{"id":1325,"date":"2025-09-02T18:35:40","date_gmt":"2025-09-02T22:35:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/living.okinawa.halekulani.com\/?p=1325"},"modified":"2025-09-02T18:35:41","modified_gmt":"2025-09-02T22:35:41","slug":"%e3%83%a4%e3%82%b7%e3%81%ae%e6%9c%a8%e3%80%85%e3%81%ae%e9%96%93%e3%81%8b%e3%82%89","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/living.okinawa.halekulani.com\/en\/%e3%83%a4%e3%82%b7%e3%81%ae%e6%9c%a8%e3%80%85%e3%81%ae%e9%96%93%e3%81%8b%e3%82%89\/","title":{"rendered":"Among the Palms"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Gentle waves lap the sandy white shores of Iheya island, and colorful fish fill the fringing reefs beneath the surface of its startlingly turquoise waters. You might expect a steady stream of sunbathers and snorkelers in such a picturesque place, but not here. Isolated by an 80-minute ferry ride from the small port of Unten on Okinawa\u2019s main island, and with only two sailings a day (weather permitting), few tourists ever venture to the idyllic hideaway that is Okinawa\u2019s northernmost inhabited island. And with fewer than 1,500 residents, it\u2019s no surprise to find Iheya\u2019s pristine beaches conspicuously empty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But that is just how Masami Koreeda likes it. A former fashion stylist who now crafts traditional folk tools on the island, she left Tokyo over a decade ago in search of the slow life. \u201cI liked living in Tokyo,\u201d she says with a warm smile. \u201cBut I was so busy working for a fashion magazine, sleeping for only three or four hours every night. It was exhausting. I realized it was time for a change of pace.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A native of Kagoshima, the southern Kyushu city known for its active volcano, Koreeda would frequent the nearby island of Yakushima to visit her close friend from high school. \u201cI fell in love with the island lifestyle,\u201d she explains. \u201cI love surfing and have always enjoyed the laid-back vibe of places like Thailand and Hawai\u2018i.\u201d So when it came to searching for a new place to call home, Okinawa was a natural choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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