Journey through Japan : Trip to Okinawa

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller

Before I share pictures and travel anecdotes about my trip to Okinawa, I want to share this.

This is extremely personal and honestly, I've sat here all day debating if I wanted to publish it or not. So, I'm sharing this because it's important to me and because I want to remember the way I felt when I had these realizations. Like I've written before, I blog because I want to recount my experiences when my mind no longer can.

This trip to Okinawa gave me so much more than a few good pictures and a sun tan. It showed me a part of myself that I've been unable to recognize for a long time.

If you're reading this, thank you for letting me share. But if you want to scroll down to where the pictures start, I understand.

The start of "this" ...

I spent the majority of my childhood on Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa, Japan. My Dad, now a retired fighter pilot, served two tours there. If you ask anyone in my family, they won't hesitate in telling you that Okinawa is our favorite place we've ever been stationed. It's island living, how can you not love it?

We moved stateside in 2005. I remember the day we left. I remember being terribly upset. I remember thinking then that I'd make it back one day.

So fast forward about 12 years, and here I am. I've spent the last year living on Japan's mainland teaching English to the most amazing group of junior high school students. I love my life on the mainland, but I've been looking forward to re-visiting Okinawa. If I'm being honest, coming here to teach English was my way of getting myself back to Okinawa. I figured if I could get myself to this side of the world, a trip to Okinawa wouldn't be difficult to make.

As my summer vacation approached though, I was hesitant on planning this trip. Part of me thought about foregoing it, saving the money and just staying local. I'm really glad I put those thoughts aside and committed to this, though. I learned so much about myself during these 5 days. It definitely adjusted my perspective for the better.

I booked my flight and hostel about a week in advance and then began to plan my itinerary. It didn't take me long to plan out my 5 days. There was so much I wanted to do and see.

Since I knew I wasn't renting a car, I had to plan everything by public transportation. If I ever come back to Okinawa, I'll either rent or hire a car service, because I'll be able to see and do so much more that way. For this trip, not having a car wasn't too big of deal, though. I was just excited to be in Okinawa. Being on the island was enough.

Coming back after all these years did feel like coming home. It was wonderful and bittersweet all at the same time.

Memories flooded back to me as I saw places and things I recognized. In a way it felt like I never left. But then, I started to realize that even though everything I remembered was still the same, I'm the one that had changed. I realized that the reason I loved the island so much is because of the lifestyle I had while I was living there. I was a kid. More so, I was a military dependent. My brother and I had the freedom of little responsibility and a schedule dictated by the school year. While my Dad worked and went TDY, my Mom chauffeured my brother and me around. There were trips to museums, parks, beaches, ... SO many beaches ... , hiking waterfalls, touring village theme parks, trips to the pool with friends, picnics, and more beach trips. Being stationed at Kadena Air Force Base was seriously the best.

So as much fun as it was to come back to Okinawa and re-visit places from my childhood, I quickly realized that no matter how hard I tried, I wouldn't be able to truly repeat the past.

Heartbreaking, I know.

For a long time I've thought about Okinawa as a place where my best memories are. I've always thought that if I could just go back ...

And if you look at a lot of the choices I've made in life, I've always been trying to get back to Okinawa. Take college for instance. I always tell people that I went to Huntingdon College to play tennis. While that's partially true, I really committed to going there because it was near Maxwell AFB. If I couldn't be back in Okinawa on Kadena AFB, being close to Maxwell AFB was an appealing alternative.

Making it back to Okinawa after all of these years was truly great. The island is beautiful, the people are kind, the food is delicious, and the sun does shine brighter. The greatest part though, was finally realizing what I've been struggling with for the past 12 years. For 12 years I've been trying to recreate the past. I've been so set in my belief that Okinawa is where my best memories are, that I haven't allowed myself to fully enjoy the rest of my life. After this trip, I realize how counter productive a belief like that is.

I also believe that I was given the unique opportunity to see what it's like to actually get what you think you want. This is a realization I won't write about in detail, but just know that I am so thankful I didn't get what I thought I wanted. Promise.

Fortunately, I had these realizations early on in my trip. Once I acknowledged them, my approach changed. I ditched my itinerary and decided to just go with it. Honestly, I remember thinking at one point, I'm ready to go home. Part of me meant returning to Fukuoka and my apartment. The other part of me meant returning to the USA ... I'm ready to come home.

I'm glad I came back. Indulging in nostalgia was fun, but I learned that it's not my reality anymore. I grew up. I changed. And I lost the privileges of childhood --- I'm not a military dependent anymore.

This was definitely another experience of adult "growing pains". And as painful as they were, I'm so glad to have had them.

And lastly, to all the people I crossed paths with on this trip, Thank you! Thank you for all the recommendations of places to see, restaurants to try, and things to do. Mostly though, thank you for a chance to speak in English at a native pace. You don't know how much that meant to me.

So, if I ever do come back to Okinawa, it won't be to relive the past. I'll be coming to enjoy what Okinawa is known for: beautiful beaches and local cuisine.

Thanks for the memories, Okinawa. Truly.

XOXO,
M

Here are my favorite pictures ...