Japan Travel (Part 5) - May 2025

Amami Oshima Island, Kagoshima Prefecture

The Oshima Nature Observatory is part of a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site. We took a hike in this subtropical ocean climate region to view the evergreen forests and streams and reach a lookout structure. Despite this area receiving monsoon rain and several typhoons each year, it was dry for our hike. 

This forest is also home for the Habu viper - an apex predator with a venomous bite. While cautious, we didn't see any snakes during our forest trek, though we did see a salamander.

 

Near the end of the walk, there was a lookout tower,

View from Lookout

Amami Oshima Distillery

Local Kokuto brown sugar, malted Thailand rice and Kome koji are all essential ingredients for making Jougo Shochu. We stopped at the Amami Oshima Shuzu Distillery to receive a tour of the manufacturing process and taste a few samples of the range of Shochu spirits made in Amami.

Oshima Tsumugi-mura Village

Oshima Tsumugi craft textile has been recognized for supple, lightweight, wrinkle-resistant coth. To make this cloth, silk threads are dyed in a liquid Techigi tree extract multiple times to reach the desired color. Iron-rich mud is also used as a color agent for silk threads. The cloth is highly prized and kimono made from this cloth can easily cost $2,000 to 6,000 USD. 

Naha, Okinawa Prefecture

Naha was the capital of the Ryukyu Kingdom from 1372 to 1879. We visited Shuri Castle, the administrative center and residence of the Ryukyu Kings. In 1879, the Ryukyu Kingdom was annexed by Japan and made a province of Okinawa.

The castle was a reconstructed and reopened in 1992 after being destroyed in WWII.  In 2019, a fire, believed to have started by an electrical incident, destroyed seven main building of Shuri Castle. We could only walk around the perimeter of the castle grounds and peer into the post-fire reconstruction efforts. The main hall is scheduled to reopen in 2026.

Sonohyan-utaki (Sacred Stone Gate)
The king offered prayers for kingdom order and
safety prior to travel

Shuri Castle, Pre-2019 Fire
Source: Wikipedia

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Shikenaen Garden was built in 1799 as the summer residence for the Ryukyu kings. There is a simple wood constructed palace with beautiful gardens and pond. The garden was destroyed during the WWII Battle of Okinawa but was completely restored between 1975 and 1996.

Inside the Summer Palace

Palace Windows for Airflow and Pond View

After our tours of the palaces, we struck out on our own for lunch in downtown Naha. We stopped for an Okinawa soba lunch at the Okinawa Soba Den. Okinawa soba is known for its use of "Sanmaiku." This is a three-layer slice of pork belly - skin, meat and fat.

Walking in the downtown area, we stopped at Akashi Gotten Kokusai-dori Matsuo on Kokusai Street. This is a large confectionary store with many different snacks to purchase. It even has a factory at the rear of the store that makes Beni-imo tarts. This is a pastry shell filled with purple sweet potato puree. Yes, we tried a few of the tarts.

Beni-imo Tart

Miyako Island, Okinawa Prefecture

We crossed the Irabu Bridge to reach Toriike Pond,  on Shimoji Island, a nationally recognized natural monument. It appears that there are two ponds but both are connected underwater. The walk to the pond is through a canopy of trees, with glimpses of Easter Lilies. Our guide told us that the lilies are native to Okinawa and were exported to other countries - becoming a symbol of joy and hope throughout the world.

No Habu Vipers on Miyako Island

2.1 Mile Long Irabu Bridge

We continued to a ranch of Miyako horses. This breed is native to Japan and is critically maintained. In 1955, there were 10,000 Miyako horses and, presently, the number is in the 40s. The Miyako horses are small, about four feet tall. Historically, they were used for farming and transportation. We observed how Miyako horses were once used to operate a sugar cane mill to extract juice. The resulting cane juice, with added lime juice, was very refreshing and delicious.

 

 

We also visited a factory that creates Miyako jofu textile. This fabric is woven from ramie plant leaves and dyed with native Ryukyu indigo. The resulting fabric is strong and has good air permeability. Unforunately, photos were prohibited in the factory - with the exception of the process to soften the fabric with a very heavy mallet.