Sueyoshi Park & Shrine

Sueyoshi Forest is located in the heart of Naha city and yet you can drive right past it and not even notice that it is there.  Which is a shame really.

O and I went there to wander the forest and see the Sueyoshi Shrine.  I had heard about it on Map It Okinawa and was eager to go.  I think the amount of walking he mentioned was down-played... he said be prepared to do a lot of walking.  That's it.  What he meant was this is a HUGE park in the city and be prepared to do TONS of walking.

It's a beautiful park though.  A river runs straight through the middle of it and you can see some pretty nice waterfalls.  O is currently obsess with snails and we were able to see some huge ones on the bottom of the overgrown flaura.  There were lots of birds flitting about as well.  And O's favorite discovery were the "shiny bugs", you know, those bugs that have exoskeletons that are like opal colors.  Well, even if you don't, they were really neat.

O and I stuck to the main walking trail.  This means we didn't get off of the winding flat route once.  No stair diversions, no side routes, nothing.  Just the path that, if it weren't made of uneven rocks, I would say was the handicap accessible path.


Even still, by the time we crossed through the forest (all parking lots are a ways away from the shrine... I think we parked at the one farthest away), we were ready for a snack and a rest.  Luckily, there was a playground and a bathroom to be found just below our chosen route.

The playground structure is completely made of wood but was in very good condition.  I was worried about splinters at first but was pleasantly surprised to find it a minimal concern.  It is obviously geared towards older children, but O (3) was doing pretty well on it.

After a little R&R, we went back up the hill to this nice monument.  I'll have to do a little research to find out what it's for.  But I really like the detail.  This basically marks the end of the winding flat trail.  Just after it is a set of stairs that leads you into the wildlife protection area.  It's unsure footing and greenery all the way to the shrine from there.

Luckily for us, they had recently swept through and cleared the paths to the shrine.  Even still, a nice Japanese man we talked to said he saw 2 mongooses while he was there and to make sure not to let O near any of the rock crevices because of the chance a habu was hiding in there.  We didn't see anything ourselves.

He also kindly escorted us up the hill as he had gotten lost himself several times trying to find the shrine and was tired.  I had O on my back, so he didn't want the same thing to happen to us.  Really, this was so thoughtful of him I can't express how grateful I was for this gesture.

Anyways, you make a right at the top of the stairs and continue straight until you find a white obelisk.  Make a left here and you'll see stones for the Sueyoshi Shrine.  Continue straight up, up, up until you see a shrine like structure on the right.  This building is where you buy shrine items.  It and the shrine were closed, but you can walk around.  The shrine itself is just past here.

Do NOT go through the stone tunnel.  If you look up, you'll see the shrine.  Take the stairs to the right of the tunnel and follow the steps up to the main shrine.

We climbed up to the shrine itself instead of stopping at the collection box.  The view from there was well worth the climb just to take it in.

We really enjoyed sitting there eating some bread and just looking out over the forest and past the city in the background.  A nice breeze coming over the hill also took the edge off the heat of the day.

By this point, it was nap time and we were still far away from the car.  Going back was much quicker since we were going down the rugged terrain and then I carried O up the winding path.  Still, juice and Anpanman cookies were a much appreciated treat at our arrival to the car.

Overall, we were hot, sweaty, sticky and tired at the end, but the beauty and peace of the morning was well worth it.  I hope you are able to visit this park sometime.

Kakazu Takadai Park & Kyoto Monument

So we were headed down to Naha to visit the Tamaudun Royal Mausoleum when it started down-pouring.  So I made a split second decision to change plans and just go to the first site sign I saw instead.  It just seemed like a better idea than driving 40 minutes just to get soaked.  We could get just as wet near home, lol.  :D

We were headed South on 330 from Foster at the time.  So we turned right at the sign for Kyoto Monument and then followed two more signs to the park that housed it only a few blocks further on.

My iPhone pin lists this as the address:
901-2226 Okinawa Ginowan
4-44, Kakazu 1-Chome
Japan

We parked next to one of the many peace poles erected here on island.  A Peace Pole is a hand-crafted monument that displays the message and prayer May Peace Prevail on Earth on each of its four or six sides, usually in different languages.

We did in fact get soaked while we were here.  The rain decided to stop when we reached the park and then poured buckets on us out of nowhere as we were climbing the stairs to the observation tower.  O didn't seem to mind though, cause it allowed her to go puddle jumping, play in the river running down the observation tower stairs, and play on the playground once it lightened up again without much fuss from mommy.

There were some very nice Japanese men practicing their martial arts inside the observation tower who quickly welcomed us in out of the rain and then pointed us in the best direction to go to avoid further rain on the way back to the car once it let up. The sun came out before we got back to our car, so we decided to explore some more.  They had moved their practice outside then.

The view from the observation tower was amazing once the rain cleared up.  You could see a long way off in every direction.  All the way down to Naha and clear up to Zanpa.  The view of Futenma Air Base was particularly impressive.

 
Playgrounds:

There were two playgrounds at this park.

On the right side there was a playground for older children.   It mostly consisted of ropes and different climbing bars.  There were also several concrete slides and a teeter totter.

The other playground was for the younger kids.  A typical plastic playground with slides, smaller climbing obstacles, and hand coordination games.  There was also a swing set and a small picnic pavilion.

Kyoto Monument

This monument is located between the observation tower and the Tochka.  All descriptions were in Japanese, but you could tell people still offer up prayers and offerings here.  After a little searching on the web, I found out that it is called the Kyoto Monument because it was presented as a gift by the city of Kyoto to honor the Japanese people who lost their lives here.

History of Kakazu Takadai Park:

The following descriptions are directly from signs around the park...

The Battle at Kakazu Ridge Park:

On April 1, 1945, the US Armed Forces landed on Okinawa.  Kakazu Ridge was the sight of some of the bloodiest fighting during the battle of Okinawa.  Japanese troops staunchly defended the ridge to try to keep the US Forces from taking Shuri.  The Americans finally overcame the Japanese and forced them to Urasoe, Nishihara, Shuri, and further south.
The people of Kakazu took refure in the caves, such as in Teragama and Chidefuchagama.  Some Kakazu residents escaped to the southern part of the island and some remained in Kakazu.  Half of all Kakazu residents died during the fighting.
In this park and around Kakazu, there are several sites that serve as reminders of what took place here, including the caves the civilians used to take refuge in.  There is also Miga - a cistern used by Japanese soldiers for drinking water.  Tochka - a pillbox used to defend Kakazu Ridge, and a wall riddled with bullet holes which is an indication of just how fierce the fighting was.  The Tower of Kakazu is a memorial to the people of Kakazu who died in the fighting at Kakazu Ridge.


The wall of bullet holes:

During pre-war Kakazu, many houses and the roads were in a grid system.  This was a quiet village, surrounded by fields, but the sounds of the Japanese boots, who were stationed nearby were now echoing in the village.
An intense battle unfolded in Kakazu where the US Forces had landed.  The inhabitants and many houses that had survived for so long, sustained great damage from the battles.
Kakazu became a battlefield, the bullets and the bombs poured like showers from the Japanese and US Forces.  The wall of bullet holes tells how fierce the battle was.



Jinchi-go (Underground bunkers):

The Japanese Forces were stationed in Kakazu and built up underground bunkers around the Kakazu Ridge and the neighboring region.
The construction of the bunkers seems to have started from the summer of 1944..  Not only soldiers but also Kakazu inhabitants and many other people from neighboring regions, including elderly men and women, were pulled into the construction, which continued daily from morning to evening.
The bunkers were dug out of limestone and square shaped.  There are many impressions from pit sprops used to shore up the sidewalls to prevent cave-ins.  These underground bunkers were especially innumerable as the headquarters of the Japanese Forces were on Kakazu Ridge.







Tochka:

Tochka is a Russian military term, describing "Point" or "Hub" and an important defensive position during the battle.
The Tochka is made of concrete, has a maximum thickness of one-meter, and three adults can be inside of the two meter, square space.  For the Hiyaragawa river in the north, there are two gun ports in the Tochka and the Japanese Forces used them to fire riffles or machineguns at the attacking US Forces.
There are uncountable bullet holes in the Tochka.  The reinforcing bars are visible and it shows us evidence of an intense battle.  The opening part on the backside is only for the Japanese soldiers to go in and out.

Sunabe BaBa Park (aka Dolphin Park)

I had heard many wonderful things about this park and was anxious to check it out with O.  We got invited to a play date there and simply could not refuse.

Although I liked the park, I felt it was more geared towards elementary and up children rather than toddlers.  It had a lot of elements that O could enjoy such as tunnels, climbing nets, and the world's slowest roller slide of decent length (It picks up a lot more speed if you bust out the plastic seats/cardboard though).  In between these toddler friendly elements, however, are non-toddler friendly elements like bridges where each boards moves on it's own.  So you'll definitely want to supervise your little tyke on the big play structure.


There was also a nice little merry-go-round that you peddle in a circle... although we ended up just pushing the horses cause it was easier.  And they have an awesome slide with cut-out rock climbing stairs and 3 varieties of slides to go down.  O also liked to play peek-a-boo in the bottom of this structure which is hollowed out with windows.

They had a nice little pavillion area for picnics as well as a huge open area for running and throwing/kicking things with friends.  We didn't really leave the playground area, so I'm not sure what the rest of the park contained.  There was a wooden ramp that looked like it may lead to a pier or something similar.

I plan on checking this park out again when O is a little older and may get more out of it.  But definitely worth checking out.

To get here:

Take a right out of Kadena Gate 1 onto 58.  Turn left at the first light.  Go all the way down until you hit the junk yard.  Make a left.  3 or 4 side streets down you'll see a sign for BaBa Park.  Turn right and park at the baseball field.  The park is just across the street.

Kenmin-no-Mori (Prefectural Citizen's Forest)

Kenmin-no-Mori (aka Prefectural Citizen's Park or Forest of Residents)

We went to this park with the intention of going to the playground and possibly doing some light hiking.  However, our plans quickly changed when the playground was closed off with ropes and it's surrounding hiking paths were as well.  

This was terribly disappointing because O and I love roller slides and Kenmin-no-Mori's is supposedly the longest one on island.  That and the "playground" only seemed to consist of the roller slide and then another stone slide with a mini-climbing wall to get to the top.  The rest of the area was open fields with a shop you could rent sports equipment to play with.  So basically, it was more suited for older groups of children instead of for toddlers.

 

I didn't bring my child carrier, so a more adult hike was out of the question.  So instead, we decided to go back down the road and check out the fancy wall and Torii we had passed on our way in.  This turned out just to be a small arboretum, but O enjoyed running through the trees and going up and down the unusual entrance-way stairs.

We also had passed some statues and went to see those as well.  This was also a large open field area with a few picnic tables and randomly placed statues.  In the back, there was a little garden type area with more statues as well.  O liked sitting and eating her snacks with the angels and laying on the warm stones of the rock formation statues.  She got quite mad at me when she wasn't allowed to play with the pig statues because they were covered in spider webs with these huge brown spiders inhabiting them.  Which also freaked me out a little, I don't like spiders, so we left shortly thereafter.

Xystus Kidsland

We kept hearing about all these wonderful indoor play-places, but had yet to go to one.  Sadly, we went to this one as a friend's PCS-ing playdate.  BUT it was awesome and O had so much fun!

We were coming from Foster, so we took 330N and hung a left on 85 to get there.  Once on 85 you take a right at the first light and it's in the big shopping building on your left. 

Xystus Kidsland is inside on the second floor.  Apparently the little sushi place up there is fantastic as well, so we'll have to try it the next time we go up there.

We were a little confused about how the place worked when we first got there, but the attendants were very friendly and super helpful.  They showed us where the vending machine was to purchase your tickets and what options we would need.  You purchase tickets per person by age group.  Weekday prices for 3 hours are: babies (up to 18 mos) are 200 yen, 18 mos - 12 years = 750 yen, 13-19 years = 400 yen, and guardians are 200 yen.  Weekend prices are 100-200 more yen for children 18mos - 12 years.

We got our tickets and went in. On the left they have a storage area for your shoes and lockers you can lock your stuff up in.  There is also enough room to leave your strollers if you like.

The play area itself is huge!  They have three separate jungle gyms side by side and on each end of the room they have a play area for babies and new walkers.  The jungle gyms have ball pits, climbing ropes, tunnels, bridges, slides, trampolines, etc.  So many options to keep the kids moving and entertained.  The baby area has a doll-house, small swings, rocking horses, music instruments, balls, etc.  O really liked utilizing both areas depending on where there were kids and how tired she was feeling.

There are also lots of tables and chairs for adults to sit and watch and socialize with each other.  Or for the family to eat snacks and other foods they can purchase at the small cafe inside.  Adults are welcome to accompany their kids inside the play-place as well though.

When we left, the attendants handed us a stamp card with our stamps from this visit.  You earn stamps by spending so much yen on tickets.  Once you get so many stamps, the guardian gets in free.

They also gave O a toy gift.  I don't know if that's usual practice or if it was just for the holiday.  But she loved it.

O liked the kidsland so much, we'll definitely be coming back here again.

Ocean Expo Park Dolphin Show & Churaumi Aquarium Playground

Our family loves going to the aquarium!

Dolphin Show:

The first thing we do when we arrive is head down to the Dolphin stadium to see the dolphin show.  If you haven't been to it, it is a must see family event.  The dolphins perform different jumping formations, play with hula hoops, fetch balls, interact with the audience, and even dance to upbeat music among other things.

The show lasts 20 min and can be seen at 11 am, 1 pm, 2:30 pm, and 4 pm.  There is an additional show at 6 pm from March to September.

 

Playground:

For the first time since we began going to the aquarium, O had enough energy left to play on the enormous rope playground they have there.  The playground itself is all connected.  However, the ropes are separated into sections based on age appropriateness and labeled accordingly so it's very user friendly and you can be certain that it is safe for your child to play on.

The ropes are for ages 3+ which discouraged me at first since O is only 15 months.  After looking around a bit though, we found that they do have a section of the playground for children under 3 that is all flat and made out of rubber at the top of the hill on the side closest to the parking garage.  There is a slide and various other things to climb on and crawl under.  This made me extremely happy.  But O is headstrong, loves to try things that the older children are doing, and a little ahead on her developmental skill levels so did allow her to play on the ropes as well.



Other posts from visits to this site:
Churaumi Aquarium and Ocean Expo Park
Ocean Expo Park

Urasoe Park

On one of our local Stroller Warriors outings, we were to go for a run at Urasoe Park.  Well... it's a little hard to go running when you get your running stroller out and the tires are flat.  C'est la vie.  Needlesstosay, O and I went for a walk while the other ladies went running.  :)

The path we were on took you down by a stream that ran under the freeways.  The path itself curved away from the freeways taking you upstream.  There were several miniature waterfalls and rapids with bridges allowing you to either cross the stream to paths leading elsewhere or merely to admire the stream from another vantage point.  Even little bridges in the middle of nowhere here have great detail and artistry and seem to belong in their surroundings.  It's amazing.

Eventually the path dead-ended and we had to go back the way we came. Which worked out well for us because we ended up back at the playground where we could meet up and play with the other ladies and their children.

The playground was awesome.  There was something for everyone, no matter what age you are.  And they had two roller slides.  A small, slightly inclined one for the little tykes and the largest roller slide I've seen thus far for the older kids/adults.  That slide was awesome!  And O even liked going down it with me.  :D

Did you know that you are supposed to ride on something going down the roller slides?  I didn't.  A lot of people brought cardboard or plastic lunch trays to sit on.  And apparently the Japanese actually sell these little plastic things that look like shovels with a butt imprint specifically for riding on the roller slides.  I was told you can get them at Make-Man for like 100 yen.  Anyways, a very nice lady let us borrow hers to go down the huge roller slide.  O.M.G. did it make a difference.  Not only was my butt NOT numb by the time I reached the bottom, but the ride itself was a whole lot faster.  You have got to check it out for yourself.  Totally worth it.

Okinawa Comprehensive Park Playground

The playground at Comprehensive Park is one of the best that I've come across on island so far.  The only thing missing that I can tell are the Japanese Roller Slides.  But who knows, they could have them elsewhere in the park.  I may have to explore some more to find out.

Anyways, this playground rocks because of the large variety of things for kids to do.  There are stairs, hanging balls and chains to climb, various types of swings, slides, teeter totters, springy animals, a stationary train, etc.  Just so many things to see, explore, and play on.  If your kid gets bored here... well, they'll be bored anywhere.  :D

Also, I love that the Japanese inspectors (last photo) were out checking the playground for safety after the typhoon.  As a mommy, this makes me all warm and fuzzy knowing they care so much about the kids!

Other posts from visits to this site:
Okinawa Comprehensive Park (Okinawa Prefecture Athletic Park)
Okinawa Comprehensive Park

Gushikawa Park

Yet another beautiful, new location for our Stroller Warrior ladies to run at and a great park for the kiddos.

Gushikawa park is located near the bridge leading to Henza, Miyagi, and Ikei Islands on the East Coast of Okinawa. A lot of my friends say this bridge kinda reminds them of the Golden Gate Bridge. I've only ever seen it in pictures, so I'm not sure how accurate that is...  I read somewhere that the bridge is 4.7 miles long.  That would explain why we didn't make it to the other side on our run today, lol.

Anyways, the kids had a lot of fun at the park.  Most of the little kids stuck to the smaller play place on the left.  It is similar to anything you'll find on base, but still fun.  The other structures were pretty cool.  The rope thing on the right kept many of the older kids occupied attempting to climb it and provided me with much amusement while I was there.  There is a decent sized roller slide back behind the pavillion too.

It was a Japanese National Holiday while we were there, so there were tons of Japanese kids at the park that day.  O got abducted with her stroller by a few little girls who basically used her as a real life doll.  They took her for rides, passed her around for holding and rocking, and shared some of their candy with her.  :D