Okinawa, Japan
About beautiful humpback whale’s sound
In February, I went to Okinawa, Japan to scuba dive. February is winter where is the coldest time of year in Okinawa. So Okinawa in February is off-season, but there is probability that you can see a wonderful creature — humpback whale!
Humpback whales
From January to March, the humpback whales can be seen around Okinawa, especially, Kerama Islands. They begin to travel from Northern ocean around Alaska to the Kerama Islands in order to give birth and raise their young. In this long journey, Humpback whales usually move 9,000 kilometers. They arrive at Ogasawara Islands in the fall and then move to Kerama Islands in winter.
So if you visit Kerama Islands in this season, you can see the beautiful dance of a mother whale and her baby. Of course, there’s a bit of luck involved.
They usually move in deep water, but occasionally come up to the surface to breathe. So it is important to catch this brief moment. If then, you can hear their beautiful sound. Whales, the largest mammals on Earth, sing long and elaborate songs. It was phenomenal.
Under the water
I did scuba diving 3 times a day at Kerama Islands and Itoman. I was satisfied with both, but I personally preferred the dive sites of Itoman to the Kerama Islands due to the beautiful cave sites.
The water temperature was 23 °C, I felt little cold, but It was tolerable with a 5mm wet suit and 3mm hooded vest. The visibility was so great. I heard the whale’s sound during scuba diving. Their beautiful sound echoed across the ocean.
What I met
- Whitetip reef shark, turtle, squid, squid eggs, garden eel, coral reef snake, and more.
Dive Log
- weight: 6kg
- suit: 5mm wet suit and 3mm hooded vest
- Temperature: 23 °C
Thoughts about Okinawa
I knew Okinawa was just a travel-friendly place with a beautiful ocean. But when I visit Okinawa, I notice that Okinawa has a lot of story. Exploring the culture and learning the history of an area where I travel is so meaningful.
Okinawans have struggling with their identity. Okinawa was the Ryukyu Kingdom, a country independent of Japan. The Ryukyu Kingdom was annexed by the Japanese Empire in the 1870s. Okinawans have their own cultures and history.
Okinawa has a wound left by a U.S. military base. If you’re interested in it, you can read 海をあげる by 上間 陽子.
I noticed one more thing. I’ve heard about Okinawa diet a lot in media, podcast, and the books. Okinawa diet is consisted of low calories and fat while high in carbs, the healthy diet in the world.
People from the Ryukyu Islands (of which Okinawa is the largest) have a life expectancy among the highest in the world — wikipedia
But, nowadays, many things have been changed after Okinawa became a US Military bases. SPAM was introduced to Okinawa by the U.S. military after the war. It turned out that okinawans loved SPAM so much. SPAM became a soul food of okinawans. If you visit Okinawa, you can find the food or souvenirs related to SPAM in many places. Besides SMAP, american style steak is also representative food in there. The mixing of foreign cultures with their own has created a unique culture, but at the same time, I feel like they have lost their own culture.
Conclusion
If you are interested in humpback whales, just visit Okinawa. There were not only humpback whales, but deep blue ocean too. The food was delicious and the people was warm and nice.
