Advice for getting/going to Okinawa

[Angry John]

Due to web burn-out and recent life-experience craziness, I decided to just bust a question:

I'll be in Japan again in November/December. I have a half-way nutty goal of visiting every prefecture at least once. There are damn few left at this time. Among them are Oita, Miyazaki, and Okinawa.

I'll be basing out of Tochigi prefecture, holding an all-Japan JR rail-pass. Money is not 'no object', but I can afford a bit.

Do any of you aficiandos know of a swell way to hit these three prefectures...or at least just Okinawa for a day or two without losing two arms and a leg? As in, airlines from X airport...ferries, or nutty crazy hydrofoils with bars stocked with 50+ brands of beer and hot chicks out of James Bond.....or not....

[KansaiBen]

Do any of you aficiandos know of a swell way to hit these three prefectures...or at least just Okinawa for a day or two without losing two arms and a leg? As in, airlines from X airport...ferries, or nutty crazy hydrofoils with bars stocked with 50+ brands of beer and hot chicks out of James Bond.....or not....

Um, JR is for trains only and you need to catch a ferry or a plane from mainland Honshu to get to Okinawa

I flew to Okinawa from Kansai and its a 90 minute flight from KIX. From Tokyo you are looking at another 60-90 minutes from Haneda or Narita. You can take Shinkansen to Kita Kyushu and then JR to Oita or Miyasaki.

From Kansai a ferry will take you a good 2 days to Okinawa.

[TJrandom]

...ferries, or nutty crazy hydrofoils with bars stocked with 50+ brands of beer and hot chicks out of James Bond.....or not....

I have taken a few of the ferries and hydrofoils too, and I suspect you may have as well - so please sit back, close your eyes for a moment and remember that bevy of hot chicks that graced your last ride. Have them fixed there in your consciousness do you?

Please let me describe mine, and tell me if I got it right.... most were in their 80's, or looked to be, and some appeared to be way beyond that. All were wrinkled beyond recognition as women, much less girls. All were properly dressed - with only face and hands showing (which was a good thing). Most carried large containers of produce, fish, fabric, etc. And none of them could even remotely be described as having ever been a Bond girl. So please don't be getting your hopes up.

Now if you carry your own beer - it might help your time of missery.

[Angry John]

KB thanks for the flight info. Skipping Kyushu and going by air is definitely the way.

TJ, you are of course spot on. I was just hoping that I had somehow missed the right boat before now.

I keep holding out hope that somewhere, just around the corner or just out of my field of vision, there exists a world that is cool and beautiful and inhabited by escapees from a beer commercial instead of octogenarians proping up centenarians.....but I'll be one of them soon enough so shame on me.

But I'm not complaining, I have plenty of fun.

However, it doesn't hurt, from time to time, to ask if anyone else knows any better.