spring break adventure {okinawa, japan}

There is nothing like an Okinawa adventure day, they make me happy because adventuring is my favorite. Leaving plans behind and just doing whatever interests us at a given moment. Documenting it with my camera makes it even better. I really want to remember every moment we have as we enjoy Okinawa for this short time. I am hoping to be better at recording it in words too!

We had a wonderful spring break exploring Okinawa, although we actually started out at home with some crafting and painting. We made fairy houses and gardens, it was the funnest activity and I have loved watching Kate play with hers!

Getting out for adventure

Next we headed up to the peninsula and checked out the Ryugujo butterfly garden. There were so many gorgeous butterflies! Adam and Kate were not fans of the place but Evan loved it so much! The kids loved the rivers outside too! They found so many tadpoles!

Adventure Hiking

The next day we headed out on a hike with some of our friends. We went to the Forest of Residents State Park. We did the Mountain Top Trail. It was gorgeous and so lush throughout the hike. The views from the top were amazing!

Camping adventure

From here I set on my real spring break adventure with my two youngest. We stopped every time I saw something new I wanted to check out. Mostly we saw the ocean. We drove north on the 58 and the views were so stunning! The blues in the sky and water here in Okinawa continue to amaze me. We saw a sign for the Hiji Falls hike and decided to check it out. I loved this bridge part way through the hike! The falls are the tallest on Okinawa and they were a beautiful sight.

We continued our drive north and stopped next at Cape Hedo. This is the most northern part of Okinawa and was a beautiful spot to see the power of the ocean. I actually prefer Cape Zanpa for view though! Along the way we saw some lilies growing along the roadside, of course we had to get some spring pictures.

Our Campsite

We had our tent in the car and found a perfect beach along the pacific coast for a private campsite. The kids and I set up the tent, built our own fire and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. I really wanted to do some astro photography but it was cloudy and sprinkling all night long. Next time!

In the morning we were awake around five am! The joys of camping. Japan is one of the cleanest places I have ever been but this particular beach had quite a bit of litter on it. Kate was very concerned about it and spent about a hour cleaning up garbage. My little animal loving conservationist. The other good thing about being awake nice and early are the colors of the sunrise!

We spent the morning taking down camp and taking turns paddle boarding on the water! As we started driving down the east side of the island I stopped about 15 times for AMAZING views, and pinned about ten more beaches that I want to camp on before we leave. The clouds that plagued my astrophotography dreams made for amazing skies throughout the day. We drove down the 70 and then the 331.

This spot where the Ie River meets the ocean was one of my absolute favorites!

Okinawa Adventures

When I die, cremate me and make a shrine for me in this spot! It is perfection.

Okinawa has several dams and reservoirs. This one is Aha Dam. I got in on the picture taking using my new Arsenal Remote. Evan recently inherited my original Canon Rebel, my first ever digital camera. Watching him enjoy it is so rewarding, and I need to download some of his images and include them here.

The sun finally came out and therefore the water turned to the really amazing aqua color of Okinawa. This spot is one I want to go back to! The Sedake River emptied into the ocean near here and it was just a tiny fishermans village beside this gorgeous spot. Can you find the little fisherman??

I hope you enjoyed this northern Okinawa adventure trip as much as I did. Road trips are such a huge part of my memories growing up and I hope to instill a love of them in my children as well.

Okinawa Adventure Photographer

Anna Rasmussen is a featured and award-winning family portrait photographer in Okinawa, Japan. She loves documentary-style family vacation photography and beautiful lifestyle portraits. Her two favorite things to photograph are travel logs and birth stories in the hospital, but she also loves everything family – from capturing the joy of expectant parents in maternity photography, the first days of a baby’s life in Newborn Fresh 48 Sessions, the beauty of everyday chaos in Family Day-in-the-Life Sessions, and on-location family portrait sessions. Anna is an on-location photographer, serving the entire island of Okinawa and ready to travel to many major cities in the Asian area. Book a session here with Anna today! Thank you so much for stopping by!