In July 2019 I took a week long trip to Miyakojima, in Okinawa. This was a solo holiday, and my first solo holiday for some time. I needed some space from Tokyo (not my wonderful Dan of course!) and some time to relax and rest – my first in a while!

The island is in the far south of Japan, and frankly, is a world away from the Japan I know and love. It was like to holidaying in pure paradise. On arrival I couldn’t believe I was still in Japan – if you had blindfolded me and spun me around I would have guessed Hawaii. I could see palm trees, jungle hedges, and a sea sparkling like diamonds. And it was hooooooooooot! The UV factor was so high my factor 50 struggled to keep me burn-free after mere minutes in the sun. And so began my week cowering under the sarong I had brought with me for “beach cover”. It become “everywhere you go outside cover”.

Miyakojima is a very special place, one I seriously hope to visit again in the future. There is not a lot to do there apart from relax, go to the beach, relax, snorkel, relax, read a book, relax, drink beer, and relax. That is what I did, whilst mixing up my drink order by enjoying a few of the famous fresh fruits, like mango and passion fruit. I spent my week walking around very slowly, cycling like some super-hero with a sarong cape flapping around me, and sitting under various umbrellas on various gorgeous beaches. I read around 8 books, some good, some utter holiday rubbish. All in all, it was the most perfect place to revitalise and empty my head of everything other than the story I was reading at the time.

Here are some images of paradise, enjoy…