Motobu Park

CONTRIBUTED BY HEATHER OLSEN

We have enjoyed our excursions throughout Okinawa and discovering finding the local parks. But I was amazed again when I was taken to Motobu Park. This park is sure to be an enriching experience for all of those that visit. The playgrounds are very multi-functional. From rock-walls, to walls with ropes to climb up, to a wide variety of monkey bars, there is sure to be something for everybody to learn how to do. This playground is built to test the abilities of children, so don’t be surprised if your child acquires a few bumps and bruises while playing! Mine definitely did! But he quickly got over it as he was pretty eager to attempt the next obstacle.

If the obstacles don’t catch your child’s eye then they might be interested in one of the slides instead. There are four different types of slides.  I learned the hard way that the corkscrew slides are not adult-friendly!  My son insisted that I go down the slide with him and it was a very slow, uncomfortable process.

This is a good park for parents to get in their workout as there is equipment for strength training and a reflexology mat.  If you have never seen one of the reflexology mats then this is something that you must give a try! There are certain parts of the foot that are connected to various parts of the body; aka, you may have heard of pressure points in the foot that may help put a woman into labor. The mat is a sequence of various shapes for a person to walk barefooted over. This will help improve the health and function of the body.

There is also a path that goes around the park for walking as well as a big open field and baseball diamond behind the park. There is a gazebo near the playground that offers a lovely view of the surrounding area.  If your child just doesn’t care about any of this then bring along the sand toys. The park is not equipped with many benches so be sure to bring along a blanket to sit on. There is a moderately-sized parking lot.

Directions: Go south on the 58 to Naha. Turn left on the 82. (Note: do not take the bridge into Naha; take the far left lane to go next to the bridge to get to the 58/82 intersection) Follow the 82 past the 1^st 329/222 intersection and turn left at the 529/329 onto the 329. There is a Honda dealership on this corner. Turn right at the 3^rd light. There is a Family Mart and Bridgestone cycling shop on this corner. Turn left at the 3^rd street. You will see the park about a half mile down the road on your left. Expressway: Go south and take the last exit onto the 82. Follow the directions stated above.

Google Map Points: 26.189598, 127.722642