Okinawa World

Okinawa World is a theme park at the southern end of the main island. It is very touristy and really is only worth visiting for the Gyokusendo Cavern.

Lots of traditional houses and crafts etc plus music and food..... lots of ways to spend money

It was the first time I saw reference to Kijimuna, a small, red haired, forest sprite....

They also make Habushu, the alcoholic drink made with poisonous snakes....

There is a small museum that actually had some good exhibits.....

Ishigaki Sea Salt

Gyokusendo Cavern

Gyokusendo is the largest cave system on Okinawa, and the second largest in Japan after Akiyoshido in Yamaguchi.

It is located in the southern part of the island and is part of the Okinawa World Theme Park.

Formed over 300,000 years, there are about 5 kilometers of cave in total, though only less than one kilometer is open to the public.

There are lots of stalagmites and stalactites as well as running water and pools and the whole thing is illuminated with colored lights.

Shisa of Okinawa 3

Here are some more Shisa, the uniquely Okinawan version of guardian dogs. This first one is at the small museum inside the theme park Okinawa World.

This pair of very unusal ones were also in that museum. They look quite old and possibly are more closely related to the earliest imported from China.

This is a large, modern one outside a monorail station in Naha.

This little guy was peeking out up in the far north of the island.

And this one was on a traditional building in the grounds of the Prefectural Museum in Naha.

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Shisa of Okinawa 2

This is the second post on the shisa of Okinawa.

All of these photos wre taken at Okinawa World, a "theme park" in the south of the main island.

The making of small shisa for roofs has become a folk art

The main reason for visiting Okinawa World is for the cavern.....

Shisa of Okinawa

If there is one icon for Okinawa, it must be the Shisa. They can be seen everywhere, usually in pairs, on roofs, flanking gateways etc.

Like their relatives in mainland Japan, the komainu, shisa are a variation on Chinese guardian lions, often the pairing having one open mouthed, one closed, one female, one male.

Of course, what fascinates me, is the great diversity of styles that have developed, especially in the area of "folk" art.

So this is the first of many posts on the subject :)

Sefa Utaki

Sefa Utaki is a World heritage Site on the southern coast of the main Okinawan Island. It was the most important sacred site for the royal family of the Ryukyus.

There are a series of shrines but no buildings are left. The path up the hillside passes through the verdant sub-tropical forest and by limestone cliffs.

At the highest point is Sanguii, a narrow cleft in the rock that leads to the most important altar. From here you can look down on Kudaka Island, the site where myth says the gods landed bringing grain and where the Okinawan people were created.

It's possible to get to Sefa Utaki by bus, though they are not frequent. It is worth it if only to get out into nature.

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Shikinaen

Shikinaen is the garden built around a secondary palace of the Rykuan Royal Family not far from Shuri Castle in Naha. Being Okinawan it includes both Japanese and Chinese styles. An earlier post on the palace, the Udun, can be found here.

Most fascinating for me was one of the bridges made out of uncut, sharp and gnarly limestone rocks.

There is also a small pavilion but unfortunately cannot be entered.

What makes the garden interesting is the exotic plants that cannot be found in mainland Japanese gardens. There are also views over Naha.

Shikinaen Udun

Shikina-en is the royal garden of the Ryukyuan royal family near Shuri castle in Naha, Okinawa. The Udun is the palace within the garden, though villa might be a better word. It is a World Heritage Site.

The Udun was constructed in the 17th Century with the garden being made later.

It has 15 rooms with the traditional red tile roof that was only allowed for the highest levels of the society.

As well as being used as a second residence, it was also used to entertain visiting dignitaries.

It was destroyed during the Battle of Okinawa and recontruction finished in 1995.

Shuri Castle

Standing on a hill overlooking the modern city of Naha on the Okinawan main island, Shuri castle is a World Heritage site and probably the most visited tourist attraction on the island.

There had been a castle here since at least the 14th Century but the current one is a modern reconstruction as the original was completely destroyed in the battle of Okinawa in 1945.

It was where the Ryukyu royalty lived and controlled the international trading that built the wealth and power of the Ryukyus.

Recently renovated is the garden of the royal living quarters. Shuri was a palace as well as a fortress.

The interior of the main hall is reconstructed as it was originally with throne room etc.

Star Sand Beach

There are two Hoshizuna (star sand) beaches in the Yaeyama Islands, one on Taketomi, and this one on the north coast of Iriomote.

No crowds, no deckchairs, no ice creams.....

Warm water..... in midwinter the water temperature drops to 20 degrees celsius...

The star sand is actually the skeleton, about 1mm across, of an organism...