Okinawa Island Guide

Everything on Okinawa Island from A to Z | Parks & nature attractions

Okinawa Island Guide
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Blue Cave

Maeda, Onna Village

The Blue Cave has been one of the most popular diving spots on island in recent years. The place offers the extraordinary sight of the entire cave naturally illuminated in blue. The sunlight streaming in from the entrance hits the bottom of the cave through clear seawater, and the reflected light from the water provides a natural illumination to make the cave blue. The cave is located at the base of Cape Maeda, and unaccompanied swimming is dangerous. Most visitors go on a tour guided by a local diving shop or are accompanied by a local guide with knowledge of the geography of the area. Half of the cave is under water, so you must snorkel to enter it.

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畳石

Tatami Ishi

Known as Kume Island’s signature feature, Tatami Ishi is an artistic natural creation of polygonal rocks one to two meters in diameter that look like tatami on white sand. These rocks were created by a unique natural phenomenon in which lava slowly cooled and hardened into rock with regularly shaped cracks.

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億首川のマングローブ林

Mangroves on the Okukubi River

Kin, Kin Town
This is the only place on the main island of Okinawa where four different types of mangroves can be observed growing together. The area is also known as a good spot for bird watching as the natural surroundings attract quite a large number of birds.

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ニシ浜ビーチ

Nishi Beach

Aka, Zamami Village (Aka Island)

This is a stunning beach with a fully developed coral reef and colorful tropical fish. The most popular beach on the island, it is frequented by diving and snorkeling lovers during the summer season.

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阿真ビーチ

Ama Beach

Ama, Zamami Village (Zamami Island)
Tel:098-987-2277

Five minutes from Zamami Port by vehicle. There is a facility in the vicinity called Kujiranosato, which offers campsites, bungalows and a swimming pool. Even though Ama Beach is not as busy as Furuzamami Beach, it is a convenient spot with shops and food concessions available during the high season.

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古座間味ビーチ

Furuzamami Beach

Zamami, Zamami Village (Zamami Island)
Tel:098-987-2277

The best-known beach on Zamami Island. Visitors can sometimes observe tropical fish even just standing on the shore. This beach is popular among tourists during the summer season.

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阿波連ビーチ

Aharen Beach

Aharen, Tokashiku Village (Tokashiki Island)
Tel:098-987-2323

Fifteen minutes by vehicle from Tokashiki Port. A popular beach where visitors can enjoy various marine sports and have access to shower facilities. There are many places of accommodation and restaurants near the beach.

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伊江島タッチュー

Tacchu

Higashieue, Ie Village (Ie Island)

A craggy, 172-meter-high mountain known as Tacchu is approximately 7,000 years older than the island itself. The mountain was created by a rare crustal deformation in which part of an old rocky layer moves to the top of a new rocky layer while being folded under the new layer. Here you can get the feeling of the enormous force of crustal movement.

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ハイビスカス園

Ie Island Hibiscus Garden

3614-1 Higashiemae, Ie Village (Ie Island)
Tel: 0980-49-5850
Hours: 9:00-17:00
Open daily
Admission: Free

Displayed in the garden are about 1,000 different varieties of colorful hibiscus. Every December the garden plays host to the annual Ie Island Hibiscus Festival.

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リリーフィールド公園

Lily Field Park

380 Higashieue, Ie Village (Ie Island)
Tel: 0980-49-2906 (Ie Village Department of Commerce, Industry and Tourism)
Open daily
Admission: Free

In the huge 86,000-square-meter Lily Field Park, some 200,000 lily bulbs are planted with the beautiful landscape of the north coast as a backdrop. The park is the perfect place to go for a walk and a picnic. There are rest areas, and you can also enjoy fishing from the rocks on the coast side of the park. The Lily Festival is held from April to May, when the park is blanketed with 1 million lilies including teppouyuri -- a variety of lily native to the Ryukyu Islands -- and colorful foreign species.

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馬場公園

Sunabe Baba Park

69 Sunabe, Chatan Town

Located in Chatan's Sunabe area, a few minutes’ walk from the popular Miyagi coast, Sunabe Baba Park boasts a variety of playground equipment designed for children of all ages. There is also a basketball court and skatepark that features a number of structures such as half-pipes and rails. Sunabe Baba Park is crowded with local and American families especially during the weekend.

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熱帯ドリームセンター

Tropical Dream Center

424 Ishikawa, Motobu Town
Tel: 0980-48-3624
Hours: October-February 8:30-17:30 (Last entry 17:00); March-September 8:30-19:00 (Last entry 18:30)
Admission: 690 yen for adults, 350 yen for elementary and junior high school students, free for children under 6.

Featuring over 2,000 orchids displayed throughout the year in three separate greenhouses. A 50 percent entrance fee discount is offered to Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium ticket holders.

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