The Pushbike Surfer

I can’t believe I made it to Okinawa!

I am going to be writing about my journey leading up to my time in Okinawa and a few things I learned during my first few weeks in Okinawa, Japan.

I have to start by noting that I am incredibly lucky to be by the side of my life partner, Ayane. She tirelessly helps me at any moment no matter how hard the circumstance.

it was July 5th, 2023 when we put an end to our long distance and started living in Landsborough in Queensland, Australia. It was a pretty remote town for the two of us and we were not used to the countryside life. After being apart for 7 months we were instantly spending every minuet together, and I can gladly say I can count on one hand the amount of times we had some conflict. Don’t forget we have different native languages.

We learned a lot during those 2 months in Australia, a lot about how we conduct ourselves as partners and a lot about the ways we can grow as individuals. We were able to enjoy the beauty of Queensland, spend time with family and friends around Australia, and spend some much-needed alone time together. (I don’t think she is tired of me yet) Most importantly, it was a great opportunity to focus on the target of life in Okinawa.

Since we arrived, there have been nothing but wonderful memories. Even the hard times are easy with the right person.

We found an apartment that suited our needs in less than two weeks and slept on tatami our first two weeks in this Apartment. My neck has never hurt so much, but I am going to lean into the research that said it is really good for my back to sleep on hard surfaces.

I have had the luxury of my partner being a native Japanese speaker and already having such a close circle of people around her. That helped me a lot when it came to my first few weeks of adaptation to life in Okinawa. That aside, I won’t discount my consciousness of other people’s feelings to be as accommodating as possible. Culturally, some elements are harder to assimilate to than others, but it doesn’t mean I won’t try.

The most important thing I learned is to use the Language despite how messy or bad my Japanese is. This is helpful for anyone traveling to a country that doesn’t speak the native language.

1) It breaks down a cultural barrier: effort to communicate is louder than the ignorance of assuming someone speaks your native language. (Imagine someone came up to you in your home country and started naturally speaking a completely different language… it happens haha)

2) I am here to learn: Utilizing my time wisely is important. Using the language in and around my daily life is very helpful for me to reach the target of passing the JLPT N5 by the end of this year.

I hope this article opened up your eyes to what life might be like on this side of the Pacific.

Happy Days!

-The Pushbike Surfer