Azusa's friend, Mariko, was getting married and we were invited to attend; not just anywhere but Japan! The timing was right and I guess we were due for a visit anyhow so we threw in a diving trip to the Okinawa Islands just for kicks! Always a pleasure to visit Japan!
Tokyo, Japan
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| Getting in to Tokyo |
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| Dining with Azusa's parents at a yakiniku restaurant |
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| Drinking at a neighborhood bar |
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| At a mall in Harajuku |
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| Scary marketing for a scary movie |
Wedding at Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo At Chinzan-So
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| The groom serving us beer |
Around the neighborhood
A Night Out with Azusa's Friends
To Okinawa, Kerama Islands!
Aka Island
We stayed at Aka Island to dive for two days. The island's population is just under 300 people! It was like we had the island to ourselves; we walked around it in just about 15-20 minutes!
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| Super clear sea |
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| Just us and the owner at the bar |
Let's Go Diving
Lucky for us, it was our dive master and us two for the day. We did not see a single diver in sight. The ocean was ours and it was so clear we could have stayed forever. This is going to be a hard one to beat.
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| Fuzzy Orangutan Crab |
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| We swam through some caves and openings |
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| Lobster |
We took a lunch break and had pasta and pizza.
Exploring the Island
We had another perfect day of diving. This time we saw a reef shark hiding under a rock and it was a pretty good size! We also saw a big cuttlefish just hovering around us.
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| Our first reef shark! |
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| Cuttlefish |
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| We had another diver with us today |
After our dives for the day, we rented bikes to explore around the island. A beautiful ride!
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| View from the top of the bridge |
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| Cucu Ruru Dive Shop |
The next morning we got on the big ship to Zamami Island nearby (because of travel route) to connect back to Naha for our flight back to Tokyo. Aka Island was so amazing and unspoiled it was unreal! We would love to go back for sure!
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| Shiro - the famous dog known for swimming back and forth between the islands to meet his girlfriend |
At Zamami Island, we had a few hours to kill before boating to Naha so we got to explore that island a bit.
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| The most delicious yakisoba I've ever had! |
Naha was a busy town with bright lights and colorful shops all for the spending tourist. It was unique and some what different than Tokyo's own lights. The locals dress in Hawaiian shirts to work and everyone is a bit more relaxed; island living like Hawaii.
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| Alcohol with a deadly snake inside! |
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| Trying Okinawa's famous salt ice cream |
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| Snakes in jars |
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| Tram to airport |
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| Flying back to Tokyo |
Trip To Hakone
We got back to Tokyo and packed for the next morning for Hakone. Azusa's parents planned for us to visit Hakone and stay for one night. It was a relaxing trip and we got to bathe in the hot spring as well as be out in the country for the two days.
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| Getting lunch at the rest stop |
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| Historic Fujiya Hotel, late 1800s |
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| Police Station |
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| Inside the hot spring |
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| Our room |
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| Our tasty and delicious dinner |
The next morning, we stopped by the lake and Odawara Castle before heading home.
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| We rode the sky tram down the hill |
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| Odawara Castle |
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| Massive entrance gate |
Last Days In Tokyo
Before we left Japan, we got together with a bigger group of Azusa's friends to hang out at Yoyogi Park for a picnic and then had dinner afterwards. We drank and ate all day and night!
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| Rockabilly guys dancing at the park |
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| Snacks and drinks |
We spent the last few days with the family and a little bit of shopping around town. It's always been wonderful to go to Japan and I am humbled to receive such great hospitality from the family and everyone around. Thank you and see you all soon!
