Unlikely holiday destination with ‘best beach’

It’s unlikely you have thought about packing your beach towel and thongs for a trip to this country.

When Aussies think of travelling to Japan, they might think skiing in winter or seeing the cherry blossoms in spring.

But what about the beach in summer? Would the TikTok below convince you to pack your beach towel and thongs for the East Asian country this year?

A woman from Spain – a popular destination for Aussies to flock to during the European summer – moved to Tokyo last year and makes travel videos for TikTok

Sharing a clip of Okinawa Island this week – dubbed the “Hawaii of Japan” – Feolaz wrote: “Instead of honing to popular tourist destinations for crystal clear water and white beaches … Go to Japan.”

The text of the video read: “Instead of going to Bali, Thailand or Australia and be crowded by tourists … go to … Japan.”

@feolazz

Instead of honing to popular tourist destinations for crystal clear water and white beaches.. Go to Japan⭐️ #traveljapan#traveljapan2023#vacation#japanhacks#livinginjapan#japantraveltips#explorejapan#okinawajapan tropical Japan, explore Japan, thing to do in Japan, vacation in Japan, dream destination 2023

♬ original sound - soundsgalour

While people agreed Okinawa was “breathtaking”, users were quick to point out travel expenses in Japan were incomparable to bALI and Thailand.

“Like flying and staying in Japan isn’t expensive as hell,” wrote one person.

“Big difference in prices food and drinks and accommodation,” said another.

Feolaz defended the destination, saying while flights can be expensive, travelling Okinawa Island on a budget is “totally doable”.

Okinawa in Japan. Picture: TikTok / @feolazz

In a separate video, Feolaz documented what she spent in a day, which included the hotel, meals and an entry fee to the scenic rock formation Cape Manzamo. It came to 8135 Japanese Yen, equivalent to about $90.

Australians in the comments were quick to defend down under beaches from being labelled crowded.

“I mean Australia has a lot of beaches. Like 12,000 beaches, not just Bondi,” one said.

“There’s a lot less people in Australia than there is in Japan,” someone else wrote.

Okinawa has a humid subtropical climate and the average sea temperature ranges from around 21C in February to nearly 30C in August.