This week's blog post needs no introduction! If you're in Oki and on Instagram, without a doubt, you know @stacebus. Stacey has been all over this island and has found many hidden jewels! When I reached out with her to collaborate on this post, I wanted her to share some outdoor spots that she loved. She messaged me back and said, "what about my Oki Bucketlist?". I about DIED of excitement that that's what she was going to write for us. Without further ado - here's @stacebus' Okinawa Bucket List!
Hi! I'm Stacey! Kellie is a good friend of mine from my island days, and one of my first dive buddies! It's been about a year since I have lived in Okinawa, but I miss it everyday and I am still very much involved with all things Oki related since starting the HungryOki page. A lot of people moving to Okinawa or who currently reside there ask me for advice, tips, and recommendations on places to see, things to do, and most importantly, what's on my Okinawa Bucket List.
The absolute must do’s in Oki by my standards include Anettaichaya Hammock Cafe, Akahaka Beach in Nakijin, scuba diving or at least snorkeling the Blue Cave at Maeda Point, Cape Kyan’s rope swing tide pool (please only attempt at extreme low tide and with water shoes, only go to this area if you have permission), Bios on the Hill or Ryuku Mura are great cultural experiences if you wanna learn some Oki history, get a giant boat of sushi at Yoshihatchi Sushi Bar, catch a sunset at Toguchi Beach or Mermaids grotto and if you can - get in at least one sunset swim, hike Hira Falls, Mt. Katsuu, and Mt. Motobu Fuji, stay in or tour a Tree House.
There is one in Nakijin, there is the Treeful Treehouse hotel in Nago, and another one in the Yambaru Discovery Park that is available for walk through tours only. Shuri castle was once Oki’s crown jewel. Sadly, it is being rebuilt after burning down last year so in it’s place I recommend visiting at least one Okinawa temple or shrine. For shrines I recommend taking a hike through Onoyama Park, a place full of beautiful torii gates or Naminoue Shrine in Naha. For temples I recommend Sairaiin (Daruma Temple), Banshoin, & Futenmanzan Jingu-ji Temple. Okinawa World and the aquariums are also on the must do list, even though they are incredibly touristy. I highly encourage attending any festival you can in Oki. Especially the lantern festival and world’s largest tug of war.
The ziplines in Onna are definitely in the top of that Oki bucket list. The Panza zipline at the Sheraton is a short but sweet ride over crystal clear and water and totally affordable. You can even splurge and buy the drone video they’ll take of you and your zipline buddy. Across the street is the Onna Glass Workshop. For a fun rainy day activity, you gotta check out the far back of this store for a surprisingly trippy Mirror Maze in the back! The Forest Adventure Zipline is for the ones who want a legitimate zipline obstacle course and I highly recommend it. The bonus ending, if you are feeling extra adventurous, is not for the faint of heart so if you are an adrenaline junkie - you definitely need to do this!
Onna is full of resorts, the Kafuu Resort is right in there with a rooftop infinity pool that is free to swim in if you eat at their pricey, but well worth it, cafe: BBQ Blue. The view is out of this world, you can even see the Sheraton zip-line from the roof. Hale'aina Hoa, 808 poke bowls, Cafe Swell, & Gome are just a few of the cafe gems you’ll find in this area. The best thing about Okinawa is that each village is jam packed with amazing new things to do and try - there is never any shortage on things to do in Oki, you just gotta know where to go. If you follow people like Kellie and I on social media - we’re always willing to help out.
