Japan - Day 9

Moving day, so we were up early.

I decided to try the katsu curry for breakfast - well it wasn’t there by accident, so must be a valid breakfast meal.

Before heading off to the airport we went for a walk around Shuri Castle. It is a significant tourist attraction in Okinawa, within walking distance from hotel. But to be brutally honest. fell well short of the equivalents in Osaka or Nara.

We refilled the hire car after all of the driving - maybe 350km - which at an average of 30km/hour really was significantly more driving over the few days in Okinawa than it would first appear. The petrol bill for all of that driving was still under £20. I was pleasantly surprised.

As we leave Okinawa it’s time to reflect - what really stood out for me is that Okinawa really does have a significant US military presence - something like 80% of the US presence in Japan. Huge bases and loads of aircraft in the air. It’s most certainly significantly shaped the island, such that it doesn’t feel as Japanese as the rest of Japan. I love seeing all the military hardware, but if I was Okinawan, I’m not sure how I would feel about it.

The flight from Okinawa back to Tokyo was uneventful.

Landing mid-afternoon into Tokyo worked well. We used the very handy and reasonably priced airport limousine bus to take us with 500m of our hotel. That last 500m was tough though, as it was when the wheel of my suitcase decided to pack up.

Our room at the Knot Shinjuku was just 14m2, it was tiny. No room in the room at all - thankfully we were there only to shower and sleep. It worked ok for the 4 nights. The area wasn’t that great either - I think preferred most of the other areas that we visited in Tokyo to Shinjuku.

Food that evening was pretty good - we found an excellent sushi place. Though meal prices had notably gone up since arriving in Tokyo - that said they were still very reasonable.

Katsu Curry

Naha Castle

Naha Castle

Naha Airport

Naha Airport

Worlds Smallest Hotel Room