is open from 8:30 until 16:30.  Nakagusuku Castle was actually built as a defense fortress to block attacks from neighboring Katsuren Castle. The commander of this castle was Gosamaru, who was a lord at the time of the Ryukyuan Kingdom. In the year 1458, Lord Amawari actually defeated Lord Gosamaru at Nakagusuku Castle. Lord Gosamaru eventually committed suicide at the castle after killing his children and wife because he was being accused of rebellion by the king of the Ryukyuan Kingdom. Nakijin Castle The ruins of Nakijin Castle are located on the Motobu Peninsula of Okinawa. This castle was constructed in the late 1200’s.  This castle was a bit different then the others when it comes to history. I read that prior to the Golden age of the Ryukyu Kingdom, there was a period of civil war in the area that divided the Ryukyu Kingdom into 3 separate kingdoms. The 3 kingdoms were the Hokuzan, Chuzan, and the Nanzan. Nakijin Castle was part of the Hokuzan Kingdom but was taken over by the Chuzan Kingdom. After the reunification of the three kingdoms, Nakijin Castle was used as a residence.  Today, visitors can walk the grounds of the castle, view the gift shops, and try local food at some of the nearby stalls. Entrance to this castle is ¥400 and the hours are from 8:00 to 18:00.  Zakimi Castle Zakimi Castle is a very accessible gusuku (castle), located in Yomitan. This castle is located in a nice city park with plenty of parking and there is no admission to visit this castle. Zakimi Castle was built in the early 1400’s. It was built to protect the area from rebels located in northern Okinawa. During the war, this castle was used as an emplacement by Japanese forces. Later on, the US used it as a radar station. Like the other sites, Zakimi Castle now belongs to the Okinawa World Heritage Sites and has since been restored.  Shuri Castle Shuri Castle or Shurijo Castle is perhaps the most well known of the Okinawa World Heritage Sites. Shuri Castle was considered the palace of the Ryukyu Kingdom from the years 1429 up until 1879. This castle was heavily destroyed during the war. The castle was rebuilt many times. Sadly, the main hall of the castle and several other structures burnt to the ground on October 31, 2019. This is the fifth time in its history that the castle has succumbed to fire. Shuri Castle is currently being rebuilt and is scheduled to be complete in 2026. Shuri Castle was the site of residency by the royal family of the Ryukyu Kingdom. Shuri Castle was also the core site for religious activities in the area.  Today, visitors can freely walk the castle grounds. Many of the structures that are being restored are off limits, but visitors can watch the progression of the restoration taking place. Like many of the other Okinawa World Heritage Sites, the entrance fee to visit Shuri Castle is ¥400. Sefa-Utaki Sefa-Utaki is considered the Ryukyu Kingdom’s most sacred site. According to information read at the site, Sefa-Utaki includes six sanctuaries at this location. The “Oaraori,” was the most important ritual at the site. This ritual included an inauguration of the Kikoeokimi priestess. The Kings and Kikoeokimi would set off on a pilgrimage to Sefa-Utaki.  Two notable sites I found interesting were the Shikiyodayuru and Amadayuru Jugs. These jugs were placed perfectly below two stalactites. The water that dripped from the stalactites were collected in the jugs, this was their “holy water.” The second notable site was the Sangui, which is pictured above. This was the opening between two large rocks used as a place of worship.  Today, Sefa-Utaki is still a place of worship. Admission to the site was ¥300 per person. There is a parking lot near the visitor center. Visitors are required to walk a bit to the site and the trail to get to the sites was somewhat slippery.  Shikinaen Royal Garden Shikinaen Royal Gardens was considered the second residence of the Ryukyu Kingdom’s royal family. Shikinaen was a place for entertainment and relaxation.  Shikinaen was built at this location around the later half of the 18th century. Udun Palace, is a beautiful palace built in true Okinawan style that overlooks the pond. There are two bridges in the middle of the pond and a beautiful Japanese Garden surrounding the pond.  If you get lucky, there are traditional performances at Shikinaen. We had the opportunity to sit in the palace and listen to traditional sanshin music and singing. The sanshin is an instrument from Okinawa. Traditional sanshin’s consist of a body made from snake skin, a long narrow neck, and three strings (Sanshin = three strings). After the sanshin performance, we got to see a traditional Ryukyu dance known as kumi-odori.  Sonohyan-Utaki Stone Gate Probably the least exciting but just as important site is the Sonohyan-Utaki Stone Gate. I actually had to revisit this site as the first time, I just walked right by it without noticing.  The Sonohyan-Utaki Stone Gate was build in 1519 and was used by the royal family as a site for prayer. The king would pray here for safe travels when leaving Shuri Castle.  The architecture of the gate is unique. The design was common at the time in both Japanese and Chinese architecture. The gate was made using limestone from the area. During the war in 1945, the gate was severely damaged but has since been restored.  Tamaudun Royal Mausoleum Tamaudun Royal Mausoleum is  a mausoleum that was built in the year 1501, by King Sho Shin to re-entomb his father, King Sho En.  According to the museum at the location, there are three separate rooms at the mausoleum. One room was used to store the remains and wash the bones. The room located on the eastern side was created for the kings and queens, and the third room to the west was for the rest of the Royal family members.  The Mausoleum was almost entirely destroyed during WWII, but through restoration projects it has been almost completely restored.  Enjoying my photos and want to see more? Check out my Picfair Store. 📸   Plan Your Trip: 🗺️✈️🇯🇵  Booking Accommodations ⛺️🛖  For booking recommendations on the best deals and locations, check out Agoda or Booking.com Activities and Tours  🏖️🚁  Find fun activities and things to do through Tripadvisor. If you are looking for tours and day trips, Viator and Get Your Guide have a lot of great options.  In need of a car rental? 🚗🚘  I recommend checking with Rental Cars. Train Travel 🚂🚊  For the JR Pass, tickets can be purchased on the JR Pass site. 

Iriomote Island, is a remote island located in south-western Okinawa Prefecture. Iriomote is part of an archipelago known as the Yaeyama Islands. The entire island of Iriomote is a National Park, more then 90% of the island is covered in lush rainforests and mangrove forests. Being the second largest island in Okinawa Prefecture, after Okinawa Island, Iriomote only has 2,300 residents. The most famous resident that calls this island home is the Iriomote Wild Cat.  **This post contains affiliate links. If you click on one of the links or banners throughout the page, whether it be TripAdvisor, Booking.com. Agoda.com, or any other affiliate, I might receive commission at no extra cost to you. For more information, you can visit my affiliate link page here. Thanks for the support! Where is Iriomote Island? Iriomote is in Okinawa Prefecture and belongs to the Yaeyama Islands. The Yaeyama Islands are a chain of islands that can be found in Okinawa’s western most side. In fact, Iriomote is closer to the country of Taiwan then the main island of Okinawa.  Getting to the Island of Iriomote Although Iriomote is a remote island, getting here is a breeze, especially if  you live in Okinawa.  Iriomote doesn’t have its own airport, in fact this island can only be reached by boat. Thankfully, the island of Ishigaki has a new airport that is a quick 40 – 50 minute flight from Naha. Flying into Ishigaki was breathtaking during the day, you get incredible views of the coast and coral surrounding the area.  For the first time since being in Japan we flew Solaseed Air, which is a Japanese regional budget airline. I’d have to say, both Jill and I were very impressed with this airline. The seats were cushiony and I actually had quite a bit of knee room. Peach Airlines could really take a lesson from Solaseed Air.  After landing in Ishigaki, take a bus to the ferry port. The bus system worked out nicely, the buses were cheap and arrived/departed often. Bus fare from the airport to Ishigaki port was ¥540 each way. Buses only take exact change, so make sure to set that amount aside right away.  Ishigaki had a real nice ferry port, full of vendors and information stalls. You can grab a lunch here or browse the souvenir shops.  There are two ferries that traverse between the islands of Iriomote and Ishigaki,  Anei Kanko and Yaeyama Kanko. By selecting the link, you can view the ferry timetable and prices. Prices were ¥5170 Roundtrip. There are two ports on Iriomote, Ohara Port and Uehara Port.  Our hotel was near Uehara so we took the ferry to this port, it was around 50 minutes. Note, this ferry does get cancelled often due to weather, so the ferry might change route and go to Ohara. Amazingly enough, the ferry services provide free shuttle buses on Iriomote that generally drop you off at your hotel. Another warning, the ferry ride was a wild ride, so if you tend to get sea sick easily ( I loved the bumpy ride, but someone else wasn’t as thrilled as I was) either take Dramamine or a puke bag.  Once on Iriomote, talk to the ferry service help information desk and they will hook you up with a shuttle to your hotel, if it is not already provided.  Must Visit Beaches on Iriomote We stayed on a peninsula just north of Uehara. The deciding factor for this location was Hoshizuna Beach. Jill knew of this beach as it is famous for its star shaped sand. We stayed at Pension Hoshino Suna, which was a hotel right on the beach. Star sand beach wasn’t the only beautiful beach we were able to visit from the hotel. We found ourselves walking Nakano Beach and Tsukigahama Beach on the northern peninsula. Hoshizuna Beach (Star Sand Beach) Scoop up some sand, look closely! In the mix, there are tiny pieces of sand that are in the shape of  stars. Hoshizuna Beach, is one of Japan’s most popular beaches for this reason. In fact, there are only two other beaches in the world where you can find star shaped sand.  The star shaped sand is created by tiny organisms that are unicellular known as Foraminifera. Like other shells and organisms, once the foraminifera passes on, its shell washes ashore.  Many visitors come to this beach and automatically start collecting sand. But there are other activities that can be done on Hoshizuna Beach. Even in November, when we were here, the water was warm enough for swimming. We brought our snorkel equipment and spent an evening snorkeling. While snorkeling, we saw beautiful coral, a few spider conchs, sea slugs, and some new (to us) fish species. Ever since moving to Okinawa, and snorkeling I’ve noticed how much personality fish have. There were some large fish that would follow us the whole time, it was fun hanging out with them!  We spotted a hermit crab without its shell. The end part of the hermit crab is very soft, making the vulnerable without their shell. We kindly found shells around the beach and placed them near him so he would have real estate options. No idea which home he eventually decided on.  One more thing. While walking toward Nakano Beach, Jill found a Glass Float! I’ve never heard of glass floats before coming to Okinawa. A glass float is basically a glass ball full of air that were used to keep fishing nets afloat in Japan. They were in production in the early 1900’s and stopped around the 1960’s and 70’s. This means, the glass float we found could potentially have been floating around for over a hundred years. They are rare to find, they don’t look like anything spectacular, but still an awesome souvenir.  Nakano Beach Nakano Beach is walkable from star sand beach. This beach was far from touristy but stretched for miles it seemed. We walked for hours on this beach looking for shells, floats, and gazing out at the blue waters. I renamed this beach to Large Shell Beach, as we found so many clams and spider conchs that were enormous, far to large to pack in our suitcases. The only negative thing about this beach was the trash. Since it opens up to the East China Sea with nothing but open ocean, a lot of trash gets washed up here. I looked at many of the bottles washed ashore and they were all from China.  Tsukigahama Beach Perhaps the greatest walking beach my feet have ever felt. The sand on Tsukigama Beach was so soft and soothing, I could have walked here from morning until evening. There was no trash here, hardly any shells, just sand, lots and lots of sand. The scenery here was amazing as well, the beach was in a cove like area surrounded by smaller islands, forests, and mountain peaks.  Wildlife The Iriomote Wild Cat “Iriomote Yamaneko” – This is the Japanese name for the Iriomote Island Wild Cat. The Iriomote wild cat is only found on Iriomote island and unfortunately, there are only about 100 of them alive today. The Iriomote cat was discovered in 1965. The Iriomote Wildlife Conservation Center website has a lot more information regarding the Iriomote Cat. According to their website, the Iriomote cat is described as having round ears with white spots behind them and white fur around the eyes. The cat has a flat nose and bushy flat tail. The cat is fairly small, about 3-5 Kg in weight and around 50-60 cm in length. Of course, on our trip we didn’t see the Iriomote wild cat. They are nocturnal, territorial, and like any cat, they like to hide. Our tour guide for the kayak trip we did, has lived in Iriomote and seen the cat twice, both times by driving at night along the main road. Iriomote Island has done a phenomenal job when it comes to protecting the wild cat, at least when it comes to awareness and making the roads as safe as possible for the kitty. There is basically one main road in Iriomote, connecting Uehara and Ohara. Along this road there are underpasses so the cat can freely walk under the road. There are also zebra-pattern rumble strips all along the road. When cars drive on the rumble strips, the noise is supposed to scare the cat from the road. There are also warning signs all along the road, not to mention the speed limit is only 40 kph or about 25 mph. Coconut Crab This crustacean we actually did see, not once but three times! I’ve yet to see one on the main island of Okinawa, but have been searching for them. Alas, we saw one the first night walking back to the hotel from a local Izakaya. The coconut crab is considered the largest land crab in the world, weighing up to 9 lbs., these guys are built like tanks. Color wise, they can be brown and deep purple, the three we saw were all purple. They are considered scavengers and eat whatever they can get. I’ve heard they will dig through trash cans on the island and eat rice and other scraps of food that gets thrown out. They seemed to be camera shy, very hard to get good pictures of them at night. They would slowly back away into the grassy area when they heard the shutter of the camera. Utara Coal Mine Out of the 3 days we were here, we had a free day and walked from the hotel to the Utara Coal Mine Ruins. It was an hour walk from the hotel, but once at the trail head it was about 20 minutes to the ruins.  Coal was discovered along the Utara River in 1935 and a year later mining began in the region. The Utara Coal Mine was the largest in Iriomote. After the war, the mine closed down due to lack of resources and need. In 2007, the ruins became a Heritage of Industrial Modernization in Japan. The ruins are accessible by a 1 km trail, once at the end the trail it became a boardwalk where visitors can walk enjoy the sites of the jungle taking over the ruins without walking through the swampy mangroves. Kayaking and Trekking to Pinaisara Falls Visitors come to Iriomote for the nature. It’s an outdoorsman’s paradise! Iriomote Island offers snorkeling, scuba diving, caving, trekking, kayaking, etc.. The island is rural, so a great way to explore the beautiful nature is via a reputable tour company. We booked a kayak and trek tour to Pinaisara Falls through Kazaguruma Tours.  This tour company was great! They picked us up from our hotel and supplied us with gear, food, transportation, and the guide even spoke English, which was great because I had so many questions about Iriomote. It was forecasted to rain the entire day of the tour and it did rain for the first hour. Afterwards, we got lucky as the weather cleared up.  The tour started with a 45 minute kayak trip up the Mare and Hinai Rivers toward Pinaisara Falls.  The rivers were lined with beautiful mangrove forests. Our guide explained to us that Japan had seven different types of mangroves and Iriomote is the only place in Japan that has all seven types in one location.  After about 45 minutes of kayaking, we got our first glimpse of Pinaisara Falls. Pinaisara Falls is the tallest waterfall in Okinawa Prefecture.  Once the kayaks were docked, the trekking to the top of the falls began. The trek was about 45 minutes to the top. Although a short trek, it was steep and definitely no walk in the park.  We finally arrived at the top of Pinaisara Falls and were rewarded with incredible views of the distant beaches and jungle mountain tops.  Our guide was great and cooked us hot bowls of Okinawan Soba while we explored a bit. Soba is a type of