From Shonan to Okinawa (3): The "No Need to Rush" Island Life

The richness of "being empty"

--Sensations that changed after living in Okinawa

Since I started living in Okinawa, my daily stress has decreased significantly.

Of course, there are still minor worries about work and life. But compared to when I was on the mainland, I feel like the unnecessary tension I had in my body has been released.

One of the reasons for this is that the stress related to "traveling" has decreased.

In the Fujisawa area where I used to live, I feel like I was using energy just to move around.

Traffic jams.
Waiting at traffic lights.
Crowds of people.
Looking for parking.

No matter where I went, there was a sense of being rushed.
In my case, I commuted by car so I rarely took the train, but I was always affected by the congestion on the roads and the stress of traveling.

Of course, there are traffic jams in Okinawa too. But there is less of the oppressive or aggressive feeling you get on the mainland.

Once you leave the town, there are fewer traffic lights, and the atmosphere on the roads becomes more relaxed.
Okinawa has a monorail around Naha in the south, but trains do not run across the entire island.

The expressways are much cheaper than on the mainland. Since the island itself is compact, I can intuitively get around within a "roughly one-hour radius."

At first, I was frustrated by cars driving slowly.

But lately, I think.

Maybe I can finally become an islander when I stop getting frustrated by these "slow-moving cars."

Having a beach with no one on it is normal

What moved me most when I first came to Okinawa was, after all, having a beautiful sea in my daily life.

Water with high transparency.
The sea that changes color depending on the day.

Because it's an island, just by driving, the sea comes into view somewhere.

And what really surprised me was not the "beauty," but the "lack of people."

When I go to a park along the coastline that is a bit off the beaten path, there are times when there is truly no one there.

In Shonan, the seaside was overflowing with people and cars even on weekdays.

But in Okinawa, it is common to find places that are so beautiful yet completely empty.

Parking is also often free.

There is no need to wait in line for a spot to open up.

This sense of 'emptiness' was quite significant for me.

I feel it wasn't just about convenience, but more like a sense of mental space.

Not having to hunch up even in winter

It was something I had expected before moving, but after actually living here, the impact of winters not being cold has been quite significant.

In Kanagawa, both my body and mind tended to hunch up from the cold in winter.

I am not very fond of wearing thick layers of clothing.

But in Okinawa, I have a sense of my body relaxing even in winter.

It is also a relief that it doesn't get dry.

For someone like me whose nails used to crack easily in winter when playing the sanshin, this humidity is just right.

The plants, too, have a completely different look compared to the mainland.

Hibiscus and bougainvillea bloom vividly, and bananas and papayas grow by the roadside as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Colorful flowers bloom in every season, and the island is wrapped in deep green throughout the year.

I feel like I am being energized by the strength of that vitality.

This is the true pleasure of life on a southern island.

An atmosphere where 'it's okay not to be perfect'

What I felt after coming to Okinawa was that I didn't have to worry so much about the eyes of those around me.

In Shonan, where I used to live, I had felt an uncomfortable atmosphere in recent years.
There were more people and cars than before, and the town had become no different from a big city.

And then there was the "Shonan brand"—that sense of style, lifestyle, and good taste.
I felt like those things were thinly draped over the entire town. Am I overthinking it?

In that regard, Okinawa, especially Uruma City, doesn't have much of that pretension.

You can dress however you like.

You don't have to be uptight.

Even if things are a bit messy, nobody really minds.

That casualness suited me.

Of course, it can't compete with the mainland in terms of convenience or the abundance of choices.

But in Okinawa, there is an "atmosphere where you don't have to rush."

I feel like the accumulation of those small margins makes life a little easier.

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