It is a holiday trip in which you call the shots. You decide what time to get up and set off, how long to linger at each attraction or even whether to wander off the set path.

While Singaporeans are familiar with the pleasures of driving trips in countries such as New Zealand and the United States, the idea can seem rather daunting in a place where you do not understand the language.

But on recent trips to Okinawa and Chubu in Japan, Life! found the driving experience to be breezy and fuss-free.

The trip was organised by local tour agency Follow Me Japan, which has been organising fly-and-drive Japanese holidays since 2005.

All cars come equipped with a GPS navigation system, which means that getting from point A to point B is as simple as keying in a numerical map code and then following the English voice instructions. It also helps that the Japanese are patient and polite drivers and you never feel hassled on the roads.

You get a detailed booklet with a suggested itinerary, complete with maps, colour photographs and descriptive passages. Much care goes into putting all this together and there are also recommendations on popular local eateries and specialities one should not miss.

Also, since most cellphones in Singapore do not work in Japan because of the different technologies adopted, the agency issues its customers with a local mobile phone for ease of communication within the group.

Follow Me Japan started off with driving tours to Hokkaido and has since added other destinations such as the regions of Tohoku and Chubu, and recently, the southern-most prefecture of Okinawa.

The main island of Okinawa is blessed with a rugged coastline and clear, shallow waters teeming with an abundance of marine life and colourful corals. Divers can plunge right in and swim alongside more than 1,000 species of fish, marine mammals and sea turtles and more than 200 reef-building corals.

For non-divers, the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium (oki-churaumi.jp, tel: +81-980-48-3748) is a good place to start getting acquainted with beauteous and bountiful nature. After all, Churaumi means beautiful sea in the local dialect.

It recreates, in air-conditioned comfort, the experience of venturing from the shallow shores to the deep sea as you saunter from the fourth floor to the first, passing by garden eels, an array of darting fish and the carcass of a giant squid.

The world-class aquarium boasts a central tank which houses 70 species, including regal manta rays and circling whale sharks, the largest fish in the world which grow to an average length of 7.6m.

When you venture outdoors, it pays to be well prepared with sunscreen, headgear and shades as the summer heat is intense and the light piercingly bright.

The Busena Marine Park (www.busena-marinepark.com is in Japanese only or www.okinawastory.jp, tel: +81-980-52- 3379) offers rides in a glass-bottom boat and fabulous views at 3 to 4m deep from the underwater observatory tower. This is as close as you can get to the tropical fish and delicate corals without getting your feet wet.

There are clownfish clowning about among the poisonous tentacles of sea anemone, while the flamboyant Banana Wrasse steals the show every time its vivid rainbow colours come into view.

Since this is a free-and-easy driving trip, feel free to stop at any of the scenic lookout points and take in the dramatic coastline. At Cape Manzamo, an “elephant” carved out of the rock by the relentless waves looks like it is about to dip its trunk into the irresistible waters for a refreshing drink.

Climb the 30m-tall lighthouse at Cape Zanpa for panoramic views of sea and land as the wind rushes about.

For the most part, driving in Okinawa is easy as the traffic is fairly light except during rush hour in the evenings.

While it is not as scenic as, say, Hokkaido, you do get rewarded with flashes of brilliantly blue water every so often.

After all that activity and driving around, reward yourself by tucking into the delicious harvest served up by the sea.

Try the local speciality, umibudo (seagrapes), at the popular Ganso Umi Budo Honten restaurant (tel: +81-98-966- 2588). The seagrape-don has a generous helping of the seaweed along with ikura (salmon roe), uni (sea urchin) and yamakake (grated Japanese mountain yam). The reason for the name is apparent when you see it as it looks like little bunches of green grapes. The seaweed bursts in your mouth and tastes of the sea. Think of seagrapes as a firmer and less salty version of salmon roe.

The nearby Yakaji Island produces kuruma ebi (literally, car prawns) and you can have them tempura-style at Kuruma Ebi Shokudo (tel: +81-980-47-7888). The fresh and juicy prawns are coated in a light batter and then deep-fried to perfection. Wash them down with an ice- cold mug of the local Orion beer.

A good way to beat the heat is to tuck into zenzai. It is a Zen version of ice kacang with no bells and whistles or artificial colouring, yet it is amazing how satisfying the simple combination of shaved ice and red beans can be.

At Makishi Public Market in bustling Kokusai Street, pick up the catch of the day and have it served to you at the eateries conveniently located on the second floor of the market.

There is a lot more to explore when it comes to Okinawan cuisine. A distinguishing feature is the prominence of ingredients such as pork and goya (bitter gourd). Dig into the cooling stir-fry of goya champuru as well as the melt-in-your-mouth tenderness of rafute – a dish of braised pork belly that was fit for the royal family of the Ryukyu Kingdom, which is present-day Okinawa.

The splendours of the kingdom can be glimpsed from a visit to Shurijo Castle (www.oki-park.jp, tel: +81-98-886- 2020), which was first built between the 13th and 14th centuries. As befitting a major trading port which absorbed influences from abroad, the castle has elements of mainland Japanese, Chinese and Korean architecture.

If you are keen to learn more about Okinawa’s storied past, drop by sights such as the Zakimi Castle ruins (www.okinawastory.jp, tel: +81-98-958- 3141) and Shikinaen Royal Garden (www.okinawastory.jp, tel: +81-98-855- 5936), as well as the Okinawa Prefectural Museum (www.museums.pref.okinawa. jp, tel: +81-98-941-8200) with its detailed dioramas and extensive write- ups in English.

At some point though, do head for the beach. Feel the sun on your skin, get your feet wet and just lose yourself in a sea of dazzling blues.

(ST)