The summer season is just around the corner in 2019, the first year of the Reiwa Era! Have you all made plans for what to do during the long summer and Obon holidays? This time, we will focus on "Introductory Diving in Miyakojima" from "Okinawa and Remote Islands," which boasts overwhelming popularity in the "2019 Summer Vacation Popularity Ranking" announced by Activity Japan. Let's enjoy the sea, known as "the most beautiful in Japan," with our whole body.
The appeal of this plan is that you can enjoy snorkeling in both Kabira Bay and the Blue Cave, two of Ishigaki Island's most scenic spots. In addition, it also includes a course where you can play in the basin of a waterfall, which is a bit like canyoning, making it a fulfilling experience that allows you to fully enjoy the sea, river, and the natural beauty of Ishigaki Island. The experience fee for this is 6,000 yen (tax included) per adult and child, which includes not only the guide fee, but also the necessary items such as wetsuits, fins, masks, snorkels, amenities such as shampoo and conditioner, and a proper shower room, so it's a great deal. Another nice point for those who don't rent a car is that they provide a shuttle service within a 10-minute drive of the city hall in the city center. (Although it's hard to imagine what a 10-minute drive would be like on Ishigaki Island.)
Lake SUP is a casual experience that can be enjoyed on experience tours held at lakes all over the country, but the Fuji Five Lakes (Lake Yamanaka, Lake Kawaguchi, Lake Motosu, etc.) in the Kanto Koshinetsu area and Lake Biwa in the Kansai area are particularly known as popular spots for SUP (Stand Up Paddle). The benefits of enjoying it on a lake instead of the sea include the unique benefits of lake leisure, such as it's not salty, you don't get sticky even if you get wet, and there are no waves and the water surface is calm.
SUP is an abbreviation of Stand Up Paddle, and is a type of water sport that can be called "standup paddle board" or "standup paddle surfing" depending on the purpose and scene. Its origins are surprisingly old, and it is said to have first been developed in the 1960s by local surfers based in Waikiki, Hawaii, on flat days (a surfing term referring to days with no waves) as a marine sport that could be enjoyed while also training for surfing.
Located between the mainland of Kagoshima and Okinawa, this island, with its warm climate and untouched natural beauty, is also known as the "Galapagos of the Orient." You can enjoy spectacular scenery that you can't experience in the city, such as ria coasts, coral reefs, forests, virgin forests, and waterfalls. On the white sandy beaches, you can encounter various tropical fish and sea turtles while snorkeling and diving, and in winter it is also famous as a whale watching spot where you can observe humpback whales up close.
Up until now, we've been introducing tours that you can experience in the great outdoors, but this is the first time I've seen marine sports in the city like this. You can experience this at Tarui Southern Beach, located in Rinku Minamihama, Sennan City, Osaka Prefecture, south of Kansai International Airport! From around Umeda, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, it's just under an hour's drive. Looking at Osaka Bay on a map again, it seems that in a straight line, Universal Studios Japan and Kaiyukan are quite close to Kansai Airport. This got me thinking about what it would be like to go on a SUP...Hmm, if I try hard, maybe I can cross Osaka Bay and go to Kobe. But maybe that's impossible. Haha
We have decided to take a late summer vacation in September and our trip to Ishigaki Island has been confirmed! After making basic preparations for the trip, such as hotel, flight, and rental car, we have been comparing and considering many activity plans. The other day, Activity Japan posted a special article on a topic that is just right for me: "2018 Edition: Okinawa Ishigaki Island Snorkeling Experience Reservation Popular Ranking & Popular Shop List: Manta & Sea Turtle Snorkeling, Phantom Island Landing Plan, etc..." so I thought I'd check it out ◎
The tropical resort island of Miyakojima, Okinawa, is a hot travel destination for the summer vacation season of 2018. It has many scenic spots, such as popular beaches such as Sunayama Beach and Yonaha Maehama, and the 3,540m long Irabu Bridge that stretches to Irabu Island. It is the most popular remote island in Activity Japan, surpassing Ishigaki Island in the number of reservations for activities and outdoor leisure activities, and is approaching the main island of Okinawa. This page features the snorkeling experience, which also won first place in the previously announced Miyakojima Activity Ranking, and introduces basic information such as the popular plan ranking and a list of recommended shops. If you are planning a trip to Miyakojima in the summer of 2018, this is a must-see.
When I hear "troll," I think of the Dragon Quest monster Boss Troll, and it's fishing with a net. I never thought of fishing in Okinawa, but I think it's a pretty fun leisure activity. It's hard to believe that you can catch tuna, but it would be amazing if you actually did. I'd like to go to a sushi restaurant and invite my friends who only eat tuna. I'm also the type who wants to keep eating only the toppings I like, so I prefer sea bream over tuna. I wonder if I can catch sea bream too.
This is sea fishing in Minamichita! For those who don't know where Minamichita is. It is directly south of Nagoya, and Aichi Prefecture is shaped like a witch's profile, as we were taught at school when we were kids. This is right on the tip of that shape. (Sorry if that's hard to understand!) For Aichi residents, Minamichita is well known for Beachland (a facility with an aquarium and an amusement park), Green Valley with its barbecue facilities and large athletic facilities. Oh! Speaking of which, I experienced something like bungee jumping at Green Valley two years ago. It is one of the popular areas in the Tokai region where you can enjoy nature, such as seafood gourmet, fruit picking, and stretching your legs to enjoy art on remote islands. Minamichita has the best of both worlds, so you can enjoy sea fishing as well as other facilities.
I'm sure there are many people who have never heard of the activity Marine Walk. It's a marine sport where you can walk underwater using a special helmet, and it's also called sea walking. It kind of makes you feel like an astronaut, doesn't it? You're wearing a swimsuit, though. Surreal. It's okay even if you can't swim, but I think people who can't swim might be scared of this. Most of my friends who don't like the ocean can't swim, and I don't think they want to do it. I'm worried about whether there is enough oxygen to breathe safely. Even I, who can swim, am rather worried. Anyway, it's a game where you can enjoy the underwater world even if you can't swim.
Hello to everyone reading Activity Japan! Time flies and July is already coming to an end in 2018, and our family's first trip to Ishigaki Island, scheduled for September, is fast approaching ♪ Hotels, planes, rental cars, etc. We have made thorough preparations in advance using a package tour from a travel agency, and have been researching what to do during our stay in Ishigaki Island, marine leisure, and activities. This research blog recently reached its 10th installment, so I would like to take this opportunity to look back on the plans that caught my eye. In fact, there are some plans that I have already booked, but there are also some plans that I will probably be agonizing over until the very last minute. Time and budget are limited, so I will be sure to check them out. I will be archiving previous articles, so if there are any titles that interest you, please check them out.
I have a friend who is a big fan of kayaking, and as I kept hearing about its charms, I started to become quite interested. I wonder if this is what they call brainwashing. It's dangerous if you don't have a strong will. It's really easy to slip into an opening when you're weak. But I think kayaking is really great and seems fun. By the way, my friend said something like "Now I've practically got a girlfriend." Apparently if you have a kayak, you can get a girlfriend. Well, my friend is pretty good looking, though. I guess it all comes down to looks.
I found out about it in an Activity Japan newsletter a while ago, but fishing in Okinawa is hot right now. It seems that fishing plans that are a little more light and fun than typical fishing are gaining popularity among tourists. I'm not usually interested in fishing, but after seeing the feature, I remember being a little interested, so I'm thinking of trying it out on my trip to Ishigaki Island. It seems that beginners, groups of women, and families with children can easily participate. And fishing in the emerald green sea is bound to be fun, whether you're interested or not. So I found a plan that I recommend!
The Blue Grotto is really popular! You might think that the Blue Grotto is in Italy, but there is one in Okinawa too. I have dived in the Blue Grotto before, so I can confidently recommend it as an experienced person. When I experienced it, it cost about 9,500 yen, so it is much cheaper to use this plan. What's good about this plan is that it is a boat entry. It is a course where you can go to the diving point by boat. There are so many tours and packages for diving in the Blue Grotto that it's hard to decide which one to choose, but I think the boat entry is quite attractive. The tour I participated in was a beach entry, but it was very hot and difficult to walk up the stairs to the beach wearing a wetsuit, carrying a tank on my back and carrying weights.
The Chichibu region of Saitama Prefecture is an area in western Saitama surrounded by mountains. It is a famous tourist spot chosen as a travel destination because of its delicious gourmet food, many noteworthy tourist spots, and spots where you can enjoy nature such as river rafting, rapids rafting, and hiking. Various efforts for tourism by the Chichibu Railway and Seibu Railway, and very good access from the Kanto area, have led to an increase in the number of people making day trips. As it is located in the upper reaches of the Arakawa River that crosses Tokyo, Kanagawa, and Saitama, the flowing river is beautiful and it is an ideal environment for water sports. Nagatoro, which is a little further inland than Chichibu, is surrounded by even more abundant nature and is truly worthy of being called a hidden place. And various river activities are attracting attention in Nagatoro, making it the perfect place to play in the river. In this article, we will explain a plan for kayaking in Nagatoro, which even beginners can enjoy safely, and where you can fully enjoy the nature in the mountains.
Aragusuku Island (Panali Island), which belongs to the Yaeyama Islands and consists of two islands, Shimoji Island and Kamiji Island, does not seem to have any regular ferries, so the only way tourists can land on the island is by taking a boat with an activity experience plan like this. There are about 10 residents living quietly on the island. When we arrived at the island, we found an amazingly beautiful sea and sandy beach, and it looks like we could have fun snorkeling, exploring, or just floating around! The scenery with nothing but sea, sky, and sand looks amazing! Also, it is called the "Island of Fish Legends" and the "Island of Gods", and the sea boasts outstanding transparency, and it seems that you can enjoy a spectacular underwater world with tropical fish and beautiful coral reefs!
Until I decided to go to Ishigaki Island and looked into various information, I assumed that "trips to Ishigaki Island and trips to Iriomote Island are separate", but it turns out that it takes as little as 30 to 40 minutes to get to Iriomote Island's Ohara Port by direct high-speed boat (ferry)... It also takes about 50 minutes to get there by boat via Taketomi Island. I think a lot of people don't know this. Maybe it's just me lol. The fare is 1,570 yen one way and 2,980 yen round trip for adults (12 years old and over), and 790 yen one way and 1,500 yen round trip for children (6 to 11 years old).
Chichibu in Saitama is a popular place with many elements as a travel and tourist spot, such as promoting tourism through TV commercials, being a sacred place for anime works, a shrine famous as a power spot, and many fans of the Chichibu Railway steam locomotive train. It is easily accessible from Tokyo and other parts of the Kanto region, and is surrounded by mountains and rivers, so it is popular among outdoor enthusiasts, especially in the summer season. Grandex Nagatoro Base, which offers plans for the theme of this article, ``SUP,'' is located in Nagatoro Town, Chichibu. Nagatoro is an area rich in nature with good access from the Tokyo metropolitan area, and Grandex is the first shop to introduce river SUP to the river in Nagatoro. The shop offers a variety of activities, two of which are on the water.
Activity Japan's most recommended marine activity for summer 2018 is "Fishing Experience/Fishing Boat"!! We have featured it many times in the past, but this time we will focus on the most important area and number one popular spot, "Okinawa Remote Islands (Ishigaki Island and Miyako Island)"♪ This is the definitive guide to Okinawa remote island fishing plans, including "recommended plans" for Ishigaki Island and Miyako Island, and "list of shops" that offer fishing experience plans in each area◎
