Yoron island in Kagoshima Prefecture is the best resort place in clean sea water, much better than Okinawa, Ishigaki, Miyakojima.
It takes only 35-minute flight from Naha Airport, 2-hour in taking ferry from Motobu, Okinawa.
The best place in the island is Yurigahama, which is the land at a low tide during a limited period between spring and autumn. It takes 3000yen in round trip each person to go to the island by boat.
If you arrive at Naha Okinawa airport, I will recommend you to eat in Fish restaurant “Uomaru” “魚まる”. This restaurant is within 5-minute walk from Akamine station, just one stop from airport station. The restaurant provide with fish set including raw fish “sashimi” around 1000yen.
Shuri Soba Okinawa Noodle near Shuri castle is very popular not only for tourists but for locals. Even in July before Japanese summer vacation, many people visited this shop.
Okinawa noodle is the first choice. Most of visitors order “Jushi” rice with noodle.
Shirokuma shave ice with condensed milk is very popular in Kagoshima. Mujyaki in Tennmonkan area is the first choice. However several shops prepare for variety of Shirokuma ices.
Most of visitor for Shuri castle are foreign tourists especially Chinese and Korean. By COVID-19 and bad relationship with Korea, almost visitors are Japanese or foreigners living in Japan. Tourists do not visit the park especially main buildings even though tourists can officially travel between prefectures since June 19, 2020. Probably they are not interested in burn-out castle in 2019.
Japanese government has officially allowed tourists to travel between prefectures, fter June 19th, 2020. Even after this day, the half of shops in Kokusai street in Naha were closed because they have targeted foreign tourists especially Chinese tourists.
Most of flights to Haha has been full of Japanese passengers especially weekend. However, they stay in other area such as northern Okinawa without staying in Naha. Even Japanese tourists do not return to Naha any more, unless the shops in Kokusai focus on not only foreign tourist but Japanese.
I stayed at Kirishima Kanko Hotel 4 times in March, May and June this year. This hotel relatively provides reasonable prices in Kirishima Hotspring compared with Kirishima Hotel and Kirishima Kokusai Hotel. Especially, staying in weekday between Monday and Thursday is much cheaper than in weekend. I paid 17,500 yen per night, in weekday price, for two, including dinner and breakfast.
This Hotel provides Japanese Kaiseki-style dinner and buffet breakfast. Breakfast is on average.
I recommend taking outdoor baths in Northern building rather than larger bathes in Central building.
