Okinawa Hai!

CONTRIBUTED BY AMY MADDOCKS Even if you aren’t a Star Wars fan, you can still appreciate this adorable park!  We came across this area by chance and just had to stop and play around—yes, the playground is big enough for adults to have fun, too.  It reminded me of the village where the Ewoks live [...]

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CONTRIBUTED BY KRISTY WELLS Another geocaching adventure took us north to Kin on a beautiful, spring Saturday. The cache was located at Kenmin no Mori (Prefectural Citizen’s Forest). This day trip destination is FULL of things to do, including camping! There is a snack shack, with ice cream and chips, etc: Kenmin Snack Shack There [...]

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CONTRIBUTED BY AMY MADDOCKS & DIANA MIDDLETON This post was originally contributed by Diana Middleton in 2007.  But we felt it deserved an update!  Thanks to Amy for helping writing up this new post. Kurashiki View 1 We had the wonderful opportunity a few weekends ago to visit the Kurashiki Dam. I have seen many [...]

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CONTRIBUTED BY QUENTIN RICHARDSON Kakazutaka Panorama Otherwise known as Kakazu Ridge, where a fierce battle took place during WWII. Bullet holes from the war can be seen at a small exhibit at the base of the observatory. At the top, a peace memorial and prayer site also look over both Ginowan and Urasoe cities. Kakazutaka [...]

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CONTRIBUTED BY KRISTY WELLS An errand trip out to the McT area motivated me to make the drive more than just a chore. We are GeoCachers, though a bit inactive due to the birth of our daughter last May, and the entire family has been itching for some adventure. After opening the GeoCaching website, I [...]

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CONTRIBUTED BY CLAIRE BRAY-COLLINS Mihama Front Tot and I love a good quarter mile roller slide over a freeway, like the one at Urasoe Park, a not-so-miniature “Navy S.E.A.L.’s” training site or a hair-raising ride on a “tilt-and-hurl” spinner like those at the Okinawa Convention Center, or even a vaguely supported free fall down those [...]

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CONTRIBUTED BY QUENTIN RICHARDSON Urasoe Pano 1 Urasoe City Park & Castle Site is a massive network of observatories, walking paths and a large playground at its lower level. The park sits on a high hill on the border of Ginowan & Urasoe. It branches out in several directions and also includes nearby neighborhoods, cemetaries [...]

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Xystus Front CONTRIBUTED BY IVETTE TRUE The kiddos and I had been exploring Okinawa during their summer vacation.  Beaches, caves, parks, etc…. We love going to Wago Land, US Land, Monakids…  They’re all fun… but, my friend showed me this new place called Xystus Kids Land that had just opened on July 1st, 2011. Xystus Play [...]

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CONTRIBUTED BY JULIE BROWN AND JENNIFER STARCHER Let me just start by saying, “Okinawans really know how to build a park.”   Not long ago, I decided to take my daughter to Yaeshima Park, also known as Civic Center Park.  I was amazed as I entered the park.  It is broken into different play areas [...]

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CONTRIBUTED BY JENNIFER SHUE As the weather starts to cool just a little, maybe your thoughts are turning towards Sunday afternoon picnics in the park, playing outside at a playground, taking a nap in the grass on a blanket under a tree – or something along those lines. (Something beyond the confines of the a/c [...]

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