Today we had a flight to catch but not until the afternoon so we walked back to the Totoro Cafe that we'd spotted last night. Outside we were greeted by Totoro, soot sprites and a breakfast menu.
Inside the Totoro theme continued and it also reminded me of the shops I used to enter in Final Fantasy 7 to buy potions. The owner was incredibly friendly and made us feel welcome as soon as we entered.
The breakfast here consisted of a thick slice of fluffy white toasted bread cut into eight tiny pieces and topped with egg and a drizzle of ketchup. With it came a really good coffee, the price was just 500 yen (about £3.65).
A quick dash back to the hotel after breakfast to collect our cases and we made our way towards Osaka station where we'd catch our train to Kansai Airport. Not far from Osaka station we passed through a shopping mall selling catering equipment and signage for restaurants. A takoyaki cooker was tempting but we had a flight to catch.
We did stop briefly at Namba Parks, a massive shopping mall with gardens on the roof. We relaxed with a plum wine in the gardens before catching the train back to Kansai Airport.
We checked in for our flight to Okinawa and whilst waiting to board I enjoyed this pork and egg sandwich. The pork was in a tonkatsu sauce and the egg had so much flavour, a Japanese sandwich never disappoints!
Return flights from Osaka to Naha in Okinawa cost £156 per person and the flight time was 2 hours. We were quite surprised to see we'd be flying there on such a large plane, a Boeing 777.
We bought some of these on the plane, sweet star shaped drops that melted as soon as you put them in your mouth. Quite fun to eat but they would definitely disappoint if you were feeling hungry!
Once in Naha we caught the monorail from the airport, it offers a frequent link to the city and is really cheap to travel on. It travels frequently through the city from 6am till 11.30pm and goes as far as Shuri Castle.
We were only spending one night in Naha before catching a ferry to the island of Tokashiki. We would be returning to Naha again later in the trip though. Red Planet Hotel was conveniently located close to the ferry port, a double room here cost £56 per night.
We'd asked where the best area to eat was in Naha and the guy on the hotel reception suggested heading to Kokusaidori Street as there were so many restaurants there. When we arrived though it felt so touristy with menu wielding staff trying to entice you into their restaurants. We searched for somewhere to eat for quite a long time before finally choosing somewhere.
The local Okinawan beer is Orion.
Whilst ordering food I noticed a giant jar of Habushu (snake sake) beside the bar. I didn't try any but later noticed it for sale all over Naha.
I definitely made a good choice by ordering this Akahachi soba. A spicy Tonkotsu based broth containing soba noodles, beansprouts, green onions and deep fried chicken. The bowl was huge so I didn't need to order anything else after eating this, really delicious!
Just off Kokusaidori Street we found a huge network of covered shopping streets which housed a huge food market in the centre. A fascinating area to explore but shortly after we arrived many places were closing so we decided to return here again later in the trip.
Back on Kokusaidori Street we were lured into the souvenir shops where it was possible to sample all the cakes and biscuits.
I ended the night with a snack from 7-Eleven. My wife reminded me that it was not a snack but actually an entire meal. Ok, I guess she had a fair point!
Click here for Day 5
Tokashiki
I know exactly what you mean by Kokusaidori Street being touristy - I always take hours trying to find somewhere to eat there.
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