Nihon's Hidden Gem

Beyond its perfect, pristine beaches, Okinawa is an alluring medley of cultures and cuisines.

- Ian Lee

Fourteen hours after leaving Singapore – two (delayed) flights, a two-hour transit at Seoul’s Incheon Airport, and an hour long drive – I arrived smack in the middle of Okinawa, at the Sheraton Okinawa Sunmarina Resort. As I checked into the newly refurbished, 30-year-old establishment (formerly known just as the Sunmarina Resort), I was relieved to hear from hotel representative Naoko that there could well be direct flights available from Singapore later this year.

My sense of fatigue dissipated when I entered my room and peered out of the windows. The resort, as its name suggests, is surrounded by the Sunmarina Beach and a 400m stretch of fine white sand. Although manmade, the beach is hailed not only as the finest in Okinawa, but in all of Japan.

Perhaps the best part of staying at a centrally located Okinawan resort, is that the hotel will offer all the beach activities you would want to immerse yourself in: evening cruises, jet skiing, wind surfing, wake boarding, and even snorkelling at the famed Blue Cave. The temperature is typically comfortable all year round for such affairs, dipping to a cool 15 degrees Celsius in January and February. August is said to be the best month to visit the island due to the lower frequency of typhoons. Here at the Sunmarina, you could catch a romantic, picture-perfect pink sunset from one of two white lighthouses on the beach, before watching nightly light projection shows that take place at the hotel’s atrium.