Escaping Tokyo's Winter for Okinawa Ishigaki Island
Escaping Tokyo's Winter for Okinawa Ishigaki Island
Overview
John Daub, Kanae, and Leo escape the grip of a rare Tokyo snowstorm — flying direct to Ishigaki Island (Ishigaki Jima) in the far-flung Yaeyama archipelago of Okinawa Prefecture — for what turns out to be John's 50th birthday celebration. This livestream walk takes viewers from the Ishigaki Port Ferry Terminal through the town and into the iconic Euglena Mall (shotengai — covered shopping arcade), where they hunt for ice cream, admire local omiyage (souvenirs), and soak in the distinctly subtropical, Caribbean-meets-Hawaii atmosphere that sets this corner of Japan apart from the mainland.
The walk covers approximately 750 meters in about 11 minutes of travel time, though the trio took considerably longer — stopping for Blue Seal ice cream, chatting with locals, and enjoying a surprisingly deep conversation with a passerby from Iwate whose son runs an English-language YouTube channel about designing Japanese houses. John explains the island's extraordinary geography (closer to Taiwan than Kagoshima), its culinary identity (Ishigaki beef, Okinawan soba, goat meat, sea grapes), and its unique cultural markers — from shisa guardian statues on every house to A&W root beer franchises. The live stream ends at the ferry terminal with a promise of more adventures to come, including a potential visit to Ishigaki Wagyu Restaurant Maru for John's birthday dinner.
Highlights
- 00:01 John opens by revealing the purpose: escaping Tokyo's winter snow, which fell just days before departure, for balmy 22°C Ishigaki Island — with Leo and Kanae in tow.
- 00:03 A sweeping map overview explains just how remote Ishigaki is: closer to Taiwan than to mainland Japan, in the Yaeyama Islands at the far southwestern edge of Okinawa Prefecture.
- 00:06 The walk kicks off past the port city area, and John points out the distinctive police mascot — sparking a live comment section debate about whether it is an owl, a hawk, or a "mad owl."
- 00:07 John reflects on a previous visit in 2018 for scuba diving, and Kanae spots the tempura and Goya champo shop from that trip still open.
- 00:08 Walking through residential streets reveals shisa guardian statues — the Okinawan lion-dog figures seen at nearly every home — and beni imo (purple sweet potato) tarts in a shop window.
- 00:13 A surprise encounter with a local passerby from Iwate whose son runs a YouTube channel about Japanese house design leads to an impromptu chat, including John being mistaken for Chris Broad (Abroad in Japan) by the comment section.
- 00:14 A craft beer vending machine on the street dispenses Ishigaki Jima High Beer, Marine Beer, and Orion craft brews — though it is frustratingly broken.
- 00:19 The group finds Blue Seal ice cream, Okinawa's beloved local brand, and samples regional flavors including Okinawa salt cookie, beni imo, mango, brown sugar, and strawberry cheesecake.
- 00:24 John shares photos of their previous day's meal: Kanae's Okinawan soba with stewed pork, and John's Ishigaki beef nayo (goat offal) soba — both from a local noodle bar near the hotel at remarkably affordable prices (~$4–7 USD).
- 00:27 John explains the shisa: one with mouth open, one with mouth closed, placed at homes to ward off evil spirits; and the island-wide typhoon warning speaker system, a legacy of the storms referenced in The Karate Kid Part II.
- 00:29 A map shot reveals the island's AED (automated external defibrillator) stations and the sheer distance to Tomi Village (Karate Kid filming location) — farther away than Taiwan, John jokes.
- 00:31 Closing segment at the ferry terminal: John explains the rough winter seas (caution for seasickness on island-hopping ferries), teases a possible monkey park visit, and promises more Instagram posts and future live streams before signing off.
Timeline / Chapters
00:00–00:07 — Opening & Ferry Terminal Departure John greets viewers from Ishigaki Island, introduces Leo and Kanae, explains the Tokyo snow escape, and orients viewers geographically with a map overview of the Yaeyama Islands and their proximity to Taiwan vs. mainland Japan. Begins the walk from the port.
00:07–00:09 — Town Walk: Mascot Debate & Food Memories Walking through the port city, John spots the controversial police mascot (owl vs. hawk debate) and Kanae recognizes the Goya champo tempura shop from their 2018 visit. John mentions Ishigaki's famous blue jewelry stones and the distinctive Okinawan music that plays at the airport.
00:09–00:12 — Residential Streets & Shisa Sightings The walk passes through quieter residential neighborhoods. John points out shisa guardian statues on houses, beni imo tarts in a shop window, and credits supporter Uncle Michael with a shout-out. Leo appears briefly on camera.
00:12–00:14 — Euglena Mall Arrival & Unexpected Conversation Entering Euglena Mall, John encounters a local passerby from Iwate whose son runs a YouTube channel about designing Japanese homes. A humorous exchange follows, with viewers in the comments mistaking John for Chris Broad.
00:14–00:18 — Craft Beer, Omiyage & Goat Meat Discovery John discovers a broken craft beer vending machine (Ishigaki Jima High Beer, Marine Beer, Orion), browses omiyage options including Orion beer snacks he sent to daimyo supporters, and spots an unusual yagi niku (goat meat) with pineapple combination. He mentions the Ishigaki Wagyu beef traceability system and the famous Maru restaurant requiring three-month advance reservations.
00:18–00:25 — Blue Seal Ice Cream Hunt The search for Blue Seal ice cream intensifies. John explains Blue Seal is Okinawa's answer to Häagen-Dazs, with regional flavors. Kanae selects pistachio, almond, and mango; Leo opts for the green (pistachio). John enjoys Okinawa salt cookie. The group eats ice cream on benches outside Euglena Mall. John shares photos from the previous day's Okinawan soba and Ishigaki beef nayo soba lunch, plus umibudo (sea grapes) sightings.
00:25–00:28 — A&W, Sambai Tea & Shisa Culture Spotted: an A&W fast food restaurant (unique to Okinawa, serving root beer and American-style burgers with free refills), Coca-Cola vending machines with sambai (Okinawan jasmine tea), and a street map showing shisa placement, AED stations, and typhoon warning speakers.
00:28–00:30 — Karate Kid Connections & Island Geography John references Tomi Village (from The Karate Kid Part II) and its distance from Ishigaki. He jokes that they are closer to Taiwan than to Tomi Village. Leo's birthday cake plans are revealed (and Kanae keeps the location secret). John mentions his upcoming 50th birthday dinner at Maru.
00:30–00:33 — Ferry Terminal Return & Farewell The walk circles back to the ferry terminal. John explains winter ferry conditions (rough seas, seasickness risk), island-hopping options (Taketomi Island: 30 min; Hateruma Island: 80 min), and mentions plans for a monkey park visit and possible scuba diving. He promises more Instagram posts and future live streams, thanks viewers and super chatters, and signs off.
Japan Travel Tips
- Getting There: Ishigaki Island is most easily reached by direct ANA flights from Tokyo (Narita or Haneda), approximately 2 hours 40 minutes. Alternatively, fly to Naha (Okinawa's main island) and connect, but direct flights are now available and much more convenient.
- Best Time to Visit: Spring (March–May) and autumn (September–November) offer the calmest seas for island hopping. Winter (December–February) is pleasant for escaping mainland cold (22°C / ~72°F) but ferries can be rough. Summer brings heat and humidity plus typhoon risk.
- Island Hopping from Ishigaki: Ferries depart from Ishigaki Port. Taketomi Island takes ~30 minutes; Hateruma Island (Japan's southernmost inhabited island) takes ~80 minutes. Note that winter seas can be rough — bring seasickness remedies.
- Where to Eat Ishigaki Beef: Book Ishigaki Wagyu Restaurant Maru well in advance (John was told three months). Local noodle bars near the InterContinental offer excellent Okinawan soba and Ishigaki beef dishes for $4–7 USD — exceptional value.
- Blue Seal Ice Cream: Available at every convenience store and shops throughout the island. Look for regional flavors like beni imo (purple sweet potato), brown sugar, Okinawa salt cookie, and mango. This is a must-try on any Okinawan visit.
- A&W in Okinawa: The U.S. fast food chain A&W operates exclusively in Okinawa within Japan. Root beer floats and burgers are a fun cultural experience, especially for travelers missing American flavors.
- Budget for Omiyage: Euglena Mall is packed with gift options — Orion beer snacks, beni imo tarts, cookies with chocolate and brown sugar, blue jewelry (Ishigaki's famous "glass stone"), and shisa figurines. Budget accordingly.
- Japan's Geographic Diversity: As John emphasizes, Japan spans enormous climatic variation. When someone asks "What's the weather like in Japan?" the honest answer ranges from −5°C (Sapporo) to 22°C (Ishigaki) on the same day.
Japanese Language & Culture Notes
- Shisa (シーサー): The Okinawan equivalent of a guardian lion-dog figure, placed in pairs at the entrance of homes and buildings. One has an open mouth (to let in good fortune), one has a closed mouth (to keep out evil spirits). They are distinct from the komainu (Japanese lion-dogs) found at mainland shrines.
- Omiyage (お土産): The Japanese custom of buying small food gifts for colleagues, friends, and family when returning from a trip. Ishigaki is famous for Orion beer snacks, beni imo products, brown sugar, and blue jewelry — all popular omiyage choices.
- Okinawan Music: The distinctive sanshin (three-stringed banjo-like instrument) music of Okinawa, played at the airport upon departure, creates an immediate sense of place — and, as John notes, stays in visitors' heads just like Hawaiian music.
- Sambai (さんばい): An Okinawan shikakumen (chewable tea) dispensed in Coca-Cola vending machines across the island. John describes it as similar to jasmine tea. It reflects Okinawa's unique beverage culture that blends Japanese and American influences.
- Shotengai (商店街): Covered shopping arcades found in towns and cities across Japan. Euglena Mall is Ishigaki's main shotengai — a climate-controlled place to shop, eat, and buy omiyage rain or shine.
- Typhoon Culture: Okinawa and the Yaeyama Islands are annually battered by typhoons. The outdoor speaker system heard throughout Ishigaki broadcasts emergency warnings, a legacy of the life-threatening storms referenced in The Karate Kid Part II's dramatic typhoon scene.
- Bilingual Signage: Ishigaki, as a tourism hub, features considerable English signage — more than many rural Japanese towns — including AED station maps, FamilyMart branding, and directional signs. Still, Japanese remains essential outside the main tourist areas.
- Okinawa's Unique Identity: Okinawa is not just a prefecture — it was historically the independent Ryukyu Kingdom and retains a distinct culture, cuisine, language, and even legal system separate from mainland Japan. This independence is reflected in everything from its music to its food to its A&W restaurants.
Food & Drink Guide
Blue Seal Ice Cream Okinawa's flagship ice cream brand, widely available at convenience stores and dedicated shops throughout Ishigaki. Comparable in quality to Häagen-Dazs, but with uniquely Okinawan flavors.
- Flavors sampled: Okinawa salt cookie, beni imo (purple sweet potato), mango, brown sugar, strawberry cheesecake, almond pistachio
- Where: Euglena Mall area and all convenience stores (Lawson, FamilyMart, 7-Eleven)
- Price: Available individually or in single/double scoop
- John's reaction: "The green for the win" (pistachio); he especially enjoyed the Okinawa salt cookie
Okinawan Soba A hearty noodle soup distinct from mainland Japanese soba — the wheat noodles are thicker, served in a rich pork-based broth with stewed meat, fish cake, and green onions. Kanae ordered this for lunch.
- Where: Local noodle bar near the InterContinental hotel (~$4–7 USD)
- John's reaction: "It was so good"
Ishigaki Beef Nayo Soba John's lunch: Ishigaki beef (goat offal / innards) served atop soba — a rich, savory local specialty.
- Where: Same local noodle bar near the InterContinental
- Price: ~$4–7 USD
- John's reaction: He ate the meat and soup, while Leo demolished the noodles
Ishigaki Beef (Wagyu) Cattle born on Ishigaki Island are sometimes shipped to Kobe to become Kobe beef. Ishigaki beef is the island's own premium Wagyu, traceable via a 10-digit database number.
- Where: Ishigaki Wagyu Restaurant Maru (requires 3-month advance reservation), local restaurants, and the public market
- Price: Restaurant Maru is a splurge; local noodle bar versions are much more affordable
- Note: John and Kanae planned to dine at Maru for John's birthday dinner
Orion Beer (オリオンビール) Okinawa's beloved local beer brand. Available throughout the island, including craft varieties (IPA, lager) and the standard draft beer.
- Where: Convenience stores, supermarkets, restaurants, craft beer vending machines
- John's reaction: "It's okay" for the standard Marine Beer; Orion beer snacks are popular as omiyage
A&W Root Beer & Burgers The American fast food chain A&W operates exclusively in Okinawa within Japan — a legacy of the U.S. military presence on the island after World War II.
- Where: Across from Euglena Mall area on the main street
- Features: Unlimited root beer refills, burgers, hot dogs, root beer floats
- John's reaction: "It's only in Okinawa" and "I gotta do it" — recommending it to viewers
Beni Imo (紅芋) Tarts Purple sweet potato tarts — a signature Okinawan confection. Beni imo is one of the island's most important agricultural products.
- Where: Bakeries and omiyage shops along Euglena Mall
- John's reaction: Spotted in a shop window with enthusiasm
Umibudo (海ぶどう) — Sea Grapes Small green, caviar-like seaweed clusters served as a delicacy in Okinawan cuisine. Known for their unique popping texture.
- Where: Local restaurants and izakaya; Kanae ordered them at lunch
- John's reaction: Mentioned as a famous local food item
Sambai (さんばい) Tea Okinawan shikakumen (chewable tea) found in Coca-Cola vending machines across Ishigaki Island.
- Where: Coca-Cola vending machines island-wide
- Taste: John describes it as similar to jasmine tea
People
John Daub The host and creator of Only in Japan Go. American who has lived in Japan for over 30 years. Here he is on Ishigaki Island for his 50th birthday, escaping Tokyo's winter snow with his wife Kanae and son Leo. John's signature warmth, humor, and cultural curiosity drive the video — from the police mascot debate to explaining shisa to spontaneously chatting with a local passerby. His comment about being confused for Chris Broad (Abroad in Japan) reflects his long tenure in the YouTube Japan travel space.
Kanae Daub John's Japanese wife. She appears throughout the walk, helping navigate, choosing ice cream flavors (pistachio, almond, and mango), ordering Okinawan soba, and keeping the birthday cake location a surprise from John. Her quiet presence grounds the family's travel narrative.
Leo John and Kanae's young son. Mostly happy and sleepy during the walk, Leo occasionally appears on camera (giving a shout-out to Uncle Michael), tastes pineapple at breakfast, and demolishes John's noodles when given the chance. His ice cream preference is the green (pistachio) flavor.
Uncle Michael John's relative in Hawaii. A frequent super chatter and supporter of the channel, credited with multiple super chats that funded the ice cream and food purchases. Leo gives him a direct on-camera shout-out.
Passerby from Iwate (now Chiba) A chance encounter: a local Ishigaki resident originally from Iwate Prefecture whose son runs a YouTube channel (Simon, English) about designing Japanese-style houses. She recognizes John from YouTube and mentions the resemblance (in her son's videos) to John — sparking the Chris Broad mix-up in the comments.
Simon (mentioned) The son of the passerby. Runs an English-language YouTube channel focused on Japanese house design. Lives in Chiba. John agrees the resemblance is strong "at least on YouTube."
Peter von Gomm John's longtime friend and frequent travel companion on Only in Japan Go. Mentioned in reference to their 99% of Tourists Will Never Go Here: Extreme East Hokkaido RV trip.
Key Takeaways
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Ishigaki Island is extraordinarily accessible yet feels a world away. Direct ANA flights from Tokyo (2h 40min) bring you to an island with water so clear it rivals the Caribbean — yet the culture, food, and geography are uniquely Japanese and distinctly Okinawan.
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February is a valid — even ideal — time to visit for escaping cold. At 22°C (72°F), it is warm enough for shorts and T-shirts, cool enough to walk comfortably, and not yet the typhoon season or peak tourist crush.
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Okinawa's cultural identity extends far beyond Japan proper. From shisa guardians and sanshin music to A&W root beer franchises and U.S.-influenced cuisine, Okinawa is a unique cultural crossroads that rewards deeper exploration.
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Island hopping is feasible but weather-dependent. Winter seas can be rough and cause seasickness. Plan island-hopping trips for calmer months (spring through autumn) when possible.
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Okinawan cuisine deserves dedicated attention. Ishigaki beef, Okinawan soba, Blue Seal regional ice cream, umibudo, goat meat dishes, and Orion beer represent a culinary tradition that is meaningfully different from mainland Japan.
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A short walk reveals more than a bus ride ever could. John and Kanae walked an hour from their hotel to the port with Leo — and in doing so discovered residential streets, shisa-decorated homes, local bakeries, and an unexpected conversation with a fellow YouTuber-adjacent family.
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Omiyage culture is alive and well on Ishigaki. Whether Orion beer snacks, beni imo tarts, blue jewelry, or shisa figurines, the island offers distinctive souvenirs that carry genuine local identity.
Notable Quotes
00:01 "Welcome to Okinawa. This is Ishigaki Island. Ishigaki Jima. My second time here. We've escaped Tokyo. Snow or snow Kyo."
00:03 "This is really far south, guys. This is really far from Tokyo. In fact, we're closer to Taiwan than we are Kagoshima, the mainland of Kyushu."
00:06 "Japan is a really big country. There's Sapporo where the snow festival is going on. It's like minus 5 degrees Celsius, and then there's here which is 22 degrees Celsius."
00:09 "The music of Okinawa, they play it at the airport when you leave, and it sticks in your head. Hawaii does this as well. And when you get home, you're already planning your trip to go back."
00:12 "Alleys are pretty exciting because anything can happen in an alley. You can find a really nice restaurant or you can get mugged."
00:18 "Blue Seal is the Häagen-Dazs of Okinawa. It's the local ice cream. They have regional flavors, which is the Okinawan flavors, and that is certainly a treat."
00:20 "We walked the whole way from the hotel. One of the great things about walking is that you get to see the residential areas between here and the port city."
00:24 "The prices are right. It's about four to seven dollars for everything. It's not too bad."
00:27 "There's the shisa. Everywhere you go in Okinawa, you get a shisa. One with a closed mouth and one with an open one... keeping away spirits."
00:30 "We are closer to Taiwan than even Naha, which is the island where Tomi Village is, which is pretty crazy."
Related Topics
- Okinawa's Outer Islands: Exploring the Yaeyama archipelago beyond Ishigaki — Taketomi, Hateruma, Yonaguni
- Okinawa Cuisine Deep Dive: From Goya champo to awamori, understanding Ryukyu Kingdom food culture
- Japanese Wagyu Traceability: How to use the 10-digit Wagyu database to trace beef back to its origin farm
- Winter Travel in Japan: How to use Japan's climatic diversity to plan warm-weather escapes from Tokyo's cold season
- The Karate Kid and Japan: Filming locations, cultural accuracy, and the ongoing love affair between American audiences and Okinawan settings
- Ishigaki for Scuba Diving and Snorkeling: The island's world-class marine environment
- Shisa and Okinawan Folk Religion: The unique spiritual and decorative traditions of the Ryukyu Islands
Search Tags
#only-in-japan-go #ishigaki-island #okinawa #tokyo-winter-escape #ishigaki-jima #euglena-mall #blue-seal-ice-cream #okinawan-food #ishigaki-beef #shisa #okinawan-soba #a-and-w-root-beer #orion-beer #island-hopping #ferry-terminal #shotengai #okinawa-travel #family-travel #50th-birthday #beach-vacation #yaeyama-islands #taiwan-proximity #hateruma-island #taketomi-island #karate-kid #john-daub
Full Transcript
Speakers:
- SPEAKER_00 → John Daub
- SPEAKER_01 → Kanae Daub
- SPEAKER_02 → Passerby (local resident from Iwate, now Chiba; son runs a YouTube channel about Japanese house design)
Full Transcript
00:00:01 John Daub: Welcome to Okinawa. This is Ishigaki Island. Ishigaki Jima. My second time here. We've escaped Tokyo. Snow or snow Kyo. Once or twice a year, it will snow quite a bit in Tokyo. That happened just a couple of days ago while we were flying here. Joining us in this live stream is Leo and Kanai. Hi. Wanna say hello?
00:00:24 Kanae Daub: Hello. Hi.
00:00:26 John Daub: Hello. Hi. He's probably gonna sleep on the way, but we're gonna take you from at the ferry terminal, talk a little bit about the island, and then walk all the way into Uglena Mall, which is this Shoten guy where you can buy street food and a bunch of other stuff. We'll basically show you this really unique island which is here. Here's the walk we're going to do here. So I want to lay it out for you. It's only about 11 minutes, 750 meters. Look how blue the sea is here. It's absolutely stunning. This is a ferry terminal where you can do some island hopping in Okinawa. They also have direct flights into Ishigaki Jima from Tokyo, from Osaka, from other ports around here.
00:01:27 John Daub: This is really far south, guys. This is really far from Tokyo. In fact, we're closer to Taiwan than we are Kagoshima, the mainland of Kyushu. So I thought that was kind of neat. Let me show you here on the map exactly where we are. I made a Google map that'll take you in and show you. It's about three hours. Yeah. By airplane. Yeah. It was really long flight here. So here we are, Ishigaki Island. The map. You can just see how beautiful the sea is around here. The island is. Look how close we are to Taiwan and China. It's really close. But if I pan out, there's mainland Japan way, way up there. Even Naha is quite far away. Naha, the main island right there of Okinawa. That's where we are. Unbelievable, right? The sea is so beautiful here. It's a nice about 22 degrees Celsius. What is that like high 70s, lower 80s. It feels like there's the southernmost place of Japan, Hateruma. And Taketomi island is also a place we're thinking of going just for a day trip. Island definitely worth a visit here. This is basically like the Caribbean of Japan. It's really nice. The flights from Tokyo, about 2 hours and 40 minutes. About 3 hours. It's pretty comfortable here.
00:03:06 John Daub: Here's the town. This is the port city. So a lot of the ferries will come in here. Our hotel was a one hour walk. We walked the whole way from the. We're staying at the InterContinental for my 50th birthday party. Shh. Don't tell anybody, but we're gonna be walking through here. The town is very livable. It's a lot of people in the port area here, but if you go outside of the island, it's quite rural and it's always worth a visit here to Okinawa. This is definitely a different experience compared to Naha and the other part of Okinawa. Alright, let's get moving here. We're gonna walk through the town. Give you an idea. I did put a link in the description if you want to take a look at the map there. So a balmy 22 DE. I got on shorts and a T-shirt. Kanai's got a jacket with her. It does get a little chilly. And February in Okinawa, winter. This is when people like what's the weather like in Japan? And I tell them, you know what, Japan is a really big country. What do you mean by that? There's Sapporo where the snow festival is going on. It's like minus 5 degrees Celsius and then there's here which is 22 degrees Celsius. So I don't know like you can go anywhere between the 80s Fahrenheit and like minus. So Japan's a pretty big country in that respect. It's long, but I'm, I'm really. Oh, it smells so Marine right now. Very cool.
00:04:45 John Daub: Now the terminal area is pretty neat here. We're going to be leaving this and walking through the town. So I just want to pan around and show you a little bit of this area. And there's the. No, look at the clouds in the sky here. You can definitely tell that winter is not the ideal time. But in a way it kind of is because it's not. I'm not sweating, you know, I'm not overly hot and that's kind of a good thing. And anybody watches Cobra Kai, this would be my native land since you know, Daniel LaRusso has relatives here. So also keep that between us.
00:05:31 John Daub: Alright, this is the big intersection in the town. Question. What is that animal that you see? This mascot? We're gonna go around the other side. Do you think it's a bear? Do you think it's an owl? Police officer. Hawk eyes with owl eyes or is it a hawk? I don't actually. Is that an owl or a hawk? I don't seem like it wise, but his eyes look like a hawk. I didn't. I don't know. What do you guys think? Leave the comments below. Everyone's saying owl. Some people saying mad owl. Could very well be.
00:06:12 John Daub: So we ate. Is that where we had the tempura last time? Yeah, yeah. The Goya champo. Yeah, they have some amazing food down here. It's slightly different than what you would get in in Naha, but Okinawa is like a prefecture. It's like one of the states. And this state, you know, has a lot of islands. So I'm definitely. I think I'm gonna come back in the summer, maybe do some island hopping. It's hard to do in the winter because the boats. So we're gonna walk to Uglena shopping mall, which is right here, the Ishigaki public market.
00:07:05 John Daub: So actually, we're already there, but we're gonna. Let's take a left Kanai and see if we can find some ice cream. Because Uncle Michael and our contingents, our family in Hawaii have given so many super chats to buy some delicious foods. I think it might be a good time to take advantage of that. Okinawa has a Hawaiian vibe. It certainly does. This is the off season. Very much so.
00:07:34 John Daub: And. Oh, is that Beni imo ice cream? Beni Imo is they have, like, these purple potatoes. Very much popular in. Oh, look at that. Let's find some food. I'm starving. Now let's go straight a little bit. Oh, is it. You want to go this way? Okay, we can go this way. Alleys are pretty exciting because anything can happen in an alley. You can find a really nice restaurant or you can get mugged.
00:08:10 John Daub: I remember now. So we came here in 2018. We stayed on Taketomi island, and we spent a night, a night or two here in Ishigaki Jima for scuba diving. And we ate down this street, like five years ago. It's pretty neat to see. They also are famous for the jewelry here. They have this really beautiful blue, like, stone. What is it called? Yeah. Oh, yeah. Which is like glass. Ocean color. So it's very. It's very popular here. It is beautiful. This is one of the gifts that you would get if you do come to Ishigaki Island. The music of Okinawa, they play that song. I don't know if you guys know this song. Is. They play it at the airport when you leave, and it sticks in your head. Hawaii does this as well. You go to Hawaii and it's the music. It sticks in your head. And when you get home, you're already planning your trip to go back to Hawaii or going back to Okinawa. Or going back to these places. It's the. The music is so vital to that.
00:09:22 John Daub: You know, I like that little street art. It was a, like a 50 minute, 45, 50 minute walk, but took an hour with Leo from the hotel. And one of the great things about walking is that you get to see the residential areas between here and the port city. And I thought that was pretty cool. You see the houses with the shisa, which is the like the Japanese dragon and the Okinawan dragon in the front. Oh, those are the Benny IMO tarts. Do you see that? And there we go. I was just talking about Uncle Michael. Aloha, brother. Let's see if we can find some ice cream. Leo said Uncle Michael. Yeah, yeah. You want to say Uncle Michael. There you go. Thanks, Michael. You got a shout out from little Leo.
00:10:16 John Daub: All right, this is the Uglena Mall and it's a shotengai just like anywhere else. Wow. The beer of Okinawa is also represented. They have ipa. They're making, like, local craft brews now. So I thought that was kind of neat to see in the supermarket yesterday. What? Somebody call up Eric Surf 6 because we have some pineapple vending machine goodies in here. Combined with the island's goat meat. I'm not sure. I'm just gonna. It's a little weird. That was kind of weird. They put kanai. They had goat meat, yagi meat, yagi niku with pineapple. That's a little odd. Chan, who is free from the back of a trunk, apparently. Thank you so much. Let's see if we can get something. There's got to be an ice cream. I remember buying omiyage here, Remember? I remember they had those cookies with the chocolate on it, the Okinawa and sugar.
00:11:28 John Daub: Wow, there's a lot of gift ideas here. One of the things I sent my daimyo supporters, I sent packages. One month, I sent these Orion beer snacks, and they're. I believe they're pretty popular. Wow, that's. Yeah, he did walk a lot. All right, we've got to get something to eat here. Can I. So let's see what we can find here. Ramsay silence. Also chiming in. Buy some treats. You were never here. Got it. Tortorapoco. Okay, we got it. We're honing in on this.
00:12:01 Kanae Daub: You don't want this.
00:12:02 John Daub: He doesn't want. Leo said no to the shisa T-shirt. Leo loves the shisa. Is that like a food market down there. Wait a second. I thought, like, people are eating inside of here. This is like a like an underground food market. This was not here before, was it? I don't remember this before. It's like an under. Like, it's kind of in the basement area, but there's a food market down there. I guess we're gonna have to check it out.
00:12:42 John Daub: One of the things that you have to. One of the things that you definitely have to buy. Sorry for changing the lenses, everybody. If you can see that, it's Ishigaki beef, which is the Wagyu here. It's quite famous. And a lot of cattle that are born here are sent off to become Kobe beef. Believe it or not, that's sometimes the issue. If you see. Because every Wagyu beef has a 10 digit number and you can search the Wagyu database, even the ones that are abroad. Look at this. It's a green smoothie. Kind of curious. What did you do?
00:13:26 Passerby: A video on new housing? New house. A special house that you designed?
00:13:31 John Daub: No, I have a friend named Tokyo Llama. Is that the one? Jaya? Yeah.
00:13:37 Passerby: My son has a YouTube channel. Simone, English.
00:13:40 John Daub: Okay. Simon, English. Oh, cool. Yeah.
00:13:44 Passerby: We're from Iwate, but he lives in Chiba.
00:13:46 John Daub: Oh, okay. Yeah, I might have. I've done. I've got a lot of friends that are doing that. Somebody.
00:13:53 Passerby: I'm sorry. He looks just like you.
00:13:55 John Daub: So at least on YouTube he does.
00:13:57 Passerby: And he had. He and his wife had designed a house, Japanese style house.
00:14:02 John Daub: Okay.
00:14:05 Passerby: And was quite enthusiastic about it.
00:14:07 John Daub: It could be Jaya. Yeah. Yeah. Not too far away. Yeah. Oh, great. Yeah. Enjoy your trip. Yeah. All right. So I do look familiar. It's true. I guess if you watch YouTube, you'll eventually come across this channel and it's easy to cross streams. Just the other day, somebody said that they loved my channel, and then they said, thank you, Chris. Meaning Chris Broad. And I look nothing like Chris. But I guess, you know, we've just been out there for so long.
00:14:39 John Daub: That's the ice cream. We gotta get a Blue Seal ice cream.
00:14:54 Kanae Daub: It's a nice T-shirt.
00:14:55 John Daub: I like the T-shirt, but we look nothing alike, so I'm not sure how you can confuse us. Maybe Paolo. Maybe. Maybe Paolo. But Chris, Really? I don't know. It's possible. So what do you do? I just play with it. I take all the credit. It goes. I could change to an English accent or something. Really? Thank you, mate. My grandmother was from England. She lived in the US for a long time. So her accent was a little different. I remember she'd call me naughty all the time when I was growing up.
00:15:33 John Daub: I remember we ate here five years ago. Is this the place? I think it changed Euglena Garden Cafe. There's a bunch of really nice. Yeah, there's a bunch of really nice cafes and restaurants down the street. And oh, is this the one where we had the Okinawa soba last time? Where's the ice cream place? I want to get an ice cream. Yeah, yeah. Did you see one down the street? You did? Okay, let's go get us a you. Or we can go to the main street here. I think that there's got to be something down there right there. So this is the Euglena Shoten Guide. You can buy a lot of omiyage and gifts down here. Yeah, it's kind of a neat place, especially if it's raining. And this is sort of the rainy season. Aiken. This is for spam and pineapple unigiri. Oh my gosh. We ate here before. It was really good. There's a Ishigaki Wagyu restaurant called Maru that we might go eat dinner on my birthday. And that's shout out to Ellis. You were here. He'll know what I mean. And apparently you have to make reservations three months in advance. But we got a spot. I believe we got a spot. So somehow the stars aligned and we can go and eat a nice wagyu dinner. And I'll see if I can take some photos for upload to the Instagram and share with you. Because the wagyu beef, I don't know. It's so far away from Tokyo, but it's so good here as well. So there's kind of a story with that. I believe there's absolutely no snow in Okinawa. I am enjoying life. This is great. No direct flights. Maybe from abroad, but there's no direct flights. But there are direct flights from Tokyo. And last time we came we changed from Naha, but this time we came direct on ANA and it was great. We flew right in. There was a shuttle bus that picked us up straight to the hotel. I'll see maybe. If you guys want it, let me know in the comments. If you want to see our hotel room, the view from it's really nice. You're pretty close to the beach. This is a special couple of days. So. Alright. Is that ice cream there?
00:18:27 John Daub: If not, they sell Blue Seal at every single convenience store. But let's go walk about. Blue Seal is the Häagen-Dazs of Okinawa. It's the local ice cream that it's so good. But they have, like, a regional flavors, which is the Okinawan flavors, and that is certainly a treat.
00:18:51 John Daub: So right now we're walking down the main street, having curled around from the Uglena market, and this is pretty much it. This is the port area. Oh, look at the burger. Kanai burger. Is that lunch? Heartland. God's country. Reminds me of when we met. I don't know if you've seen it. I have a video called 99% of tourists will never go here. It is the extreme east side of Hokkaido. And in this episode, Peter and I rented an RV and we drove to this side of Hokkaido on a Kickstarter trip. Thank you, everybody. Yeah, we ate on that side, right?
00:19:43 Kanae Daub: Yeah.
00:19:44 John Daub: Should we cross the street here? I'm looking for. Is it over on this side? I see ice cream too. I have a dilemma. Okay, let's just go. Let's just go. This is a shot of the streets of Okinawa, of Ishigaki. Hold on a second. I want to see this vending machine. Like, is it alcohol? Oh, wow. This is like a craft beer vending machine. It says, I'm broken in English. This is the Ishigaki Jima High beer. These are different kinds of beers, local beers, marine beer. I've had that before. It's okay. And then Orion has the has a craft lager and a couple of other craft beers. Unfortunately, it's broken. And I kind of stopped drinking alcohol, but I kind of didn't, if you know what I mean. Okay, let's see if we can find kanai here. Did she go inside? That burger is larger than life, as it should be. Kanai. A kanai. All right. She found. She found the Blue Seal. What flavors do they have?
00:21:20 John Daub: Mango Blue Wave, Okinawa salt cookie, almond pistachio, Beni Imo, which is the purple potatoes. Brown sugar, which is the natural sugar that they make here. They harvest here. And the strawberry cheesecake, which is just special. A single and a double. Are you getting one kanai? Which one you getting? Because I want one too. I like the Okinawa salt cookies. It's so good. Yeah, Polydactyl Productions writes in here. Get salt cookie. Carrie writes pineapple for Leo. You know what's funny? Leo doesn't like pineapple as much anymore. I was like, we. We had it at breakfast. I gave him a piece of pineapple, and he's like, yada. I want. That means no thank. Like, no way. I want lychee. They come in like. Like waves of. So maybe pineapple will come back. Cary. Right now, he's kind of. Ah, A and W. What? They have this in Naha. I don't remember eating at this one before. I've eaten it before on the Naha. That might have to be in itself a live streaming experience. A and W root beer. Very famous. Everybody in the US knows A and W. They actually have fast food restaurants called A and W. And they got burgers and stuff in there. And of course, A and W root beer. And of course, the root beer floats as well. What we might have eaten here. And I'm pretty sure we ate here. If I remember correctly. This is a Okinawan noodle bar. Yeah, yeah. You can get the Yaayama soba, which is the local soba. We had this. We had some soba just a couple of days ago. Sorry, yesterday. Seems like a couple of days ago. It was a massive bowl of udon. And Kanai got the Okinawan soba here. I can show you a picture of our lunch before. Here's Kanai's. This is the Okinawan soba. It was so good. And you can see the meat on top of there. And it really, really, really. There's a little bit of miso on there. Looks like miso, doesn't it? And then here's mine. I have this Ishigaki beef guts, like the nayo. The innards on top of some soba down there. I basically just ate the meat and a little bit of the soup, and Leo ate my noodles. Really nice. Nice local place across. Across from our hotel. But the prices are right. It's about four. Four to seven dollars for everything. It's not too bad. Umibudo, which are these called? Sea grapes. They're really famous in this area as well. Pac NW is here for. What flavors did you get?
00:25:09 Kanae Daub: Pistachio, almond, and mango.
00:25:12 John Daub: Wow.
00:25:12 Kanae Daub: He wanted to eat Bellow, but they
00:25:14 John Daub: didn't have a melon. You didn't get the salt cookie, Leo?
00:25:19 Kanae Daub: Yeah, he wants green one.
00:25:23 John Daub: The green for the win. Da Dawa.
00:25:33 John Daub: there's nothing on it. There's nothing on it. Tastes like. Tastes like nothing. I didn't taste anything. Give some more. Can I get. Can I get big one, please? Oh, it's got pieces of pistachio. Happy. You didn't get one?
00:26:17 Kanae Daub: Yeah. I think we me
00:26:20 John Daub: pack NW says we have to go to the A and W. Really? Across the street. Do you want to eat that for lunch?
00:26:25 Kanae Daub: Maybe we went before.
00:26:28 John Daub: Yeah. What do you want to eat for lunch? I'm still full from breakfast, too. It's like. It's like 2pm so dinner. What are we. Where are we eating for dinner? If we ate lunch, it's basically dinner. Because I can't. The breakfasts are so big. I never eat breakfast. But that A and W is calling me. Come over here. Free refills on root beer. What? Oh. Why would you buy anything from here when you could just get unlimited root beer from there? And it says American food. I like how America's represented.
00:27:19 Kanae Daub: It's only in Okinawa.
00:27:22 John Daub: Yeah, this is good old American food. Wow. I gotta do it. Everyone says I gotta do it. Oh, and the Coca Cola vending machines all have sam pincha. What is sam pincha? Kanai. What's it made from? That's what I mean. Like, is it rice or. It's. All right, you guys. There it is. It's made here in Okinawa, and it's in the Coca Cola vending machines all over the the island. So I think it was kind of like a. Tastes like a jasmine tea. Yeah. And you have the shisa. Do you see on top of the map here? Everywhere you go in Okinawa, you get a shisa. And you can see this one's mouth is closed. Does anyone know the significance of it? And this one's mouth is open. And in front of all the houses. I think it has to do with keeping away spirits. But two of them. One with a closed mouth and one with an open one. Yeah, look, they even have where the speakers are in case of a typhoon. Do you remember in the karate kid part two, when Daniel LaRusso was escaping and he saved Kumiko and his rival had no courage to save. Was it Kumiko or somebody else? The little girl. But Daniel went out in the typhoon. Well, now, as a result of all those typhoons, they have these speakers that let you know, don't be a hero. Get inside. It's nice to know where the placements are. And our current location is here. I like how a lot of the things are in English as well. Kind of help you out with that. Everything else is not. But you have the icons for the Family Marts. I wonder if this map is sponsored by Family Mart. And it's kind of interesting. It's the aed, so if you. If someone has a heart attack or something on the street, you'd be able to get one of these and shock them alive, waiting for the paramedics to come. It's interesting. Beautiful place. All right, thanks, guys. For the super chats on this, we'll share some more of our trip with you as we do some R and R. I'm doing some editing at night while he's asleep. And yeah, say, that is a lot of AEDs. Actually, that's a lot. But we. We're staying at the hotel, so there's not so much stuff to do there. So basically we are seriously relaxing. Yes. Where are you gonna get my cake? Where?
00:30:12 Kanae Daub: It's a secret.
00:30:13 John Daub: Did you. You didn't even make a res. You didn't even make an appointment?
00:30:17 Kanae Daub: No, I can't do anything.
00:30:18 John Daub: You didn't know. It's. There's nothing happening. There's nothing happening. Tomi Village is. Oh wait, Tommy Village is from Karate Kid. Yeah. No, I. That's in Okinawa Island. That's really far away from here. I can show the map again. But you can see it's quite far away from here. You can see this is where I am right now. We're closer to Taiwan than we are to mainland Tokyo. By far, far. And even Naha. We're closer to Taiwan than even Naha, which is the island where Tomi Village is, which is pretty crazy. And then you can see the southernmost spot of Japan, Ishigaki is pretty close to it. But that island right there on this, on the little island looks like a Tic Tac. That's the southernmost tip of Japan. And you can island hop here. There's a lot of ferries. We started the live stream. We kind of shared. Shared that information. Here's the ferry terminal. If you want to take a look in there. You can see this is where you get your tickets and they announce when your ferry comes in and then you just jump on and then you get go up to the other islands. It's pretty comfortable. And you can see everything's like 30 minutes except the hat Ruma is. Was 80 minutes. The thing is though, in the winter the seas are pretty rough, so a lot of people get seasick. It's different in the summer and late spring and early autumn seas are a little bit quieter. But it's easy to get seasick on this route, especially in winter. Just. It's a kind of a rough ride. Yeah. But they do some tours and there's also like six hour tours. And for fans of Gilligan, they had three hour tours. I know you're kind of singing that in your head, right? I wonder if anyone has ever, never come back from there. If the skipper looked like Skipper, I know I would not get on that boat. It just depends. And if there's someone who looked like Thurston Howell, I probably would. I'm gonna stay home. Just take my money. I'm just gonna. I'll wait for you to come back on your three hour tour. There you go. So that's where we started the live stream from here. Thanks for watching everybody. We'll share some more information and do another live stream maybe tomorrow or the next day. We're here till Friday so there'll be some adventures going on. But this is Ishigaki Port. It's kind of a neat place to to walk around. And if you're staying the on the island for a couple of days, scuba diving is really good. We're thinking about going to a monkey park as well as over there for lunch. And if there's something interesting, I'll share it on Instagram. And yeah, don't be a stranger. Leave me a comment below. Hit that subscribe button. I'll see you again real soon. Hey Rainer, nice to see you. Matane.