8 Nights in Okinawa, Japan - Day 3 and 4

 Friday, 15^th Dec 2023

It’s to travel up north with a few touristic stops along the way, by now the kids were rolling their eyes whenever I mention an attraction…….what we are already here, how can we not go, right? 

We have to go Bise Fukugi Tree Street (buffalo ride, address: 389 Bise, Motobu, Kunigami District), Churaumi Aquarium, and go round Kouri Island with stops at Kouri Ocean Tower, Tokei Hama Beach (best for snorkeling, I hear there are fishes) and eat sea urchin rice bowl at Shirasa Shokudo (hours: 11am to 4pm; address: 176 Kouri, Nakijin, Kunigami District, Okinawa 905-0406), and we should buy groceries at A-Coop Nago and reach our next accommodation before night falls because it is a mountain hut. Furthermore, am not even including Cape Manzamo which was en route.

Too ambitious! Driving alone will take 2hrs and 34 mins. Wake up and let’s check-out early, which we couldn’t. So, we managed to eat the sea urchin rice bowl, visited Churaumi Aquarium (lots of students on a learning journey and awesome variety of marine life!), went round Kouri Island and stopped at Tokei Hama beach (no fishes by the shore), bought groceries at A-coop Nago and reached the mountain hut at 6pm, (dark already).

Should have stayed one night at the villas in Kouri island that I could’ve booked through Airbnb. If we had stayed one more night, we could have visited Nakijin Castle Remains, snorkel at Gorilla Chop (where several different kind of Sea anemone fish known as Nemo can be spotted, and current there is safe to swim https://maps.app.goo.gl/AueEQ3PwJewJHD9k9) or the beaches at Kouri Island and my husband could hike up Mount Katsuudake.

Check-in and started enjoying the mountain hut with the firepit, barbecue and karaoke for the night. At this point, the weather started to turn chilly.

Accomodation: 2 nights at YUMYUM Garden 1971-722 Tsuha, Ogimi Village, Kunigami District, https://maps.app.goo.gl/BEEL98QJfyHDSJum7 booked through Airbnb.

Saturday, 16^th Dec 2023

We are going further up north to Cape Hedo and Daisenkirizan Park (9:30 to 16:30, closed at 17:30) to see Jurassic era looking rock formations. Took Route 58 which is the scenic route and stopped by Yuiyui Kunigami Roadside Station for lunch. Though there were only 2 stops, there’s lots of driving coupled with the kids complaining that they couldn’t walk in Daisenkirizan caused much delay. Seriously kids, it's just boardwalks here!

We missed Ta-taki falls (https://maps.app.goo.gl/DDpNNLcj9H4r6DZi7) which seemed too hard for us to trek to reach the waterfall and Kyuna Farm (https://maps.app.goo.gl/Rid4gBZBUwv94fUV8) which closes at 4.30pm. We went back to A-coop Nago to buy groceries and ended the night with barbecue, fire pit and using the Earth oven.

Go to Okinawa Day 5 and 6