This was originally a guest post on Lost in Travels. But as i’m suffering from a little bit of writers block i thought it would be nice to share this post with you guys.
1. Japanese Culture. I don’t know if you’ve ever travelled to Japan or met a japanese person (ok, you probably have), but they are the sweetest, most kind people i’ve ever met. If you look lost, they’ll lend a hand and even if they don’t understand you they are always happy to play charades with you! After visiting mainland Japan in December i realized that Okinawans are extra friendly, maybe it’s because of their way of life. You know the island life ;). I am from Puerto Rico, and all of my life i’ve been around the same kind of people and let me tell you it’s been refreshing to experience this amazing culture on a whole other level.
2. Exploring. Of course when you move into a new country, a new city, you are bound to explore your new home. Okinawa feels especially close to my heart because every time we jump on the car to a new destination we fall in love with this island even more. We’ve been here a little over a year and there are still new places to explore. From delicious restaurants, sightseeing, historical landmarks, flower festivals, beaches, hiking, there is just so much to do in this little island.
3. Beaches. For those of you that don’t know, Okinawa is a small sub-tropical island below mainland Japan. Known to the locals as “Japan’s Hawaii”. As an island girl myself, beaches make me feel at home, and because of this Okinawa has become such a special place to us. We always find a little bit of home here. Plus, the beaches here are gorgeous! What’s not to love.
4. Flower Festivals. Okinawans are all about celebrating the beauty of nature. During our time here we’ve visited the Sunflower Festival the Azalea Festival and the Lily Festival, but believe it or not there are others. Like the Cherry Blossom Festival (i can’t wait to visit this one at the beginning of next year), the International Orchid Show, the Okinawa World Flower Festival and there’s even a private Hydrangea Garden that’s now opened to the public. These festivals are always filled with food stands, music, ice cream and of course beautiful flowers for days. These flower festivals are one of my favorite things about Okinawa and I plan on visiting them all before we leave 😉
5. Food. This is a pretty obvious “pro” of living in Japan, i mean what’s better than enjoying authentic Japanese food. Among these delicious foods are: Ramen, Fresh Sushi, Japanese Curry with White Rice and Soba. Forget those disgusting “instant noodles” this is the real thing!! Plus you can master the art of eating with chopsticks!! Not only have we been exposed to Japanese food, but also to other types of food from this side of the world. I would’ve never thought i’d be eating Mongolian food!! Haha Also, my favorite restaurant here is this little Thai place only a few minutes from our house, i swear i would eat there everyday if my husband would let me!!