Miyako

The one thing that I really wanted was some sun, so of course the sun was the one thing that we didn't get. I didn't let it ruin my vacation, but it really would have been nice to see the famous Sunayama beach without all the rain. Miyako still turned out to be beautiful, albeit for different reasons. We saw the sights during the day, and spent the nights wandering the island's almost-but-not-quite town, hopping from izakaya to izakaya and bar to bar. We ended up meeting some of the most incredible people along the way, and though there's really not much outside of the beaches and the food that would warrant a second visit to the island, I could honestly see myself going back just to chat with some of the folks that we met.



Ikkei-san. Very weird pants, very gay, but also a very good Ryukyu and Hula dancer. I told him as much when he asked me, and honestly so, but I had also had a ton to drink at that point. That being said, I don't think that confidence will ever be an issue with him.



Me with my boy Dave and the brilliant Honda-san. We stopped off at what we thought was a cafe for some coffee, but ended up in what appeared to be Honda-san's house. Turned out that he was a former university professor from Osaka who had moved to the island to spend his days somewhere warm. He apparently dresses like that all the time.



Our GPS Navigation System, also known as the Lie Machine. It failed to help us find anything, but it was nonetheless entertaining to have along for the ride.



Sunakawa-san, who elected to give us an impromptu concert when we wandered into her music store. Her kindness and hospitality were matched only by her wonderful singing voice.



Maybe I'll be back when the weather is a little more accommodating. I certainly couldn't ask for much more from the people.