Okinawa bugs, etc......

Question

Ok I've expressed my interest in Okinawa before and I just realized that they are in subtropical area. Which means bugs. So to those that have been there exactly what kind of bugs did you encounter, and were there lots of them? (im slightly squirmish on bugs but gradually getting better).

also exactly how hot does it get there? im from wisconsin, so... would i "die" of heat?

oh yes, i'd also like to hear your opinions of okinawa and how you liked that area of japan

Answer 1

I grew up in Okinawa and bugs are omg so big over there! I don't know what kind of bugs but If I talk about cockroaches, they're are freakin  huge!!! they can fly and they won't die, even If you use sprays and smash them.  And it's very humid over there. When I went back last year, I took bath twice a day. So I had to turn the air conditioner. But air and beaches are very nice  

Answer 2

My husband and I lived on Okinawa for 3 years. Since it is a tropical island, I did come across a few bugs. I hated the huge, flying cockroaches. We lived close to the beach, and we would see them a lot. There are also spiders there. Our friend got a bad spider bite that needed surgery, so becareful of those. One good thing to know is there are geckos there. If you see one, don't kill it because they will eat the bugs.

I recommend to live off-base. I never lived on base, but I hear so many problems that come across when living on base.

Hope this will be of some help to you.

Answer 3

i went to okinawa two years ago to perform in this okinawa musical :)

first of all, the ocean view from okinawa was simply beautiful!!!! xD

i took so many pics of the ocean because it was so much more "blue" than the ocean you see from la.

yeah it was hot over there but i'm sure you wouldn't "die" from it. lol it was a bit humid i must say ><;;

sorry but i don't really remember about what bugs i saw there... i just remember that i didn't see a lot of it ^^;

my favorite part of okinawa was probably shopping in 国際道り

(kokusai douri). it had many, MANY souvenir shops :) i had SO MUCH fun just walking through there! the food they had was super good too!

i would reallyx10 reccomend going to okinawa. its a great place to go during your vacation ^^  

Answer 4

Over 10 years ago, I lived Okinawa one and a half year.

Yes, the climate in Okinawa is hot, it's subtropical islands.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okinawa_Pre...

But, you know, Japan mainland is also hot, sometimes hotter than Okinawa in summer times.

The biggest difference is how long do the hottest days continue. In Tokyo and Osaka, we call summer for July and August, sometimes plus September, but in Okinawa you should think it's May to October (or even Nov.).

Regarding bugs, It depends on how will you spend in Okinawa. Since Okinawa consists of islands and even main island is rather small, the density of population is high in Okinawa especially city of Naha and surroundings.

Then, you might have not so many chance to find strange tropical insects around your room if you live in a apartment in urban area around Naha.

The insects of Okinawa are very interesting but may be you'd not like to listen to :-)

I love the ocean of Okinawa, too. I recommend you scuba diving in Okinawa. , Good scuba diving points are a little far from Naha, but it's worth to try. I sometimes missed my days on the beautiful reefs in youth even now.

I love the history of Okinawa, it's very suggestive for me to understand what is Japan.

Okinawa's traditional culture is also great. I think many of them are already changed under the influence of mainland Japan, but it's still have uniqueness.

People in Okinawa have antinomy emotion to mainland Japan. They always want to be as same as mainland Japanese, but at the same time they tend to make themselves believe they are not Japanese, or pretend to do so, because of their prides.

Okinawa is a part of Japan, but slightly different from mainland Japan. This is one of the great attraction of Okinawa, but at the same time it has a big political meanings even today.

(Some people say Japanese "invated" Okinawa in early 17th century or 1872.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_...

I learned don't argure with Okinawan people in the uniqueness of Okinawa. When a person in Okinawa says to you that Okinawa is different from mainland Japan, it is good for you to express your agreement, and When you told from another Okinawan that Okinawa is not different from mainland Japan, you'd better to say "yes, exactly!".

Anyway, I love Okinawa, its nature, its history, its culture and its people.

Answer 5

I lived there as a kid and I go back to visit since I have family there. All of Japan gets hot and humid but Okinawa never really gets cold, especially not like you're used to. Their winter is mild. I've lived where it's hot and dry and I much prefer humid heat than dry heat. At least you're sweating and rehydrating when it's humid, it just feels healthier that way to me than dry heat. Plus, everywhere has air conditioning so if you really can't take it, there's plenty of places to cool down.

Yes, there are a lot of bugs but unless you're mucking about in the wilderness, it shouldn't really affect you. Unless of course you're a mosquito magnet, which I was when I lived there but not when I visit, interestingly enough. As there are a lot of bugs, there are creatures which eat the bugs including spiders, bats, and snakes.

Animal cautions: be very very careful in any brushy unkept area as it may be the perfect habitat for snakes. Okinawa has a deadly pit viper species which is known as habu locally. You do not ever want to even come close to getting bit by this creature. That said, I lived there as a kid and wasn't extremely cautious and never encountered one. Mongoose were brought to the island to control the habu population, which they really didn't do--they became a pest instead.

The one member of animal kingdom already mentioned that you are more likely to encounter are cockroaches. Yes, they are big and they fly. They manage to get everywhere (they were in our fridge!) but if you keep at it you can fight them off and win. Find the sources as to where they are coming from and seal them off. Get some traps and always keep bug spray unless killing off pests is against your code. A lot of homes have not only fire detectors but gas detectors so don't spray too close to those or else the alarm will go off. (Can you tell it happened to us?)

Others have encountered huge spiders in the bushes but I never did. Instead we saw dragonflies (lovely, nothing to be squeamish about), geckos and other lizards, and various other insects (just look away). Overall, I'd say watching Indiana Jones is much worse than living in Okinawa for the bug factor.

The ocean is beautiful but it too has its dangers. Wear shoes! Stepping on coral or sea urchins is not fun. There are box jelly fish too (habu kurage) but the tourist beaches generally have nets and things to break the tide so the water is calm and safe. Not to mention blue and warm, very nice. Just wear something on your feet.

I was a kid who didn't want to move there so I hated it. You're an adult who wants to go there so you might love it. I like visiting as an adult and appreciate my time there. It's just not practical for me to move back--no jobs, nothing to do, etc. Remember that Okinawa is the poorest prefecture of Japan.