Heads-up on Taiwan-Okinawa Tour

Beautiful Okinawa

Looks like it's gonna cost me a bomb to travel from Taiwan to Okinawa but it's still cheaper than flying straight to Okinawa from Singapore. Here are some findings after a whole morning of googling:

1) Okinawa is accessible via Taipei by air. Seems like China Airlines is the only carrier to Naha, Okinawa. A round trip (about 1.5 hour flight) will set me back around S$500. Lodging isn't exactly cheap in Okinawa but there are always decent hostels at lower prices.

2) A cheaper alternative to Okinawa is via Kaohsiung or Keelung by ferry. Considering the time wasted (about 16 - 19 hours), it might not be worth it. However, being in the middle of the sea overnight is an experience I welcome!

The Arimura Sangyo Company is the only ferry line that operates between Keelung Port and Naha Port. The ferry departs from Keelung at 10pm and arrives next day at Naha, 3pm. Usually departs from Taiwan on Mon / Tue; departs from Naha on Thu / Fri. Fare costs approximately S$250 from Naha to Keelung. I haven't gotten my hands on info if this is a round-trip fare or just one way.

Arimura can be contacted via email adachi_arimuraline@nifty.com. Think I'll drop them a note soon. They apparently has rep offices in Taipei and Kaohsiung (Tel. + 886 (0)7 330 9811).

3) If travelling out of Taiwan looks too expensive, we can also consider Xiao Liuqiu*, a Taiwanese island off the southwestern coast of Taiwan.

*Xiao Liuqiu = 小琉球, literally translates to Mini Okinawa; Okinawa was an independent kingdom and was known as RyuKyu before it was annexed by Japan during the Meiji Restoration period in 1879.

For more information on Okinawa, visit:
http://wikitravel.org/en/Okinawa
http://www.okinawa.com/

For more information on Taiwan, visit: http://www.taiwan.net.tw/lan/cht/index/index.asp

My fellow PTCs, according to my estimation, we need to set aside $1,500/person for transport + lodging alone to realise our Taiwan-Okinawa tour. More updates soon!