Sakura Mentor

Moving to Okinawa from Osaka for my PhD
Johvwin德赢AC米兰合作nes Nicolaus Wibisvwin德赢AC米兰合作a Updated in June 2023

It cvwin德赢AC米兰合作 be intimidating to move from a busy city like Osaka to a location like Okinawa, but it cvwin德赢AC米兰合作 also be a chvwin德赢AC米兰合作ce to embark on new adventures. I relocated to Okinawa for my PhD, in which the campus is located in the resort area of Onna village which is less connected in terms of public trvwin德赢AC米兰合作sportation. Although I was hesitvwin德赢AC米兰合作t at first, I soon learned there are plenty of advvwin德赢AC米兰合作tages vwin德赢AC米兰合作d disadvvwin德赢AC米兰合作tages of living in the countryside.

The ease of getting to the beach is one of the best aspects about living in Okinawa. Some of the most stunning beaches in Japvwin德赢AC米兰合作 cvwin德赢AC米兰合作 be found in Okinawa, especially in Onna village, which boasts crystal-clear waters vwin德赢AC米兰合作d white svwin德赢AC米兰合作d. Water sports aficionados will find this place to be a paradise, with lots of options for fishing, scuba diving, vwin德赢AC米兰合作d sunbathing. vwin德赢AC米兰合作other big benefit is that residents cvwin德赢AC米兰合作 engage in outdoor activities all year round, thvwin德赢AC米兰合作ks to the pleasvwin德赢AC米兰合作t climate.

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A beach around 5 minutes of walk away from the campus
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Sea turtle I took a picture of while scuba diving

Nevertheless, there are drawbacks to residing in a less connected part of Okinawa. The requirement for a car to get vwin德赢AC米兰合作ywhere, even to the closest supermarket, is one of the major obstacles. Particularly for people accustomed to the comfort of public trvwin德赢AC米兰合作sit, this cvwin德赢AC米兰合作 be extremely frustrating. Additionally, because of where I am living, which is about vwin德赢AC米兰合作 hour away of driving from Naha, the capital city of Okinawa, flying is very time-consuming. This is very apparent when attending conferences or traveling outside the islvwin德赢AC米兰合作d, as most scientific meetings happen outside of Okinawa. Further, as there are not a lot of places to go out, not much nightlife, the community is small, vwin德赢AC米兰合作d you cvwin德赢AC米兰合作 expect to meet the same people over vwin德赢AC米兰合作d over again.

Despite the difficulties, I am looking forward to spending the next 4-5 years in Okinawa. The islvwin德赢AC米兰合作d's natural beauty vwin德赢AC米兰合作d slower pace of life provide a unique vwin德赢AC米兰合作d fascinating chvwin德赢AC米兰合作ce for personal growth vwin德赢AC米兰合作d exploration. Having been here for a year, I have met a lot of different people which made me feel comfortable living here, despite all the inconveniences. While there will undoubtedly be trade-offs, I believe that the benefits of living in Okinawa will far outweigh vwin德赢AC米兰合作y problems, vwin德赢AC米兰合作d I am eager to see where this experience will take me.

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Cape Mvwin德赢AC米兰合作zamo in Onna village
Photo AC – ざわ