The holiday pictures my friends post on social media always look great. White beaches, distant mountains, perhaps a cute fishermen town; these photos will easily get you excited to plan your next holiday. Sadly, I know from experience that most destinations look way better on camera than they do in real life. They form a perfect picture, but if you'd actually experience the place you’d get annoyed by the number of tourists, the heat, cold or whatever puts people off on their holidays.
On Ojika island I had the exact opposite experience. I have never been to a place which essence is so hard to capture on camera. Every picture I took looked great, don’t get me wrong - it is almost impossible to take a bad picture on an island with white sand beaches surrounded by volcanic rock, a sparkling blue ocean and the friendly faces of the Japanese locals.
But still, my pictures just didn’t seem to cut it. I think the reason is simple: Ojika offers you a different way of life, not a just holiday. Holiday destinations offer that one great view, but you witness its beauty from a distance, you don't get to experience it yourself. Ojika is different, because when you get of the ferry and step onto the island you are automatically included in the island life; you become part of the island's beauty.
The person who plays a key role in this process is Taiyo-san, the owner of Shimayado Goen Inn, the guesthouse where I got to stay as a workawayer for the month of September 2018. Taiyo-san has, together with his amazing family, created an incredibly welcoming community.
A general day goes as followed: in the morning we clean the rooms and in the evening we serve dinner to the guests and wash their dishes. The majority of the day we’re free to do as we please: we can swim, hike, fish, explore the island with a bike from Taiyo-san, the incredibly friendly owner. Or just chill and read a book in the house that we share, two minutes from the inn.I am writing this blog on my last day on the island and I can only tell you that I have had a lovely time here. I am grateful for the opportunity to experience the island life, it is different than anything else I have experienced so far and secretly I already planning my return in the spring.
So, see you in Ojika!
Merel
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