Zamami Island = Moped Bliss

Moped Bliss

Well, I'll start off with an image of the beautiful moped that I drove around the island of Zamami. When I first thought about living in Japan I sort of imagined myself owning a moped like this one, cruising the narrow streets of the small island town. I didn't realize a.) how big that island was b.) how bad Okinawan drivers are c.) how often it rains.  So, I do not own a moped like the one pictured above, however, I got to follow Jonah on one through the streets of Zamami for two days of bliss : ) He had a blue one. It was fun.

So, how we got to this cool spot on the beach with our mopeds will be the end of the story, well of part 1 anyways. First I'll give you the details of how we got to this picture.

The Japanese program we watched on the ferry.

We wanted to get away to an island and after a friend's advice, I got MCCS Tours + to translate for a reservation on the ferry and hotel for us. In case you were wondering we took the "Ferry Zamami" from Tomari Port. We stayed at Cat's Inn Kerama, which I would not recommend unless you are the adventurous type and appreciate not being in a tent. It's better than the hotels with tatimi mats for beds, but not as good as some of the pricer, western-styled ones. I really liked the place (mostly the price) but I have to say that the food was very foreign, which is not usually a problem for us, but lets just say we weren't served sushi. It was some kind of fried minnow-like fish (what Americans would call "bait") with sauteed onions. Not good for a pregnant woman. But, there were side dishes I liked, as well as a good breakfast in the morning (I think they noticed the westerners at dinner that night) with eggs and toast. The staff was friendly and room clean.

When we arrived on the island we rented our mopeds and asked for a lunch recommendation. The local told us about this place, which turned out great! And it was packed with locals, which is always a good sign. I really liked the atmosphere and view of this place, which overlooked the port bay. I know sometimes you guys like to see the Japanese food these kinds of places serve, so here ya go.

Jonah finished of the sashimi in the middle before I got a picture, but the other stuff you see is soba noodles, miso soup and some kind of noodle stir-fry. It was delish. By the way, you might notice there's no spoons. After the waitresses kept forgetting my spoons I one day wised up and realized you don't use them here. You use your chopsticks to pick up the noodles and slurp them up. Then you just drink the broth out of the bowl (like I do the milk when my cereal's gone...). TMI?

The town was really cute and so much easier to navigate than Ie Island. For starters, there actually was a town. Ie island buildings were spread out and did not have many dining choices. This island seemed a little more developed in the sense that you could easily walk from the port to restaurants, hotels and moped rentals.

It's a shame I can't read kanji.

So with our luggage at the hotel and food in our stomachs we set off to explore the island. Unfortunately, the map was in Kanji, but pictures alone get you pretty dang far. Jonah was the master navigator and helped us stick to the outlying roads so that we could circle the island and learn where everything was. It was this way that we found the glorious beach we snorkeled at the next day, along with some picturesque scenic spots that will be included in the Part 2 post.

Check back soon for Part 2 and have a great week! : )