We explore Okinawa in a Toyota Yaris Cross Hybrid to search for the exceptional in the ordinary
You can't put a price tag on some of the best things in life. Family, friends and foreign escapades are just some of the threads that form part of the large and colourful tapestry of life.
Some folks search for meaning and painstakingly ground their entire personalities in material trappings such as flashy brand-names and prestige. However, is it meaningful to know the price of everything, but the value of nothing?
There's a lot to be said about appreciating the exceptional in the seemingly ordinary, which also extends to the Toyota Yaris Cross Hybrid that saw us covering about 400km during our short stint in Okinawa.
For instance, enjoying a sundowner with the soundtrack of the slowly lapping waves as you lounge on Tine Beach (also spelled Tinu Beach) with a view of the Heart Rock is surely one of life's great pleasures.
See also: Touring Jeju in the Hyundai Ioniq 5
Even quaffing down a refreshing root beer float from a perfectly frosted root beer mug at the oldest A&W outlet on Okinawa may seem to be a simple pleasure, but it is decidedly not basic.
It's hard to beat the magnificence and terrifying majesty of mother nature insofar as organic beauty goes on Okinawa as one sniffs out sunsets and rainbows on the one hand, while skirting typhoons and tsunamis on the other – one you hope to catch, the other you pray doesn't catch you.
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Such is life on the idyllic Okinawa island, a tropical paradise that many have dubbed the Hawaii of Japan.
It may see plenty of typhoon action – with the occasional threat of tsunami – throughout the year, and yet, one is ever surrounded by lush beauty, forests, whimsical natural rock formations (Heart Rock, Gorilla Chop and Elephant Rock for starters!), expansive beaches and the ocean in all shades of blue.
Our seemingly ordinary steed, the Toyota Yaris Cross Hybrid also proved to be exceptional by bringing us the best of the electric and ICE worlds, even as it transported the three of us in pliant comfort both on-road and off.
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Powered by a hybrid petrol-electric powerplant, its spritely spirit was ideal for the island's sedate speed limits, especially with the engine slipping easily into all-electric mode for silent, zero-emissions cruising, or if the mood called for it, amplified the peppy 3cylinder 1.5-litre’s performance.
With the rising fuel costs, the Yaris Cross Hybrid's all-electric cruising ability (and quoted 4.8l/100km consumption) meant it was an agreeable travelling companion, especially around the low-speed zones within the city confines.
Also, this self-charging hybrid draws on energy from braking and deceleration to recharge the battery without recourse to an external charger (photo credit: Toyota Media UK).
Given the brand’s long-standing experience in hybrid drivetrains, which can be traced back to the first Prius, the Yaris Cross Hybrid works seamlessly to serve up fuss-free motoring.
Like the Yaris Cross's hybrid engine, Okinawa is also a fascinating hybrid of east and west, with kitschy-cool nostalgic Americana (for folks my age!) mixing it up with chill Japanese island vibes.
This extends from fashion to food, especially with intriguing pork spam tamago onigiris, garlic shrimp platters and taco rice plates served alongside back-alley Okinawan izakaya fare, with a dollop or two of Blue Seal’s beni-imo (Okinawan purple sweet potato) ice-cream as a sweet-treat to end the meal.
We prefer not to miss the forest for the trees and prefer to savour every moment, as opposed to stylising everything for the ’Gram (oops!).
And we are certainly glad we did not miss the forest for the Treeful Treehouse in Nago, which houses you in a treehouse right in the heart of the verdant and tranquil Yanbaru Forest.
No telly and patchy Wi-Fi, with only convivial chit-chat, Zen surroundings, home-brewed matcha and Donna the resident goat for company.
The Yaris Cross’ compact proportions make it a doddle to manoeuvre around in the tight city and country lanes, yet it never feels kei-car claustrophobic for the occupants.
We did not need to deploy the split-fold rear seats for more carrying capacity, because the 390-litre boot easily gobbled up two check-in cases, three cabin bags and a barrage of 2nd Street finds.
Wireless Apple CarPlay seamlessly sync’d this writer’s phone to the 9-inch touchscreen display for intuitive navigation – a boon for this Okinawan first-timer.
It is no bad thing for Toyota to do “ordinary” extraordinarily well. Coupled to its legendary bomb-proof reliability, these are some of the reasons its cars are found pushing high six-figure mileage all throughout the far-flung corners of the globe.
If anything, the Yaris Cross Hybrid acquits itself so effortlessly that its do-everything credentials without any flash and pretense can be easy to miss in a sea of contrived contenders.
By this same token, Okinawa just is, and because there’s nothing overly try-too-hard about it, and when you’re visiting, it isn’t difficult to segue into the simple “hang-loose” pleasures of island life.
Toyota Yaris Cross Hybrid
Engine 1490cc, inline3, 16v, hybrid
System Power 110hp
System Torque 261Nm
Transmission CVT auto
0–100km/h est. 11.4secs
Top speed 170km/h
Kerbweight 1190kg
