Indulge yourself at a popular seaside café

Nanjo City is about 50 minutes from Naha Airport. It is a hidden area of resorts where time flows idly by in surroundings of lush green hills and shimmering blue seas.

Today, we will be teeing off at one of the area’s golf courses in the evening, but we decided to enjoy a drive before that since we’re here anyway.

Nanjo City is well known for its many cafés offering magnificent views. We first head to Hamabe-no-Chaya west of Miibaru Beach.

This café, which was built upon a white sand beach, opened in 1994 and is one of the original cafés designed so patrons may enjoy a gorgeous view.

Today too, it is still a popular spot and there is a constant flow of customers. Sitting by the window, we enjoy an amazing view of the perfectly serene cobalt blue sea right before our eyes.

Our interest never wanes even as we gaze what seems like forever out over the sea with its gradually changing expression.

Getting a little hungry, we order the Campagne Vegetable Sandwich for brunch. Made with natural yeast, this delicious homemade pain de campagne is baked in a stone oven with heaps of fresh vegetables and fruits, purchased directly from local farmers, placed between two slices.

The lettuce, tomatoes and pineapple are all succulent and bursting with flavor. For dessert, we select a slice of the superb cheesecake with the soft sweet taste of purple yam.

Our hearts and our bellies are now fully satisfied! We find it hard to leave the comfort of this seaside café, but, eventually, we continue on our journey.

Driving around searching for inspiration

While we were enjoying coffee at Hamabe-no-Chaya, I secretly fell in love with the coffee cup crafted with a sunflower pattern.

When I mentioned this to the proprietor Takebayashi-san, he said it was an original design that an atelier nearby called Tamagusuku-yaki made for him.

Takebayashi-san told us how to get there and we stop by the atelier, which is located at the end of a sugarcane field. Inafuku-san, the master artisan, shows us to some of his work. Such unexpected encounters become part of the joy of traveling.

After our experience with local yachimun or pottery, we at last arrive at Miibaru Beach. The waters here are famous for their clarity. It is so clear that, from a glass-bottom boat, you can see fish swimming around below.

We relax as we walk along the white sand beach while listening to the gentle sound of the waves and picking up coral and shells.

Healthy lunch on a hill overlooking the town

After savoring the splendid scenery along the seashore, we decide to take in the scenery from the mountains. Vegetarica, our lunch stop, is a cozy café run by owner and chef Akiko Yoshimoto and her mother Fumiko.

Located on a hill overlooking the peaceful scenery of Nanjo City, the café is very pleasant with 180° panoramic views from the terrace.

Nearby the café, Akiko and her mother have their own organic garden and chicken coop, from which they use fresh vegetables and eggs for most of their cuisine.

The main dishes on the day we visited were “curry with seasonal vegetables and stewed pork spare ribs” and a “fluffy omelet over rice,” both of which were fantastically delicious.

The salads and winter melon soup as well as other simple dishes, which draw out the natural goodness of the ingredients, were also spectacularly delicious. Having actually relished the exquisite flavor of freshly picked vegetables, we felt as if our bodies had been cleansed throughout.

Rediscovering the appeal of golf at this outstanding location

We consciously made “picturesque scenery” the theme of our golf outing. This time, we decided to try our hand at golf because we heard that the Shurei Country Club has some of the most beautiful scenery anywhere.

We were also hoping that we might encounter something new and exciting. What appealed to us even more was the Picnic Golf–a quick half-round of golf, because we want to enjoy a variety of things besides golf on our vacations.

Having concluded our round of golf at Shurei Country Club, we found the location even more awe-inspiring than we expected. From anywhere on the first nine holes, you can see the blue sea no matter which direction you’re looking.

We felt at one with the great outdoors and had a sense of openness that we’ve never experienced before. The feeling of exhilaration when driving the ball towards the flag and beyond to the sea is something that can’t be experienced anywhere else but here.