Choi Family’s “Homestay” Travel Diary in Okinawa

目指すは感動デザインカンパニー
1日目
Arrived in Naha Airport!!Headed to Yomitan Village!

The Choi family arrived in Naha Airport’s International Terminal before noon. They took a taxi from the airport and headed to Yomitan Village! They were so excited to see a magnificent 180 degree ocean view!

Lunch at the fishing harbor

The Choi family had a fresh seafood lunch at Toya Fishing Harbor♪
“This sashimi is not frozen, but so fresh and sweet!” (Sashimi: raw fish)

Whale shark tour from a glass-bottom boat

After having a delicious lunch and looking around the fish market, it’s time to get on a glass-bottom boat! On the glass-bottom boat, you can see a whale shark right in front of you! About 15 minutes by boat, the Choi family arrived at a whale shark watching point. “We thought the whale shark tour was going to be enjoyable only for our children, but when we arrived and saw the real whale shark we were extremely shocked and excited. We had only seen whale sharks on TV before and were unable to comprehend how truly massive a whale shark is”

Meet the host family

When the Choi family arrived back at the harbor, their host family gave them a warm welcome.
“At first, we weren’t sure if our children would get along with our host’s grandchildren because of the language barrier, but they quickly became friends”
“The host family’s residence was a large, detached house. It was extremely cute and reminded me of Doraemon’s house”
“We were shocked when we heard that this type of house is normal for Okinawa and that the shower and the toilet are typically in two separate rooms”
“We had an amazing experience staying in a local house rather than a hotel since we learned how to cook and eat Okinawa style with the host family”
“Our children enjoyed spending time with the Japanese children and their family so much that they always went to bed late”
“Oh, it felt so cozy and comfortable sleeping on a futon placed on top of a tatami!”
“We found putting away the futon after we woke up was extremely effective since it freed up more space for us to use during the day“
By the end of the day, the Choi family was not only able to experience the host family’s kindness and hospitality, but also enjoy delicious local food.

2日目
Wear the traditional costume of the Ryukyu Kingdom

After having breakfast with the host family, the Choi family left to try on the traditional costume of Okinawa, which used to be called “the Ryukyu Kingdom. The traditional costume, which was originally influenced by China, looked incredible on the Choi family. A commemorative photo of the Choi family in front of a traditional Okinawan house. The Choi family looks so lovely!

Barbecue at the beach

The Choi family enjoyed barbecue for lunch at Toguchi Beach with the host family! The children were so excited to play in the clear ocean water. Despite the language barrier, the children had so much fun playing together and later enjoyed a barbecue under the rich blue sky. The Okinawan Beni pork (local pork), beef, chicken, Yakisoba (Japanese stir fried noodle), and everything else all tasted delicious. The Choi children enjoyed the food that their dad learned from their host grandpa.

Experience Okinawa’s traditional dyeing method

The Choi family experienced two cultural activities in the afternoon.
The first activity was learning Okinawa’s traditional dyeing method. The local who teaches the dyeing method is nationally recognized as a contemporary master craftsman. Mrs. Choi dyed her cloth and made a beautiful scarf.
“We’ve had a wonderful experience here that we can’t normally do”

Experience how salt is made

The second activity is learning how to make salt.
Mr. Choi and his son made their very own salt using Okinawa’s clean seawater. The process of forming salt crystals from seawater appears magical to many people, which attracts lots of curious tourists. You can take the salt that you made home as a souvenir in a small pottery jar. You can enjoy salt-flavored ice cream right next door!

Sweet factory

Next, the Choi family went to Okinawa’s famous Okashi Goten confectionery.
At the confectionary, you can find not only Beni-imo tarts, which is a popular local gift that is made from sweet potatoes, but also many other original sweets. The Choi family enjoyed watching the production line through the viewing window and shopping for sweets.

Two families bond through the night

Back at the house, local friends of the host came over to visit with the Choi family and shared their freshly caught fish.
“We were so shocked that the local sashimi was served room temperature rather than cold, but it tasted so fresh, sweet, and delicious!” exclaimed the Choi family.
In the evening, the fun only grew when the relatives of our host family came to see us. The children could not have been more excited.
“We had so much fun drinking Okinawan local beer and sake while singing a song and enjoying fireworks. It was very heartening to see our children having a fun time as well”

3日目
Saying goodbye

After a delicious breakfast, it’s time to say goodbye.
The Choi family found that it was a lot harder to say goodbye than they thought. While saying goodbye, the Choi family’s eldest son was crestfallen and the host family’s grandson was weeping. The two families hope to see each other again sometime.

Beach and leisure time

The Choi family headed to Zanpa Beach where you can try various types of water activities. The children were very excited to play on the beautiful Zanpa Beach. The Choi family played in the translucent water and enjoyed the sun under the beautiful blue sky. Mr. Choi even tried flyboarding!
“Flyboarding was very hard at first, but I got better at it with time”
“When I was unsuccessful at flyboarding and fell into the ocean, the water was so clear and blue that I could see the seabed. The ocean was so stunning that I didn’t even want to come up for air!”
“The flyboarding instructor told me not to look down while flyboarding, but I was absolutely entranced by the beautiful water. It was so much fun!”

Lunch at a hotel

The Choi family enjoyed a buffet-styled Okinawan and Japanese lunch at Hotel Nikko Alivila. Nikko Alivila is not only very popular among tourists with families, but the locals also come and dine at the hotel for special occasions. The Choi family could not stop eating at the buffet with so many mouth-watering Japanese food choices such as sushi, tempura, dessert, and fruit.

As you can see from the Choi family’s experience, there’s so much more to Okinawa than what the mere internet or travel magazines can tell you about.

Let’s experience this tour !

Yomitan Homestay Tour Itinerary

■ Day1/16:00

Please come to Yomitan Village.
Meet your host family in Yomitan Village.
Communication, cooking and dinner at your host family’s place

Choose your favorite type of homestay
  • Experience Okinawa’s instrument and dance
  • Experience Ryuso (Okinawa’s traditional costume)
  • Experience Okinawan sweets-making
  • Leave your choice up to us

■ Day2/Morning

Breakfast at your host family’s house

Choose main program
  • [Fishing Experience Plan] Experience large scale of set net fishing & lunch at Ryukyu Samurai Residence “Janatei”
    〇Meet at 6:30 in the morning Duration for set net fishing is about 2hrs
  • [Agricultural Experience Plan] Harvesting Experience of Okinawan vegetables & BBQ lunch
    〇Agricultural Experience About 1hr
    〇BBQ at Farmer’s place About 1.5hrs
  • [Traditional Craft Experience Plan] Making Yomitanzan Hanaori coaster & Lunch at Yamuchin (pottery) Café (Pizza)
    〇Coaster Making About 40min
    ※We will give you Yamuchin cup which will perfectly match your hand-made coaster at café.
■ Afternoon
Free Time

Please enjoy free time.
Please contact us to book optional programs.

【Optional Programs –Extra fee is required-】
  • Whale Shark/Glass bottom boat
  • Whale Shark/Snorkeling
  • Whale Shark/Diving
  • Uminchu (traditional fishing) Experience
  • Making Ryukyu Glass
  • Making your own salt
  • Ryukyu experience/Photo shooting
  • Okinawan dyeing experience
  • Fly board
  • Snorkeling
  • Shell Craft
  • Visiting Coral Farm
【You can enjoy these sightseeing Spots for free】
  • Zanpa beach
  • Toguchi beach
  • Zanpamisaki park
  • Cape Zanpa lighthouse
  • Zakimi castle ruins
  • etc.

17:00 Communication, cooking and dinner at your host family’s house


■ Day3 

Breakfast at your host family’s house
09:00 Leaving host family’s house

You can also enjoy optional programs in your free time before you meet host family on the day 1 or after you leave host family on the day 3.

【Estimated Cost】(per person)

Aged 12 or older:32,000yen Approx. 8,500NTD / 2,190HKD
Between 6 and 11 years old:22,200yen Approx.5,900NTD / 1,520HKD
Between 3 and 5 years old:14,000yen Approx.3,720NTD / 960HKD
Aged 2 or younger:Free

※The above cost is just the estimation. It is subject to change depending on the number of participants.
(The currency other than JPY is based on the exchange rate as of Oct, 2017)

■ Day1/16:00

Please come to Yomitan Village.
Meet your host family in Yomitan Village.
Communication, cooking and dinner at your host family’s place

Choose your favorite type of homestay
  • Experience Okinawa’s instrument and dance
  • Experience Ryuso (Okinawa’s traditional costume)
  • Experience Okinawan sweets-making
  • Leave your choice up to us

■ Day2/Morning

Breakfast at your host family’s house
09:00 Leaving host family’s house

Free Time

Please enjoy free time.
Please contact us to book optional programs.

【Optional Programs –Extra fee is required-】
  • Whale Shark/Glass bottom boat
  • Whale Shark/Snorkeling
  • Whale Shark/Diving
  • Uminchu (traditional fishing) Experience
  • Making Ryukyu Glass
  • Making your own salt
  • Ryukyu experience/Photo shooting
  • Okinawan dyeing experience
  • Fly board
  • Snorkeling
  • Shell Craft
  • Visiting Coral Farm
【You can enjoy these sightseeing Spots for free】
  • Zanpa beach
  • Toguchi beach
  • Zanpamisaki park
  • Cape Zanpa lighthouse
  • Zakimi castle ruins
  • etc.
You can also enjoy optional programs in your free time before you meet host family on the day 1 or after you leave host family on the day 2.

【Estimated Cost】(per person)

Aged 12 or older:14,000JPY Approx. 3,720NTD / 960HKD
Between 6 and 11 years old:9,600JPY Approx.2,550NTD / 660HKD
Between 3 and 5 years old:6,000JPY Approx.1,590NTD / 410HKD
Aged 2 or younger:Free

※The above cost is just the estimation. It is subject to change depending on the number of participants.
(The currency other than JPY is based on the exchange rate as of Oct, 2017)

Main Programs

Large scale of set net fishing
Agricultural Experience
Traditional Craft Experience

Optional Programs

Silk Shawl Gradation Dyeing
Shell Craft
Ryukyu Glass Making
Making Salt Experience
Coral Farm, coral reef on land
Traditional fishing Experience
Whale Shark Glass Bottom Boat
Whale Shark Snorkeling
Whale Shark Diving
Easy snorkeling tour by boat!
Dragon Boat
Fly Board
How to Make a Reservation Important Notices FAQ