Zamami is another small island in the Southwest of Okinawa main island, belonging to the Nansei Shôto like Tokashiki. It is supposed to be a snorkeling paradise as well with sea turtles and from January through March whales are often spotted near Zamami. I arrived in Zamami in the evening and got a list with accomodations at the ferry port. The only one mentionned in the guidebook was again a bit pricey, so I looked for a cheaper alternative and found "Yuyu". The room was quite like the one in Tokashiki and just half the price. But there was nobody except for me staying there. I didn't have a library at hand and was too tired to read my Japanese textbook, so I got really bored. Walked around the village and found this small pizzeria where I was the only guest too. The pizza was good, but of I felt even more bored. I decided to take the ferry backt to Naha the very next day, this island was just too quiet for someone travelling on her own.
After dinner I continued my tour of the village (it's not a very big tour, really, just a couple of small stre
ets). I walked by this house that looked a bit like a barn. And there were quite a few people sitting outside, having a barbecue party. They immediately invited me to join in and the evening got really funny. The place was "Akabana", a laid-back hostel and really the only place on Zamami where some fun is going on.
ets). I walked by this house that looked a bit like a barn. And there were quite a few people sitting outside, having a barbecue party. They immediately invited me to join in and the evening got really funny. The place was "Akabana", a laid-back hostel and really the only place on Zamami where some fun is going on. Well, instead of leaving the next day I ended up staying at "Akabana" for 10 days. It's people that make places, really.
I learned definitely more Japanese than I learned at school in the same period. There were usually 1 or 2 other Westerners, but most people were Japanese. I started hanging out with the staff and got free Japanese lessons on the beach. Nice surrounding can make an efficient learning environment, really! In the evenings I learned the more informal Japanese. My little book with the title "Dirty Japanese" was very popular as well by the way, just that they learned the English equivalents with it. I was being taught some interesting phrases as well. Guess what "o-shiri o misete, kudasai" means...
Besides studying and partying I also went hiking a bit and snorkeling of course. The nicest thing was to swim 
with the sea turtles. They are not shy and you can swim and dive with them. Ama beach where they are is pretty quiet because the snorkeling and also the infrastructure are not so good. But that is where the turtles are, so they don't get too much tourist distraction.
with the sea turtles. They are not shy and you can swim and dive with them. Ama beach where they are is pretty quiet because the snorkeling and also the infrastructure are not so good. But that is where the turtles are, so they don't get too much tourist distraction. The whale watching would be a great thing to do, but I have been there the wrong time of the year. You see picture of whales everywhere. Just feels a bit strange considering that they are being hunted and eaten here as well...
The time on Zamami was just great, both relaxing and educational.
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