I was up and out at 5a.m and got the airport very early. Was pretty shattered after my two hours sleep in the grot hole the previous night.
I was pretty excited about my 7 days in one place and was praying for nice weather. I knew there was a Typhoon brewing and there was a threat to Japan (and Miyakojima).
I did not know a Hurricane and Typhoon were the same thing, just the location is what differs between the two. The idea of being in one was not terrifying but quit exciting! I did read some American’s guide to being in a Hurricane situation (his tips included throwing a party and getting photos at the sea wall), but not sure how wise his tips were.
The flight was a dawdle, I love domestic flights and it was only 1 hour 50. When we arrived it was great to see absolute gorgeous sunshine and beautiful scenery.
I have to say Accuweather has been ridiculous yet again this trip. When I went to Thailand for a month, it said thunderstorms every single day and I hardly saw a drop of rain. It has been very much the same in Japan, the weather has been amazing apart from one day of rain in Osaka.
I got the bus into the centre of town and given my concerns about the weather, I got in, dumped my stuff and got straight back out to enjoy the amazing sun. I decided to walk between a few beaches to see what they were like and get a feel for the place.
The beaches I saw were 13th and 14th in the list in order of quality and if they were that low down, the ones I was going to see in the coming days were sure to be spectacular. I walked a long way but the beach, the sea, the surrounding area is just paradise, and the weather was out to match!
The sun had been out all the time when on the mainland but I was not burning at all, and I mistakenly thought of the same on the island. I toasted a bit, when I got back to the hotel and in the room I could see I had caught the sun big time.
After a day of roaming about these amazing beaches, just taking it all in, I got showered, changed and headed out for dinner. The receptionist at the hotel, spoke next to no English and made it a test to check in (not difficult in all fairness, but a little test), however, somehow he did manage to must the word ‘lobster’ as I headed out for dinner (cheers mate).
Now in Japan, it is an art form to create plastic food to display dishes (I can’t remember the name of the tradition), so when you are in places where the English is not great, you can take a photo of the dish or the photo in the window and show the waitress. However, in Miyakojima, there were few photos, plastic art forms and even less English so it was a struggle. The one place with an English menu was rammed and I could not got in, so I ended up (after much walking), stumbling into an American Diner and having a burger. I was disappointed but at least I now knew my way around and I’d have to be a bit braver with food here I think.
So in day 1 I had rejigged my itinerary because of the amazing weather and ticked off two of the beaches I wanted to visit. I was praying the weather would hold up tomorrow.
Day 2 did not disappoint, the weather was again scorching (Accuweather not so accurate yet again). I headed to what was one of the main beaches Sunayama which was about a 40 minute walk.
The beach was just spectacular and this time, I spent a few hours there and went in the amazing sea. I made sure I used some cream this time but I am so careless with it I ended up with these weird blotches everywhere but hey ho. I whipped my waterproof camera case out again after purchasing in Egypt, another sound performance from this trusty accessory it has to be said. However, my trust levels were not exactly sky high so I had taken all the photos onto the laptop the previous night just in case.
There was a delightful moment, where over my iPod I heard ‘Arsenal Arsenal’. A French couple in their 60’s started chatting to me (he claimed to be an Arsenal fan from Paris) and I was chatting to them again in the sea. I had been there a few hours so I knew the waves were quite big even right by the end, but this French lady had not comprehended that. We were sitting at the edge when a wave came over, unfortunately for me and my poor eyes, the wave whipped the 60+ French ladies top off and the droopy french fancies were given the freedom of Japan.
I managed to find some shaved ice after having been getting withdrawals for 2 days, then I headed back into the hotel to get showered, changed and out for dinner. I accidentally brought a truck full of sand into the hotel room which I had to skilfully disperse around the room not to look so ridiculous when the maids come in tomorrow.
I managed to get into the restaurant I wanted to go to and played it safe with Pork stir fry, but I did spot some dishes I want to give a whirl including the Unagi Eel which everybody has been telling me to try and sashimi which is raw fish (I’ve had Sushi here but not Sashimi yet).
The hotel lift makes me laugh, I have seen a load of examples where the Japanese translate as they speak English. For example, in my Osaka hotel the instructions all talked about the Rights not the lights and in this hotel, a poster on the door revealed on the 4th and 7th floor were where the ‘bending machines’ were located.
Typhoon News – I am annoyed they did not name the Typhoon/Hurricane Angharad or something after my presence but it seemed it had already been named Goni. Jokes aside, it did claim 4 lives as it hit the Philippines (it has been graded a Super Typhoon), and Japan is still on the agenda for the weekend apparently along with South Korea.
‘The current path of Goni puts the islands of Yaeyama and Miyako at greatest risk of enduring the most life-threatening impacts during the second half of the weekend. Destructive winds in excess of 160 kph (100 mph), rainfall topping 250 mm (10 inches) and an inundating surf will target these islands.’
So after reading that I think I will give the Typhoon party and trip to the sea wall a miss! To be honest though, I am still hopeful for another beautiful day tomorrow and then Sunday is what is pencilled in for Goni to hit Japan.
It is not just the islands, given it’s ‘super’ title it is expected to go through the mainland and even into China and Russia. I am trying to remember to keep an eye out on the Japanese Government site.
The good news is these things tend to whisk through (yes, they leave destruction) but it’s not a case of few days of typhoon. I am still hopeful at some point in my week I will get to visit the other beaches on my agenda. I am especially keen for Yoshino beach which is meant to be amazing for snorkelling with it’s shallow coral reefs.
