New Friends in Okinawa

I just spent the past two days on a beach! Not what we planned for when mapping out our trip to Japan, but no complaints here.

From Nagoya we took a plane to the main island of Okinawa, then another flight to Ishigaki-jima, then we hopped a ferry to Iriomote-jima, a remote jungle island where John and I did some snorkeling a year ago. Because I didn’t bother to bring my contacts to Japan, the snorkeling was a little blurry for me this time, but still a lot of fun. I spent more time lying in the sand (with plenty of shade and sunblock), reading my book and listening to the ocean. I also met some new friends!

This is Dwight. He was pretty shy, but I thought he had a lovely shell.

Next I met Fusako-san. She crawled around on John’s hand for a while, before falling off the edge. (She was fine.)

This is Goro, who wasn’t shy at all. I loved his beady little eyes.

Then we have Chibi, who was almost the tiniest crab we found. (Photographed on John’s index finger.)

And finally, Stripy-kun! Who was very stripy.

All of these guys were extremely friendly and graciously tolerated our poking them and turning them upside down, so I think I’m over my fear of hermit crabs. They’re just too cute to be afraid of.

Now we’re back in Tokyo for the night, and tomorrow we return to the states. I really feel like I just got here, but surely it won’t be so long before I’m back for another visit. I’ve also got plenty of more photos to share once I return!

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