On the first day of our Okinawa trip in our 60s,
we stayed on Kohama Island.
At the time, we stayed at
Canaan Coffee & Hotel.
※Canaan Coffee & Hotel has since closed.
In this article,
I’ll introduce some of the places we visited during that stay,
including
Coral Beach,
SANUFA,
and the beautiful night sky we were lucky enough to see on Kohama Island.
Coral Beach,
which was the closest beach to our hotel at the time,
had beautifully clear water and was also recommended to us by local people.
We also visited
SANUFA,
which was located on the same property as Canaan Coffee & Hotel when we stayed there.
The night sky we saw late at night was also unforgettable,
so in this second part of our Kohama Island travel report,
I’ll share all three experiences (*´ω｀*)
If you are currently looking for a hotel on Kohama Island,
you can check the latest accommodation options, prices and availability on Rakuten Travel.
✅Find hotels on Kohama Island with Rakuten Travel
Coral Beach on Kohama Island: Quiet, Natural and Beautiful
The first place I want to introduce is
Coral Beach.
When we stayed on Kohama Island,
it was about a five-minute walk from Canaan Coffee & Hotel.
The path down to the beach includes a slope,
so beach sandals or other easy-to-wear footwear are useful.
Beyond the trees,
the beach suddenly appears!
The water was incredibly clear!
There were also hardly any people there that day (*´ω｀*)
Because it was such a hot day,
the sea was warm,
almost like swimming in a heated pool.
When we looked underwater with snorkeling masks,
we were able to see fish too.
Rather than brightly colored tropical fish,
I remember seeing more fish in natural, muted colors.
Even without doing serious snorkeling,
it was fun just looking underwater from the shallows (*´ω｀*)
We used a full-face snorkeling mask like this one:
I bought my beach sandals from SHEIN.
The straps were soft and loose enough to feel comfortable,
so they were easy to wear.
▶See the beach sandals I bought on SHEIN (different color)
Rocks, blue water and a beautiful sky!
Unlike a carefully maintained resort beach,
Coral Beach felt much more natural and untouched.
The ocean looked beautiful through the rocks.
We arrived at Coral Beach after about 3:30 p.m.,
but still had plenty of time to swim,
walk around the rocky shoreline
and enjoy the scenery.
One thing I really noticed during our Okinawa trip was that
the weather can change very quickly.
Even if the forecast says it will be sunny,
clouds or rain can suddenly appear.
Because of that,
I learned that
when the weather is good, enjoy the beach while you can.
Do not assume you can simply come back later.
In fact,
the following day was supposed to have better weather,
but the morning turned out to be rainy and cloudy.
We had planned to swim at Coral Beach again,
but we were not able to go.
I also regretted not taking more photos of the beautiful ocean while the weather was good.
“Enjoy it fully while you have the chance!”
That became one of my personal rules for traveling in Okinawa.
Kohama Island has many other beautiful beaches and places to stay as well.
✅Find hotels on Kohama Island with Rakuten Travel
Okinawan Food at SANUFA on Kohama Island
Another place we visited during our stay was
SANUFA.
At the time,
it served Okinawan dishes made with local ingredients.
When we visited,
SANUFA was located on the same property as Canaan Coffee & Hotel,
so it was very easy to reach from our room.
The pink exterior was especially memorable.
When we stayed at Canaan Coffee & Hotel,
it was very convenient to be able to walk straight back to our room after dinner.
Mozuku on Kohama and Ishigaki Islands Was Delicious
One of the foods that made the biggest impression on me
during our time on Kohama and Ishigaki Islands was
the mozuku seaweed.
The strands were long,
almost like somen noodles,
with a different texture from the mozuku I usually eat at home.
We ate mozuku almost every day during our trip to Kohama and Ishigaki!
I was especially happy that such delicious mozuku
was served as our appetizer (*´ω｀*)
Ishigaki Beef Tendon Stew and Rafute
This was Ishigaki beef tendon stew.
It was so delicious that we finished it almost immediately♪
We also tried rafute,
Okinawan braised pork belly.
The fatty part was incredibly tender
and very delicious!
My First Time Trying Mozuku Tempura
This was my first time eating mozuku tempura!
The soft, slightly slippery texture of the mozuku
combined with the crispy tempura coating
created a really interesting texture.
It was delicious (*´ω｀*)
Misaki Beef Cubed Steak from Ishigaki
We also ordered cubed steak made with Misaki beef from Ishigaki.
The meat was tender and delicious!
At the time,
the portions were relatively small,
which made it easy to order several different dishes and try a little of everything☆
Addictive and Comforting Somen Champuru
This was also my first time trying somen champuru!
The flavor was mild and comforting, but strangely addictive (*´ω｀*)
I sometimes make goya champuru at home,
but I had never made somen champuru before.
After trying it here,
I wanted to make it myself once we returned home.
Agu Pork Gyoza
We also tried Agu pork gyoza.
It was fun to enjoy so many dishes made with ingredients associated with Okinawa,
and everything we ordered was delicious.
When we visited,
the restaurant was busy enough to become completely full.
Beautiful Stargazing on Kohama Island
Before our trip,
I had already read that Kohama Island was known for beautiful stars.
So I was thinking,
“I absolutely want to see the stars while we are on Kohama Island!”
(*´ω｀*)
The weather looked a little uncertain that evening,
but fortunately,
at around 2:00 a.m.,
we were able to see a beautiful star-filled sky
from the grounds of the hotel where we were staying.
We even saw two shooting stars.
It was such a happy moment☆☆
On Kohama Island,
you can enjoy beautiful ocean scenery,
try Okinawan food,
and when the conditions are right,
look up at a sky filled with stars.
The Canaan Coffee & Hotel where we stayed has since closed,
but Kohama Island still has a variety of hotels and resorts.
If you are planning a trip to Kohama Island now,
check current hotel prices and availability before your visit.
✅Find hotels on Kohama Island with Rakuten Travel
If you would also like to read our stay report from Canaan Coffee & Hotel,
please note that the hotel has now closed and the article is preserved as a record of our stay at the time.
