CONTRIBUTED BY KARA PIERACCINI

Uehara Upland Park l Okinawa Hai!

I like to take my kids to the park. We go to new parks often and are usually pleased with the fun playgrounds the Okinawans have imagined and built. Every once in a while, though, we find one that astonishes us. My kids will get out of the car, jaws hanging open, with excitement written all over their faces. The Uehara Upland Park is one of those parks.

Uehara Upland Park l Okinawa Hai!

Sitting on a hill, the playground is almost too much to take in at first. The main structure is a maze of ladders, nets, and bridges, all taking you up the hill to the top of the structure and the rollerslide. There are three other Uehara Upland Park l Okinawa Hai!slides of different shapes, sizes, and colors that come off the structure, but the rollerslide is the biggie.

The park also has a large concrete slide, a small structure for the little ones, and swings.

Bathrooms are available and the park has lots of shade and a small grassy area to sit and watch the kids play.

Directions: From Foster, head out the legion gate and go straight through the stoplight on 81. Turn right onto 29 towards exit 3 of the expressway. Drive past exit 3 and the turn offs for 35 and 32. After you pass the intersection of 34, you’ll come right up on another stoplight. Make a right and the park will be almost immediately on your left.

From Kadena, head out Gate 2 and turn right at the four corners onto 330. At the intersection of 81 and the Foster legion gate, make a left onto 81. Turn right onto 29 towards exit 3 of the expressway. Drive pass exit 3 and the turn offs for 35 and 32. After you pass the intersection of 34, you’ll come right up on another stoplight. Make a right and the park will be almost immediately on your left.

8 COMMENTS

  1. We went to this park today before it started raining and have to say it was a great park. There was no trash around there was actually a man raking and cleaning up and the bathrooms had just been cleaned. The roller slide wasn’t fast and make a ton of noise but we don’t go to a park just for the roller slide. We had kids 5 and below and they all had a great time and loved climbing and sliding down the other 4 slides the park has to offer. They also have a smaller play structure for little kids. We will totally go back again.

  2. I have to agree with Lindsey. This park is not worth the drive. The roller slide is so slow and it creaks and groans really loudly too. There was trash all over the place and I got 3 mosquito bites in the first five minutes.

  3. I have been here for a while and we have been to this park quite a bit. Unfortunately, it is getting pretty run down. The mudwasps are out of control- seriously. Also, the roller slide is really super slow. And by slow, I mean pull-yourself-down-with-your-arms slow. We love parks and, although there seems like a lot to do, I cannot recommend this one.

    Side note: my kids are 8,4,and 2 1/2 and they all were ready to go after 20 min.

  4. I actually saw this park en route to the Naha Airport while riding on the metrobus, chaparoning my daughter’s fieldtrip. The bus took so many turns that I couldn’t remember how to get there.

    Needed something to do today and this will be it!

    Thank you Kara for posting and car directions, and everyone for sharing your insights.

  5. We went to this park last week. The area for the smaller children was covered in wasps, or hornets, so I wouldn’t recommend allowing your children to play there, unless you’re certain they’re gone. There had to have been a nest or something, because they were literally swarming it. Our kids, did however, take full advantage of the rest of the park and had a blast. I do recommend using caution on the marble slide, because the ending can be quite abrasive. 🙂

  6. we went to this park last week. The kids had a blast. There were a ton of butterflies around, lots of fun climbing. I think the only downside was the mudwasps that were under the little playground at the very bottom. They were huge and burrowing into the sand.