CONTRIBUTED BY DASHA GARIEPY

It’s no secret that there is a ton of “stuff” to do in Okinawa. Whether it’s eating, shopping, hanging out, etc, one need never be bored on this island. Some of us get a rush seeing a 75% off sale on Coach purses. Others like the thrill of hunting down a great burger place.

But what does one who craves heart-thumping hard-core physical activities do?

Motocrossstunt

I am having a hard time discovering anything beyond the standard SCUBA, kayak, running, gym, team sports, etc. Other than Forest Adventure Park, nothing comes close to what I’m looking for.

For instance, I’ve heard rumors but have no actual proof of:

  • Outdoor rock climbing “somewhere” on the island
  • Rappelling opportunities “at some training area on one of the northern camps”
  • An ATV race track
  • Landing a marlin at the end of a colossal deep-sea fishing battle

There’s more, but you get the idea. I need you to dig deep, readers! Are you, or do you know, an adrenaline junkie? We adventure-thrill seekers need your help. Spill the beans and hook us up!  How do you get your “fix” here on Okinawa?

30 COMMENTS

  1. There’s two actual dirt bike tracks on Okinawa. Also many many trails people ride, a makeshift track people ride on called the dust bowl. There’s also a lot more automotive activities than people believe. Numerous racing events on two different smaller tracks, drag racing on local islands, drifting, car shows. You can also find mini moto races, and a full racing kart series.

  4. You will have to search the Coral Rock website for their map. It is on the same street as the Garlic Restaurant. Turn off of 58 where you see the store with garlic grafitti on it. Using the landmarks on the map, you will turn left (diagonally) onto a back alley and look for garage doors that are up and park in front of the wall.
    They open in the afternoons, around 1pm until 10pm, hours change on the weekend. It is a cramped gym, but they have some fun routes. The guy there speaks decent, not great, English and can explain the rates. Basically, if you think that you will ever return, go with the membership option, it will save you $ on the third visit.

  7. The gate has been there as long as I can remember. I have rarely seen activity there in the daytime. I did see the gate open, lights on and people inside a couple of weeks ago, but it was at night. Sorry, I do not have any more info to give you 🙁

  9. The “two” you heard of are probably the same one. The gym at the junction of 330 and 24 is going towards Foster from Gate 2 of Kadena, not Gate 1. You would exit Gate 2, go down to 330, take a right onto 330 and it will be on your right at the junction of 330 and 24. If you are coming from Foster, you could take a left out of the PX gate which would put you on 330 and go down to 24 that way. If you come from Foster, it would be on your left hand side. I hope that helps.

  10. I am looking for a good english speaking indoor rock climbing gym. I heard there is one outside of gate 2 and I heard of one at the junction of 330 and 24, is that going toward foster from gate 1? Any info would be great as I just got on the island and don’t know a lot of roads and places.

  12. Back in the early 1970’s I was Stationed at Fatenma Marine Corp Air Station and we used to go to this private location in the inland on the southern end of Okinawa, I do not remember the name of it, but off the beaten path. There was cliff diving there like none I have ever seen. You could climb as high as nerve would take you and jump, or dive. I only went halfway up the cliff, (little nerve), but no one ever saw the bottom, legend has it that scuba divers didn’t find the bottom and it was only about 50 to 100 Meters across it. Please let me know if anyone knows the name of this place, I have a friend going over soon.

  15. Id just like to introduce myself as an avid A junkie. I’ll be coming to the island to live in the next few weeks with my family. Im up for anything but my main sport is Rock Climbing. I used to teach climbing with my wife when we lived in Australia. So if anyone wants to hook up for that or anything else fun please drop me a line!
    Cheers.

  17. Bombing these crazy hills on a skateboard is pretty “extreme”. (That’s an expression, by the way, there are no explosives involved.) Longboards are made for such use and provide stability at high speeds. Even unexperienced (or even non-) skateboarders can pick up this sport that has exploded in popularity in the past decade.

    There’s an Okinawa thread on the Silverfish Longboarding site. And Nate got this little Okinawa Longboarders thing going:
    http://www.myspace.com/haisai

  19. hey there is a rock climbing Gym near gate 2 street. its crazy cool and old school. theres a big sign that just says climbing gym or gym climbing. its on a corner of the street but idk the exact address. but its not to hard to find.

  22. Beth, I could kiss you! That’s exactly what I’m talking about. Parasailing? WAHOOO! I’m so there! Can you be more specific about the ATV track? I’ll be at the stables tomorrow and can check it out if I know what I’m looking for. Also, I didn’t know Australians owned a bunch of stuff around here – I’ll def check out Crocodiles to get the scoop. Thanks! And keep the info flowin’!

  24. Ya know, when I first started reading Okinawa Hai, I *hated* these kinds of posts. I even complained to my husband about them. “Don’t ask me where to go, TELL me where to go!” I’d rant at the computer. As an editor, however, I realized why these type of posts exist. There are a lot of readers out there with a lot of island experience. Before doing this post, I asked dozens of people about Okinawa “x-treme sports”, but never could get a solid answer back. That’s why I tossed it out to you all – hoping that someone out there would have some solid intel on where to go to climb, jump, race, etc. Daniela, do you have directions to that ATV track? Kate, fill us in if you remember specifics! Everyone else, keep your eyes and ears open to those around you: surely someone is sneaking off on the weekends to have some serious natural-high fun! I was hoping some readers with high-octane jobs would fess up to their hidden “dangerous” fun spots! What do pilots do when they are not jetting across the sky? What do paratroopers do when they are not jumping out of jets? Where is an athletically frustrated prior-service Marine supposed to go to around here for an adrenaline high? HELP!

  25. there is a ATV park over by Courtney near Mihara Horse Stables…also there is parasailing here.. the owners of Crocidiles by American Village know.. also the surf shop by the seawall… the owner knows where all cool things to do are on island or the outer islands :)just ask—the Australians that own a bunch of things around town seem to know where everything is..I miss bundee jumping and skydiving personally–as for deep sea fishing… theres that saltwater deep sea fishing company.. they speak english and its like $100 per person and a minimum of 10 people–you can also get a ‘print’ of the fish you catch on some canvas so you can frame and hang it–pretty cool

  26. I`ve been to an ATV outdoor track up in Nago, in the area of the pineapple park. However they were very unenthousastic about the idea of non-Japanese people using their facilities, to the point where there was a `Japanese only` sign posted. Their track wasn`t large but it was fun and challenging. Only two people can ride on the track at one time. Turns out if you speak enough Japanese you can convince them to let you ride. If anyone still wants more info, I will track down their website.