Discover Aka Island, Okinawa 🏖 Biking, Beaches & Local Delight

Hey guys, welcome to my channel Tokyo Foodie Sarah. In this video today, I'm going to show you my day in Aka Island, Okinawa. In my previous video, I showed you Zamami Island, a hidden gem of Okinawa Prefecture. In this video today, we're leaving Zamami for Aka Island, another gem in the Kerama Islands. I took the Mitsushima ferry to get to Aka Island. Me and my mum, we checked out from our hotel in Zamami Island, so we took our suitcases to Aka Island and put them in the lockers. If you have any luggages, you can put them in these lockers and I am here at 8.45 and they're all open. My medium-ish suitcase fits in perfectly into the 600 yen locker, but you need coins. This is the famous statue of Shiro, paired with Marilyn that we saw on Zamami Island. This symbolizes the touching story of their long-distance relationship across the islands. Shiro swam 3km from Zamami to Aka to meet Marilyn. To explore Aka, I rent a bike from the rental shop, Sho. You can also rent bikes from Sango Yuntaku. Biking is a fantastic way to see the island at your own pace. First stop, Aka Beach. This beach is like a piece of paradise with crystal clear waters, perfect for a swim or just relaxing. This is the Aka Beach and it is a walking distance from the port, so if you're not renting a bicycle, I think this beach would be a nice place to come to. Next stop is Nishibama Beach. The beach itself is serene and just breathtaking. So I rode the bicycle to this beach called Nishibama Beach and look at the clearness of water. Oh my god, it's so beautiful. There's this charming little hut right in front, offering a quiet place to chill. There was a lifeguard that was working out when we visited the beach. Look at this! I spotted a kerama deer. Deer. They're native to these islands and it's such a treat to see them in their natural habitat. I then headed to the Amakusuku Observatory. The climb is definitely worth it for the panoramic views at the top. Just look at this stunning view. The small streets in Okinawan islands are so unique and cute. Lunch time! Me and my mum, we decided to have some seafood rice bowl. So I got the three kinds of seafood donburi and this one is kajiki. It is swordfish and this one is squid and that's tuna. These have just been caught probably this morning at the port. I think. It doesn't say but I'm sure it is. I think the menu changes every day so this is the menu for today. Oh my god, that is like so fresh and that's so soft. Then I'll try the squid. I'm actually not a big fan of squid but when it's fresh, it's softer so I actually like it. Oh wow, that's so creamy. And then the swordfish. We then decided to go to another island called Geruma Island. It's connected by a bridge and offers a different slice of island life. Let's explore! I am currently on the bridge going to the Geruma Island. Riding on the bicycle uphill is very tiring so I decided to just walk and push my bike and it's a bit cloudy now but the view is still amazing. The ocean is very blue, turquoise. We made it to the other end of Geruma Island and if we go there, it leads to another island and there's the Aka Airport. Here at Takara Residence, a traditional Okinawan house, it's like stepping back in time. The Takara Residence on Geruma Island is historically significant, reflecting the rich cultural heritage of the Ryukyu Kingdom. The traditional red tiled roofs give you a feel for how previous generations lived in Okinawa. It's a beautiful representation of Okinawan heritage. These walls are made from coral. You can see the distinct pattern in some places. Admissions was 300 yen per adult. Back on Aka Island and I went to Hanna Cafe for a break after an intensive bike workout. It's refreshing and perfectly sweet, just what I needed after a day of exploring. I got my mango smoothie by the ocean. Oh my god, so nice. So dense. All that bike workout was worth it. By the way, my mom's having beer. At the end of the amazing day, I went back to Sango Yuntaku for some Shikuasa Blue Seal Ice Cream. It's a unique Okinawan citrus flavor that's absolutely delicious. It's so refreshing. For a detailed video on how to get around these islands from the main island, stay tuned for my next video coming up. So you guys, my time has come and I am going back to Naha, to the main island. My day in Aka Island has been amazing, it was very, very chill. Not that many people, not that many cars. I was on the bike for like 6 hours. It was great. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chill vlog and if you did, please don't forget to give it that thumbs up and subscribe to see more future videos about Japanese food and culture. Bye!