Fun things to do in Okinawa

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Small park at NAGO, kids will probably have fun, adults hum......except if you are passionate about pineaple.

The store offers a great choice of products derived from pineapple.

Price : Adults 500 yens
Children 250 yens

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Seifa Utaki was registered as a part of a World Heritage site in December of 2000 specifically the Gusuku Sites and parts of the Ryukyu Kingdom. It had once been used Okinawan chieftains and as a holy site. It's a beautiful place for prayer and relaxing the mind.

200 yen admission

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Shurijo Castle was my first none Japanese castle to see in Japan. Built sometime in the 13th to 14th century, it's marvelous in how it differs from all the other Japanese castles I've seen.

Being that I'm into castles and history, it was worth seeing it.

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I got up early so I could see the Sunrise a few times. In Japan, when I ask kids to draw a picture of the sun, the funny thing is that they color it red. The sun is RED? I think Japanese kids are taught that the sun is red much as they are taught a green traffic light is blue and tigers are yellow. Well, if they're basing it on sunrise (or sunset) then I can see why they might think of it as being red. The flag of Japan is all connected with this idea. That's right that big red dot on the white flag is the SUN.

The Tale of How Green Lights Became Blue

The traffic light problem started a long time ago when some samurai were marching along aside their shogun (who was on a horse) and one samurai said, "Hey, look at that green star up there." "Where?" said the shogun who could only see one star between the cloud cover.
"There!" pointed the samurai. "Where?!" said the shogun. "Ther..." But, before he could finish the shogun chopped off his head with his katana. "You lie...", said the shogun,"it's blue!!!"
There after, all the rest of the samurai agreed with the shogun despite what there eyes were really telling them. Later it was found the shogun was suffering from color blindness. But, the damage and the overall impact on Japanese history had already taken it's toll. It was too late to change. And back then, in Japan change was slow and never easy. So, green lights are blue even to this day in Japan.

Don't get me started on yellow tigers.

If you are like me and too chicken to go snorkeling this place is really great to see the ocean life. Also for the kids there is a great dolphin show! You also get to see other marine life such as turtles, manatees, and more. My daughter didn't stop talking about it for 3 months and we plan to go back again soon. It's also attached to the Ocean Expo Park which I hope to take better advantage of next we go since we arrived late. So get there early and don't miss out on anything!

One of the best in the world, this is THE number one tourist destination in Okinawa. Here you can observe whale sharks, manta rays, turtles, and a see a dolphin show that rivals Sea World presentations.

Admission is 1800 yen (currently about $18 USD) for an entire day of family fun.

For fun, look for the sign at the refreshment cafe that advertises "coke froats".

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Hedo Point, the northernmost tip of Okinawa. This is a fantastic area of sheer stone cliffs and huge breaking waves. Supposedly, the Okinawans once lit bonfires here in a gesture symbolizing their attmept to reunite with mainland Japan. This point is where the Pacific Ocean and East China Sea meet, and makes for an excellent dive site when tides are right.

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Every few months in the city of Naha, there is a "Great Tug of War." This popular spectacle involves thousands of people pulling a giant one meter thick tug of war rope in the middle of the city streets! This is a wonderful all day event that also has food stands and music.

Each of the two ropes is six feet in diameter, over 300 meters long, weighs some 40 tons, and is made of rice straw. Since 1997 the rope used for this event has held the Guinness world record for largest natural rope, and the rope is made longer each year. It takes 16 people 45 days to create this monstrous rope.

This event has been ongoing in Okinawa for some 400 years, halting only during World War II. Locals used to believe the custom would bring fertility and happiness.

The tug of war is part of the annual Ryukyu Kingdom Festival. The festival includes music, parades, martial arts demonstrations and more, drawing some 300,000 people.