Kei Van & Sugar Cane

Miyakojima Island

 

[ Sunayama Beach ]

This morning Norah and I packed the cooler with ice, water, and onigiri (two with salmon and two with tuna/mayo) and drove our kei van to the first beach on our list. I did not know for sure what to expect but the magnitude of beauty that we found at this beach was beyond words. 

[ An unassuming marker ]

Sunayama Beach was a 10-minute drive from our residence and was marked by a small sign in the middle of the road. Just beyond the sign was a small parking lot with showers and a sandy trail leading through the island forest. After a short walk the path opened up to a magnificent view of the water. There were a handful of people there already tucking their towels in shady areas along the rocks lining the cove.

[ emerald water ]

[ irresistible ]

Norah and I floated and swam all morning. The water was calm and crystal clear and just gorgeous. I honestly could not believe the color of the water. 

[ that’s Norah floating in the water ]

After a midday sun break we toured the eastern end of the island. We drove through sugar cane fields which cover 65% of the island. Gorgeous. 

[ the soil on the island is red ]

[ fields of sugar cane ]

I had a delightful afternoon just driving through these fields, looking at the neighborhood hamlets clustered across the island, and enjoying the company of my daughter. I plan to do a little reading about the agriculture and the eco-farming that is happening here. Some of the sugar cane by-product is used to produce bio fuels. 

[ just me and my kei van ]