On this trip we took the opportunity to take a day off of training (there actually ended up being more time off training than planned due to unforeseen things coming up and sensei preparing for his trip). Well, we had booked the trip to this island before Steve sensei even arrived here.
I wanted to cross the memorial to Taira Shinken off of our shrine hunting list but this little island turned out to be so so much more than that.
It's probably just become one of my favourite days ever in Okinawa--definately in my top five, I would say.
Even though I was feeling so so sick with a nasty cold.
It had all the elements-
A goal- All the recommended sites on the map.
Nervousness - When we found the bones in the cave.
Mystery - One- because of the ghost slope, but Two- because of the bones we found.
Beauty- The Island is so rural and mostly untouched the views from the castles were stunning.
A Time Limit -From getting off the plane at 8am to getting on it to come back at 7pm.
Sadness- From the amount of trash on the beach that must have washed up there.
Disappointment - The Tatami-Ishi rocks was something I wrote in my 'reasons for wanting to come to Japan' when I wrote my working holiday visa application and well- there wasn't really anything there. It was like that banana cake I ate once. Smelt incredible-tasted of nothing.
Amazement - the beauty of the biggest pine tree and the relevance it has to us, made us going there and spending time there special.
So before I just keep going with my dictionary of emotions, I'll actually put them in order of my best to worst 20 locations we visited in Kume-Jima:
1- The Birds Mouth Rock
They say that the rock off the edge of the cliffs looks like the beak of a bird when you look at it from a certain angle. I did see it, and it did look somewhat like a bird's beak. However what was more impressive about this site was the park that surrounded it. Tokujimu National Park was a beautiful surprise. We didn't have much time there but it looked like there was good trails to follow and a beautiful countryside to explore. I would love to go back and spend a whole day in the park discovering what is there.
2- The Caves
This one wasn't on the guidebook. We followed it from a small road sign towards the end of the day.
Yajiyagama Cave System was most definately not what we were expecting when we walked down the wooden staircase to it. We ended up in the front of an enormous cave with what looked like human bones and broken pots all around. We had no idea what this location was all about and was quite confused. We walked into the caves a little but couldn't really see anything with our phone lights. you would definately need to go back with a proper torch and shoes to make it through this one. Flip flops and phone lights wont cut it.
When we came back away from this one we researched about the cave- according to google- the history is that a long time ago a sickness hit the island and lots of people died from it- there wasn't enough graves to bury them in so they were all placed into the cave. Over the years Typhoons and Earthquakes have damaged the pots and now there are bones and pots scattered all over the cave.
Again one i would like to return to and learn more about.
3- The Memorial and Grave Of Taira Shinken Sensei
This one was the first one we went to find because this was the primary reason we came to the island. Seeing this memorial means that I've almost completed visiting all the Karate Related memorials in the Okinawa Prefecture- that i know about. The more I find the more that keep popping up. But thats a story for another time. As we arrived there were local people setting up for the weekend seminar that was imminent. We waited for them to finish and went back to it.
4- The five Roots Pine Tree
This one is really high on my list. Maybe it should be higher than number four.
It is absolutely stunning, no pictures do it justice from any angle.
For us Pine Tree's have quite a significance because of the name of our style of Karate. Matsubayashi Ryu- Pine Forest Style. There are pine trees all around Okinawa's islands. They are strong and resilient to typhoons and useful for building things.
This tree is recorded to have been planted in 1839, its roots have spread about 250 meters. You can walk right around it and under all the branches too. I think they have put the fence around it to stop people climbing on it or damaging it.
We got some really special pictures here right as the sun was beginning to set.
5- The Silk Making Factory
This was close to the Taira Shinken Memorial so we made it next on our list. We were the only people in there when we went- in fact most of the day it seemed like we had the island to ourselves.
When we arrived there were ladies making material outside. The first thing that happened when we went in was the lady made us watch a video about how the silk is made. This was very interesting but also made me a bit sleepy. It was far more interesting to walk around the factory and look at all the machines and equipment.
I have a whole new appreciation for why this material is so expensive. it is a very labour intensive task.
6- The Tropical Fish Rock pools
This one I really really enjoyed. It's basically just a beach of rock pools, I loved walking over all the rocks and not falling in, seeing all the different fish in all the pools and learning about them from the very handy sign that was at the front of the entrance to the beach.
The downside to this one was as well as all the fish getting swept into the pools by the ocean, so was a huge amount of rubbish. There was plastic bottles and fishing nets all over the beach. It is a harsh reminder of what we are doing to our beautiful planet.
7- The Mystery Slope
Just a couple of weeks before our trip, my Dad did one of these somewhere on one of his drives to canada. I thought their video was really interesting and couldn't quite figure out how it worked.
Apparently they are quite rare. We did it twice just to be sure. I'm still not sure how it works or what it is. I don't think it is a ghost, but who knows.
The Idea of the slope is that apparently your car moves uphill by itself. You put it in neutral and take your feet off the pedals and it magically goes up the hill. I guess it has to be science.
8- The Castle
Uegusuku Castle ruins was the first castle of the day- I didn't know there was multiple castles on the Island. This one was just a short walk up steps from the car park and had stunning panoramic views of the ocean. Sensei climbed over a wall to get a good picture of us and nearly fell off, but all was well. I liked this site and the views from here a lot.
9-The Two Rocks with the Hole in the Middle
This one made it to number Nine because it really is beautiful. Probably more beautiful than any picture can make it look. The Guidebook calls it Miifugaa which apparently just means 'rock formation' in Okinawan. Legend says if women pray here they will be blessed with babies (but there are lots of places to pray for babies in Okinawa) and for a few weeks of the year around July you can see the sunrise through the holes in the rocks.
The rocks are made of Limestone and Tuff Breccia. It was far more impressive to me than Seifa Utaki on the mainland of Okinawa was. I guess they both are unique and not so comparable.
10- The Old House Area
The Guidebook calls this the Historic Uezu House. It was one of the last on our list and decided we didn't really need to go inside (you have to pay around 400 yen per person) so we just looked around the outside area.
The house was supposed to have been built in 1754 and was the home of a deputy landlord of the Ryukyu Kingdom and has kept the traditional layout of that era.
It was Just a really beautiful area and was 100% what I expected from Okinawa in my minds eye when I was deciding to come here.
11- The 200 and something steps we walked up (and I felt like I was going to die)
These steps apparently lead down to the Tachijami Nature park. However we made it down to a beach which had a longer trail leading off of it. We didn't have much time and I somewhat regret not going further along the trail because it says that there is a cliffside waterfall further along. We didn't get that far but we did see the 'Tachijami' Rock formation that is 40 Meters tall and 70 meters wide.
There seems to be quite a lot of rock related sites. But they are pretty incredible. I guess Geologists would love this place.
Although the view is magnificent, the walk up about 250 steps- I forgot the actual number but I lost the bet! actually made me feel really unwell. With my cold already my lungs really struggled with this one and I needed to take the next couple of places a little easier. Would be good trail running practice if you weren't sick though!
12- The Turtle Museum
This comes in at number 12 because I think it is a little bit mean. I think the turtles are rescued and can't be released into the ocean for their own good but it still feels a little bit wrong to see them swimming about in what is essentially a giant swimming pool when the great and beautiful ocean is right outside.
The guide Map says it is built for research and environmental conservation of the turtles. This site is not so good for foreign visitors if you can't read Japanese. All of the information around the museum area is in Japanese only. I guess they are trying to stop the Extinction of the Turtles which is a good thing.
I really liked the statue outside the museum of Urashima Taro- I knew I'd read a story somewhere about a man riding a turtle. It is a old Japanese fairy tale where a fisherman is rewarded for saving a turtle- the turtle carries him on his back to the dragon palace where he meets the princess. He stays a while and when he leaves he is given a box. When he gets back to land he realises he has been gone for more than 100 years. When he opens the box, time catches him and he becomes a old man.
Well, the story goes something like that. You should read it, it's worth it.
13- Castle Number 2
Gushikawa Castle Ruins- We had the most Spectacular view of this one as we were driving towards it. Part of the side of it looks as though it is falling down the cliff side but it is stunning to see it perched on the edge of the cliffs. The Guide map says that these ruins are potentially from the 15th century. Being surrounded by the ocean, the castle gate was located on the steep south side. Research from excavations suggests trade with China, But we know this to be true with the Ryukyu Kingdom.
I didn't go up the steps to this one because I had just finished coming up the 250 steps of the other site and wasn't really feeling so good. I saw quite a lot from where the car was and that was better than killing myself to see another view.
14- The Trees In the middle of the Road- Chura Fukugi
This one is right near the silk making factory and not far from Taira Shinken memorial. Its quite a nice change to bollards or road barriers in the middle of the road.
It is a 40 meter long row of Garcinias - they were part of a larger windbreak for some apartment buildings and houses that was reduced to make room for a road expansion.
It's a nice change to have more nature used instead of concrete and man made materials. I think these small things are part of what makes the Island so unique and beautiful.
15- The Viewpoint
Hiyajobanta Cliff Observation Deck- This was pretty but so so so windy.
It was a quick stop- The view was good but there are lots of opportunities to get beautiful views from all over the Island. There is a little shop here where you can buy Ice cream and snacks though, which is good- because there arent so many places on the Island to eat - or at least we didn't find any so just stocked up on snacks at the convenience store near the Airport and ate those all day.
16- The Sunset
Technically not a location. But it was coming to the time where we had to go back to the Airport and we had crossed everything off of the list and had just finished some really nice time at the five roots pine tree. We just about caught the sunset- which I had been trying to catch one all week so it was a good end to a really wonderful adventure day.
17- The Museum
The Guide map says visiting this museum is a must for anyone about to explore the Island- We did it backwards and just about caught it before it closed. The regular exhibits introduce the natural environment, history and culture of the Island.
I think it was fine to go at the end too. It was a good end to the day and answered some of our questions we had along the way.
And, as with the rest of Okinawa there are reminders of world war 2.
It still astounds me how many lives and how much impact the war had on this entire population for so so long. As long as we remember it I think the ethos of kindness and peace will prevail above all because everybody knows the real effect of War- Nobody would ever want that to happen again and so everyone as a community strives to keep these little Islands from ever experiencing anything like that ever again.
18- The Beaches
There were about four beaches listed on the Guide map-
Hatenohama Beach- This is a desert island is basically just a beach island. This Island takes about 20/ 30 minutes to get to via a separate boat ride and you need to book a tour to spend half a day or a whole day at this one.
Eef Beach - this Beach is listed on Japans top 100 Beaches list. Fine White sand and calm shallow water.
Ara Beach - This Beach Is surrounded by mountains- Also good for the Sunsets.
Shinri Beach- This beach is popular for it's views of the sunset. 'Shinriru' in Japanese means to Slip in Uchinaguchi (Okinawan) and it is supposedly called this because the depth of the sand can make people slip and fall- so be careful at this one.
We drove past a couple and saw the island one from the castles.
We really didn't have time to stop and spend time playing on the beach- but if I was to have a few days here I would definately have a beach day.
19- Tatami Ishi Rocks
This one got a space at number 19 because I wanted to cross them off for so so long.
I had seen some really beautiful pictures of this online and was really excited to see these. However it is a bit of a anti-climax.
The stones were formed by andesite magma that cooled around six million years ago. Columnar joining has caused the rocks to form into pillars 1-1.5 meters wide and upwards of 100 meters tall- so they are pretty spectacular for this alone.
It just doesn't look quite like the pictures unless you get really close and the tide is really far out.
Sensei was trying to get the angle like all the google pictures have of these rocks.
20- The Giant Old Trees (That we couldn't find or see)
The Une Giant Cycads are Supposed to be near the trees in the road but we couldn't find them.
We found a stone about them, but no big trees anywhere.
Apparently it is one of Okinawas natural monuments. It has two trunks that are 4 and 6 meters tall and is said to be between 250-300 years old. It has more than 200 branches.
We just couldn't find them.
So, thats it. Kumejima in one day. It was totally worth the money to fly there in 30 minutes as opposed to the 3-4 hour ferry ride.
100% Recommended.
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