Okinawa Cherry Blossom & Orchid Safari, Spring Training, etc. Report

[Atravelynn]

This was my husband’s trip. He spent two years in Okinawa in the service in the 70s and always wanted to return. We finally did.

 

Here we are at Ocean Expo Park near the city of Nago in front of a floral depiction of the Okinawa Rail,

an endemic rare bird species found in the northern part of the island. We did not see a real Okinawa Rail.

But we did see a Blue Rock Thrush and a Brown Eared Bulbul hiding in the last of the cherry blossoms.

Blue Rock Thrush Brown eared Bulbul

The cherry blossoms were a lucky coincidence and we caught the tail end of the season. Okinawa is part of the subtropical Ryukyu Archipelago, so the climate is warmer than the rest of Japan. As a result, the first cherry blossoms of the season can be found in Okinawa, mid-January into February. Mainland Japan’s cherry blossom season begins in April and they’re white. Okinawa’s blossoms are pink.

 

Bee in the blossoms

Japanese White Eye in the blossoms

Nakjin Castle (a UNESCO Heritage site that is now mostly ruins) is usually the best place for cherry blossoms in mid-January, at the height of the season. By Feb 7, the blossoms had fallen at this location. Further south we had more luck with cherry trees in bloom.

 

It was not cherry blossoms that dictated the timing of this trip; baseball Spring Training did. And it was in full swing (ha ha) Feb 7-17. There were about 8 stadiums around the island where we could watch Spring Training. It was very touching to see the batters bow to their batting coach after a practice session. And nets protected all the spectators so no line drives could send anyone to the hospital.

These are the Nippon Ham Fighters in Spring Training

We had taken weekly Japanese lessons for 6 months from my tai chi instructor in preparation for our trip, which meant we could say just a few things. We never got into the writing part. Gifted students of foreign language we are not. But our meager Japanese skills opened a lot of doors to some enjoyable and meaningful encounters that started out in Japanese and then after about 6 words switched to broken English. We are much better at broken English than Japanese.

“Shiro Neko” White cat I was able to say. This man told me the cats were brothers.

“Kore wa nan desu ka?” "What is this?" we asked. The girls told us they were reading their fortunes, pulled from the tree. The boxes were for paying on the honor system

Okinawa wa sugoi desu. A sentence we learned and The Quote of the Trip, it translates to Okinawa is awesome.

 

One Japanese word we learned was Kawaii, pronounced Kah wah EEEE (different pronunciation from the Hawaiian island, Kawaii.) It means cute and we found out how cute pervades the culture.

Kawaii (cute) flower sculptures at Ocean Expo Park.

Kawaii = cute

My favorite Kawaii photo

While the island of Okinawa had undergone major changes in the last couple of decades and Kadena Air Base, where my husband had been stationed, was unrecognizable, the warmth and beauty of the Okinawan people was unchanged.

 

Okinawa is about 65 miles long and 5 miles wide. We spent 10 nights there and rented a car for 7 of those nights. Here’s the rental car info:

 

We rented a car from ABC (unlimited miles), which was recommended by a guy who travels to Okinawa often from our area and oversees an Okinawan cultural group in the US.

ABC also rents motorcycles, even Harleys, which I thought was interesting. Photo taken at Nakjin Castle area, usually the best spot for cherry blossoms in mid-January.

There is a lot of traffic but speeds are 40-50 km/hour, sometimes up to 60 km/hour. The Expressway is 80 km/hour. That’s not fast and people stuck close to the limits.

 

My husband drove. Driving is on the left side of the road and he had experience doing that in the past. I navigated.

 

ABC Car Rental had a GPS in English meaning the voice was English and these "buttons" were English: back, destination, search destination by map code, search destination by telephone number. Everything else was printed in Japanese, so it was a little hard to navigate around the system. In the city sometimes the GPS had us going around the block again and again. In the far north on the narrow jungle roads, the GPS was misleading and meaningless.

 

We abandoned the GPS on occasion and stopped to ask for directions, sometimes making ourselves understood and sometimes not.

 

If you rent a car at the airport, you can avoid some of the Naha traffic from the city. The only rent-a-car at the airport that I could tell was Nippon Rental. Most of the others, including ABC, pick you up at the airport in a transfer shuttle and then drive you a couple of miles toward the city to get to their office where you pick up the car. That means you leave from a more congested area. Also it means you must return the car to this spot, well off the main drag, which is confusing. Make sure you have a good map to get the car back to site which is not right at the airport.

 

Because of the open ditches next to the roads when you get out of the city, I think the towing insurance (about $40-$50 USD) was worth it. A wheel could easily slip into the ditch.

 

The car was nice, a Toyota March—small but not the smallest available. Too big and you don't fit well on the narrow streets or around the corners and the odds of ending up in the ditch increase.

Tim and Toyota March that we rented

The Okinawa Expressway is the best way to go long distances. There is a modest toll, about 1200 yen from one end to the other, and less for shorter distances. Max speed is 80 km/hour.

The major highways are very well marked in Japanese and English.

 

 

Our 10 nights in Okinawa, Feb 7-17, 2015 (temps 60 - 80 F, cooler in the north and warmer in the south even though that is only 65 miles apart)

3 Nights Naha, the major city where we flew into, at Rihga Royal Gran Okinawa, booked in advance at Booking dot com. Really lovely with an excellent dining room. Good location in Naha & easy access to Monorail at the Asahibashi station.

 

Inside Rihga Royal Gran View from Rihga Royal Gran lobby

4 nights Okuma Beach and Recreation Center, for active/retired military only, booked in advance

 

Okuma Beach – empty in Feb low season – Tim has the beach to himself

2 nights Kadena Air Base, for active/retired military only, booked upon arrival

 

1 night Hotel New Okinawa in Naha on Koksuai Dori street, booked at the Naha City Tourist Info Center during our stay

Koksuai Dori street – markets, restaurants, night life, it’s all happening here.

That’s why we spent only 1 day and 1 night here.

 

To break up the long flight there, we spent 3 nights on Oahu, Hawaii on the way over. It was the start of whale watching season, so I had to try to find a Humpback. I chose to do the whale watching with Navatek for the longest half day cruise and their decks allowed for maximum viewing. We saw about 4 humpbacks. They pick you up at your hotel and lunch is on the boat. The on-board biologist was from Japan so I got to say, “Kujira - sugoi.” ("Whale awesome.") I had learned kujira meant whale in anticipation of doing some whale watching on Okinawa, which did not work out with our schedule. So I shouted it in Hawaiian waters instead.

 

 

Humpback on Navatek Whale Watching trip, Oahu. There was a staff photographer on board who also took photos and sold them at the end of the boat trip.

In front of Diamond Head, Oahu

Park at Manoa Waterfall, Oahu about 20 minutes drive from Waikiki

white rumped shama thrush at Manoa Waterfall, Oahu

 

End of Oahu – Rest is Okinawa:

[SafariChick]

Ah finally we get to meet Mr. Atravellyn! That is nice that he picked a trip but also nice we get to see an @@Atravelynn report of it! Love all the colors and kawaii! Hawaii is always beautiful to me - great humpback sighting! Look forward to more.

[Atravelynn]

There are bus tours that visit the main attractions of Okinawa. Through Royal Rihga Gran Hotel in Naha we booked Okinawa Bus (name of the tour company) for their 7-hour “Okinawa World Limestone Cave and Memorial Sites” itinerary, which picks up and drops off at the hotel. The tour was entirely in Japanese and we were thrilled when we recognized a word or two. The tour guide had a giant clock to show the time we had to get back on the bus each time we got off. A couple of Chinese tourists and the two of us were the only people who needed the clock visual. A Japanese lunch was included. The bus was just about filled, 50-ish participants.

Okinawa Bus Tour: Lime Stone Cave in Okinawa World. The caves were of interest to us because of their importance as hiding places for Okinawans during WWII.

The nonfiction The Girl with the White Flag by Tomiko Higa described fleeing to caves for shelter.

My husband and I found this book to be a very moving account of WWII in Okinawa, recounted through the eyes of a child.

There was a show at Okinawa World, a stop on the Okinawa Bus Tour, that featured the traditional Ryukyuan Dance. No photos allowed. The show and limestone cave stop was 100 minutes.

Okinawa Bus Tour: Peace Memorial Park – 50 minutes was allotted for the tour.

Later, we spent half a day at this park on our own when we rented a car.

Okinawa Bus Tour: Himeyuri Monument dedicted to the 200+ mostly female high school students and their teachers

known as the Lily Corps who were sent to the front lines of fighting to act as nursing assistants (though they had no experience).

The worked on the battlefields and in caves.

Many were killed in the fighting and many committed suicide when they believed they would be captured by US Forces.

School groups visited the Himeyuri Monument along with our bus tour

Assistance crossing a busy street for lunch on the Okinawa Bus Tour Okinawa Bus Tour: Lunch at Yubido Restaurant

 

Last stop on the Okinawa Bus Tour was the Ashibina Outlet Mall. For someone not wanting to rent a car, it would be possible to see much of the 65-mile long island’s main attractions by taking 4-5 day long bus tours that leave from the main city of Naha. The downside of the bus is no flexibility in how long to spend at each spot; the more remote northern part of the island is not part of most bus itineraries; I think all the tours are in Japanese.

 

 

Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Park and Museum

This museum and series of monuments is located in a beautiful setting overlooking the ocean. It honors the approximately 250,000 people who died in the 3 month long “Typhoon of Steel” in 1945. That is what the intense last stand by the Japanese on Okinawa was called, the only ground war fought on Japanese soil. The ferocity of the attacks from the Allied ships, the ground troops, and the Kamikaze pilots was likened to a typhoon.

 

The 250,000 deaths included Japanese soldiers, American soldiers, conscripted Korean soldiers, and over 100,000 Okinawa civilians.

 

We spent about 5 hours at this park on our own a few days after seeing it in a 50-minute visit on the bus trip.

Giant Buddha at the Peace Memorial Museum

2 of dozens of memorials to those who died in different regions and cities

The Peace Park was built upon the site of the cliffs that many women tragically jumped from to their deaths, some with their children in their arms to avoid capture.

It is a beautiful and tragically setting.

Names of soldiers (Japanese, Korean, and American) and civilians from Okinawa who died in the Typhoon of Steel on the island.

The Museum had numerous paintings with explanations. This explains the Tsushima-Maru Tragedy.

Housed in the Peace Museum was the Ryugujo Butterfly Garden, “garden paradise of frolicking butterflies and flowers. In February, only the Paper Kites were frolicking.

In February, only the Paper Kites were frolicking at the butterfly museum.

We took the monorail from the hotel to and from Shuri Castle, a World Heritage Site. The original castle was built in the 13^th century for the Kingdom of Ryukyu. It was destroyed in 1945 during the Battle of Okinawa, the “Typhoon of Steel.” It was rebuilt in 1992.

Shuri castle

 

As impressed as we were with the castle we also were enchanted with the lovely, soft chiming music playing in the monorail cars. It reminded us of nursery rhymes. It helped create a delightful gentle environment. Signs were in English and Japanese so we had no trouble with our stops.

 

We spent 4 nights in the northern part of the island at Okuma Beach and Recreation Center. The beaches at this resort and the areas around it were beautiful. We didn’t venture into the water in Feb.

From lookout point Okuma - in Feb nobody else was ever looking out with us

to be continued

Edited February 4, 2016 by Atravelynn

[Atravelynn]

Ah finally we get to meet Mr. Atravellyn! That is nice that he picked a trip but also nice we get to see an @@Atravelynn report of it! Love all the colors and kawaii! Hawaii is always beautiful to me - great humpback sighting! Look forward to more.

He picked the trip but graciously waited while the Japanese White Eyes were flitting around the cherry blossoms. I don't think he had envisioned that as part of the itinerary.

[mvecht]

@@Atravelynn

Sounds like a wonderful trip and I really enjoy your pictures. Okinawa has been on my list for years.

Good thing you did the trip last year. While I was in Tokyo late January this year Okinawa had temperatures down to 40F and the islands North of Okinawa had snow for the first time in 115 years!

[TonyQ]

@@Atravelynn

A fascinating trip - and good to see MrAtravelynnon safaritalk - especially when he gets to choose a trip!

Beautiful pictures, and some very moving sections in the Peace Memorial Park. In my ignorance I had never heard of Tsushima-Maru.

[michael-ibk]

Sugoi, Lynn! Good to see Tim - Hi, Mr. Atravelynn. The blossoms and the lonely beaches really look beautiful. I admit that I find the artificial "cute" thingies a bit scary. Great that you managed to sneak some wildlife in there, but I guess it must be pretty clear to your husband that that´s not negotiable. :-)

[Zim Girl]

Really interesting report to read.

The pictures of the Japanese White Eye bird in the cherry blossoms are lovely and Okuma beach and it's views are beautiful.

[Atravelynn]

@@Atravelynn

Sounds like a wonderful trip and I really enjoy your pictures. Okinawa has been on my list for years.

Good thing you did the trip last year. While I was in Tokyo late January this year Okinawa had temperatures down to 40F and the islands North of Okinawa had snow for the first time in 115 years!

That might have been the end of quite a few cherry blossoms. We are relieved after the fact to know we made the right decision on timing.

 

@@Atravelynn

A fascinating trip - and good to see MrAtravelynnon safaritalk - especially when he gets to choose a trip!

Beautiful pictures, and some very moving sections in the Peace Memorial Park. In my ignorance I had never heard of Tsushima-Maru.

The men on the sub that destroyed the Tsushima-Maru. were not told for a long time It is not a well known part of history. My husband had told me about it. Okinawa is a fascination of his so he knows a lot about it.

 

Sugoi, Lynn! Good to see Tim - Hi, Mr. Atravelynn. The blossoms and the lonely beaches really look beautiful. I admit that I find the artificial "cute" thingies a bit scary. Great that you managed to sneak some wildlife in there, but I guess it must be pretty clear to your husband that that´s not negotiable. :-)

I was not going to include this, but now I have to add one more scary Kawaii turtle.

 

 

Really interesting report to read.

The pictures of the Japanese White Eye bird in the cherry blossoms are lovely and Okuma beach and it's views are beautiful.

A new bird for me!

[Atravelynn]

Ocean Expo Park & the Churaumi Aquarium

 

Twice we visited Ocean Expo Park with the Churaumi Aquarium, located in Nago. This is the second largest aquarium in the world, next to the Atlanta Aquarium.

Entrance to Ocean Expo Park

Schoolgirls waiting for Churaumi Aquarium at Ocean Expo Park to open. The grounds at Ocean Expo Park were meticulously ornamented with beds of flowers.

There are 3 whale sharks in the Churaumi Aquarium, the second largest in the world

Churaumi Aquarium at Ocean Expo Park

The annual Okinawa International Orchid Show was taking place at Ocean Expo Park. Really sugoi!

The Winner

 

Now for the onslaught of orchids:

 

Edited February 5, 2016 by Atravelynn

[Atravelynn]

[Atravelynn]

There were some big game photography opportunities on this trip with the hundreds of Shisa “Lion Dogs” all over. These traditional Ryukyuan decorations from Okinawan mythology ward off evil spirits. Shisas that varied in size from a few inches to 20 feet tall could be found, often in pairs, at entrance ways and on rooftops.

The pair of Shisus at the top of this collage have a pair of birds sitting on them.

The most engaging and touching moments the trip were not to be captured in photos or words because the warmth and graciousness of the Okinawan people can only be experienced firsthand.

The End

Edited February 5, 2016 by Atravelynn

[Zim Girl]

Wow, those orchids are spectacular.

Lovely report @@Atravelynn

[Atravelynn]

Wow, those orchids are spectacular. Especially for a purple lover like me.

 

I just noticed. Maybe this whole report belongs not in the Worldwide Category, but in the Off Topic - Non Wildlife Trip Reports. But there are some birds in it making it sort of wildlifey.

[Alexander33]

Well, surely the shisas count for something!

 

Thanks for sharing this with us. Okinawa looks like a fascinating place.

[Tom Kellie]

~ @@Atravelynn

 

Thank you so much for this lovely trip report.

I especially appreciate photos from Hawaii.

Any visual report about Japan, where I was employed for many years, is especially welcome.

I enjoyed the various details you showed.

I'm so glad that you and your husband visited Okinawa.

BTW: The island of Tsushima, between Japan and South Korea, is one of my favorite places in Asia.

The old-style red-rice that's grown in Tsu-Tsu on Tsushima is the finest rice I've ever eaten.

Tom K.

[Atravelynn]

BTW: The island of Tsushima, between Japan and South Korea, is one of my favorite places in Asia.

The old-style red-rice that's grown in Tsu-Tsu on Tsushima is the finest rice I've ever eaten.

Tom K.

You're opening yourself up to demands of a trip report, I hope you know!