Staying at Royal Rhiga Gran is a treat for our final few days . It is upscale from our usual accommodation. We are enjoying the incredible service and it sure feels nice to be pampered. The best part though is that they welcome our trikes and offer a solution for parking which we are happy with. Our trikes will be in the competent hands of the staff who park customer’s vehicles. They will keep our trikes in their back room and bring them out whenever we want to ride. This is great. But the best thing is that they have earmarked a space in the undercover parking for us to disassemble our trikes and pack them for the flight. This takes about 3 or 4 hours, so we are glad to have a designated spot. During our first visit to Naha last year, we visited other hotels to see if they could accommodate our trikes, inside or out, but we met with resistance. We know from our experience how rare it is to find a hotel in a city that understands our needs and is willing to help find a solution. The difference with Royal Rhiga Gran is they start from a place of service for the customer and find a solution.
We had planned to spend the final 5 or 6 nights here, but it was too expensive, so we balanced it out with the Tissage for 2 nights. It has worked out well.
Okinawan Shisas greet you as you enter on the ground level.
Amenity bars are something we enjoy in Japan and are featured at every place we stay….from the most basic to high end hotels. The complimentary coffee, beverages and sweets are a nice touch as this area is adjacent to a nice seating area on the 14th floor with a great view.
It is time to get supplies for packing our trikes for the flight home. We need items like bubble wrap, zap straps, bungee cords, gorilla tape (lots), etc . So we will ride today to a Japanese home store called Makeman, which is similar to Home Depot at home but offers so much more, like clothing, housewares…basically if you use it in your home, they will have it.
The mascot for Makeman is on the sign above the door. He has his cap on, a pencil behind his ear…clearly he’s ready to get to work.
Makeman is a popular place and always busy. We used Google Translate to ask the staff for help finding some of the items that we needed. These two men immediately got busy escorting us around the store.
We have been successful getting supplies, plus a few large bags that will wrap awkward areas of our trikes and also carry our purchases back to the hotel.
We often cross this bridge when exploring in Naha. On this side are the Okinawan Karate Centre, the Makeman store, historic museums and monuments related to WWII, etc.
Mary Ellen loves Nanban chicken, especially the sauce. This restaurant is close to our hotel, specializes in chicken and is renowned for their Nanban sauce. Looking forward to our meal.
Sign on the left features Tamade Kore Golden Tartar Chicken Nanban and on the right, it shows that this restaurant has been awarded the best restaurant featuring eggs. Their Nanban sauce includes chopped boiled eggs,
We both had this set meal…miso, pickled veg, rice, tamago, salad and the star of it all…Nanban chicken. We have tried many Nanban meals, but this one set the bar high. Chicken was juicy and the sauce was divine. Yum.
It is frustrating to get sick while travelling. Mary Ellen has been struggling since Kagoshima and now Barry has it too. The only positive note is that Japan offers incredible medications and remedies…quite affordable.
We know that our time in Naha is limited as we fly in 3 days. So, as the saying goes…no rest for the wicked! We will next ride our trikes and explore some of Naha.
The perfect pick me up…Conbini coffee and an onigiri. It is very important that you follow the three steps in order to unwrap the onigri correctly
Kokusaidori Street (translation: International Road) feels a bit like a party and a commercial wonderland combined. It stretches for over 2 km and features over 600 shops and businesses and is a place where tourists love to wander. On Sunday, traffic is blocked off making it a pedestrian only zone. After WWII, the American and Okinawan government established a theatre in this area. The Theatre was named after Ernie Pyle, an American War Correspondent who was killed near the end of the war. The theatre is called Ernie Pyle International Theatre and this is where the name, International Street (Kokusaidori), originates from.
One visit to Kokusaidori is enough for us per trip. We aren’t big on shopping, the streets are crowded with tourists and the spectacle is a huge dose of sensory overload. What we really enjoy though, are the maze of narrow alleyways and pedestrian areas a few blocks off the road which is where you see Okinawans shopping at tiny shops, Izakayas, food markets…it is incredible and what we love to find.
Below are some photos of Kokusaidori, its businesses and the people.
There is a lot in this photo: a What is CBD shop, graffiti which is rare in Japan, the electrical wiring and this pedestrian area which leads to local shops and a hidden maze of local culture and treasures.
Can’t imagine coming through an area like this with our trikes anywhere else. Granted we are progressing at a rate slower than pedestrians and pulling over when needed, but it is still a marvel that we are welcome in here. Love Japan💕
We were excited to find this small shop featuring handcrafted Sanshin, an Okinawan instrument. It is a 3 stringed instrument which is somewhat banjo-like and is usually covered in snakeskin.
This tiny stall is renowned as the place to buy a Sanshin. It is run by a couple and the husband makes the instruments. He is also a teacher of how to play the Sanshin. Note the quirky Sanshin made with a cookie tin hanging from the ceiling.
We do enjoy patronizing Okinawan businesses, like Blue Seal the ice cream company…hard ice cream and soft serve. Barry’s choice was soft serve, sweet potato and vanilla swirl. He liked it!
We have had an extraordinary and full day in Naha. This magnificent Shisa is on the street in front of the Ryubu Department store. We are heading in to the food floor on the lower level to find some dinner.
