Honeymoon in Okinawa

[thdhulst]

Hi,

I'm planning our honeymoon in Japan in May. We're visiting Tokyo and Kyoto+surroundings and we would like to go to the Okinawa islands for water-sports and nature.

I've done some reading on the islands but can't decide where to go. Yakushima in the north looks interesting and so does Iriomote in the south. Does anyone have any recommendations? There are some restriction however:

- We're going in May, which appears to be the rain season. We're not expecting to be baked, but don't want rain every day either.

- Since we would only spend 4-5 days in Okinawa, we'd like to go somewhere which is easily accessible (less than a full day travel) from Tokyo or Kyoto (travel cost is important as well).

Any tips/thoughts and hotel recommendations are welcome!

Cheers,

Th.

[NNotzon]

Hi thdhulst,

Honeymoon in Oki sounds great! I used to live there as exchange student in 2006-2007, it was such a beautiful place full of vibrant culture and the warmest people you'll ever meet.

If you're going in the rainy season however you definitely need to do some extra planning. It's not just like normal rainy season in Japan. The winds in Okinawa are VERY strong so if you're carrying an umbrella it might very well get blown away plus Okinawa is prone to typhoons(...but that can all add to the adventure if you want it to...!)

Knowing how crazy this season can get, means you can be ultimately prepared. You should definitely check online when the rainy season is due to hit this year, I think I read somewhere it will be May 8 to June 23, but I could be wrong. You should also check with your travel agent what you can do as a tourist during this period.

Please see: http://www.okinawaforums.com/content/view/22/2/ and maybe http://outside.away.com/outside/destina ... 00113.html as they might help you understand a bit more about how the rainy season there might be and what you can do. I personally recommend Tokashiki island if the weather is good. It is absolutely stunning and if you are lucky, you might even spot a whale on the way (although I went there with my uni for a group trip, not sure how it works for tourists).

Hope this helps!

Take care.

Nancy