Today I'm going to finish my Okinawa mini-series! I'm a bit sad to see it end, after all this time I had wanted to write about it and here we are at the ending already haha! I will probably never see Okinawa again so these picture and memories are very special, I really hoped you enjoyed it as much as me.
The last post about Okinawa is about the Mihama American Village on the main island of Okinawa. It's a big tourist spot, but it is meant to serve the local population especially the American soldiers stationed in the many nearby bases. The American Village features a large outdoor shopping complex, restaraunts, movie theater and beach. It's all styled to feel like its from the USA, with products and foods that would appeal to Americans.
Getting there was rather tiring, it was a drive (and if you are from around my neck of the woods you know what "a drive" means) from our hotel. Bad traffic, stop lights, I drive in traffic everyday to work so I want to avoid it on vacation haha! But you can spend half a day there so it's not so bad overall.
The shopping complex to me had a strange look, very unique like mixing up southern California, Tuscan and fantasy. I'm not sure how to describe it, but it certainly didn't make me feel I was back in the Midwest haha. There's plenty of gift shops and boutiques to browse, there are also some shops selling vintage items from the USA like home decor items, knick knacks and toys. Of course I enjoyed looking at the vintage toys. It's funny to see the prices on items I normally find in the thrift shop :D
There are also many cafes and restaurants that serve American treats like hot dogs and hambugers. Me and my friend stopped into the Blue Ribbon ice cream shop and ordered some sweets with traditional Okinawan flavors. We also stopped at the Department store nearby to pick up groceries for the drive back to the hotel that would certainly be as long and trafficky haha!
There is also a large ferris wheel there which I'm sure offers some very lovely views of Okinawa and the ocean, but I didn't ride on it personally. Rather we spent a good chunk of time at Sunset Beach. It's a very nicely maintained beach that you can swim at, or enjoy from the terrace at the pub situated right on it. The beach in named for the lovely views as the sun goes down, I was there at sunset so I recommend being there at that time!
Well there's the end of my Okinawa trip, I did see some other things that I haven't mentioned, and overall I really recommend you take a side trip to Okinawa if you are seeing Japan it's well worth it. Coming up next I'm going to post about my current jewelry collection (as I got a request for it!) some reviews, and back to Tokyo with my Japan related posts :)
