"A Cafe, Cave, and a Bonsai Garden – Introducing the Gold Hall"

The Gold Hall

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The Gold Hall

     GPS

Latitude	Longitude
N 26 27.160	E 127 54.925

A Cafe, Cave, and a Bonsai Garden – Introducing the Gold Hall

Kin Town is known to have many small attractions. There is Okawa, the natural spring, the Kin Kannonji Temple, and Nature Mirai. But it is also home to a one-of-a-kind cafe, appropriately named “The Gold Hall”. It's a fitting name for a cafe in Kin Town cause the word 'Kin' in Japanese also means gold. It's unique cause it's built primarily over a network of small caves and tunnels along a cliff.

When you first enter you will arrive at the cafe portion. The workers will gladly greet and seat you. All around you will see different custom wooden decorations and ornaments skillfully handcrafted (See Photo Album). There is an entrance way that leads you down through some of the various tunnels and caves. As you navigate your way through, you will eventually enter the bonsai garden built along the cliff side facing the ocean horizon. There you will see an array of statues and bonsai trees beautifully displayed and dispersed throughout. You definitely want to bring a camera to see this place. The Gold Hall is one of the hidden 'treasures' (pardon the pun) in Kin Town.

The cafe serves various desserts, sandwiches, and coffee menu items. And if you are really hungry you can ask for Kin's world renown Taco Rice! A little Okinawa trivia: Kin Town currently holds the Guinness World Record for the largest Taco Rice ever made with a combined weight of 746 kg (1,644 lb 10 oz). Menu prices range from 500 to 900 yen.

Cover charge. There is a cover charge to enter. It is 800 Yen per adult, 500 Yen per child. Credit Card service is not available at the moment, but they do accept Dollars. Price in dollars may vary based on the current Yen rate.

Phone Number. 098-968-3546.
Hours. Open 24-7, 365 days a year from 9am to 8pm.

Parking. Parking is available. See the green thumbtacks on the map.
Getting there. The Gold Hall is on the opposite side of Camp Hansen. There are many ways of getting there from Hwy 329. The route in Blue is perhaps the easiest. Use Richamocha Cafe as a landmark guide. 

Find them on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/goldhall

Other places of interest nearby: Kin Kannonji Temple, O-kawa, Statue of Oshiro Kozo, Kin Watch Tower, Kin's Castle Rock, Kinjo's Used Goods, Kin Town's Hidden Natural Trail, Kin Town's Cherry Blossom Way.

"Scenic View on a Shioya Hilltop, Ogimi Village"

Looking at the Shioya Hilltop from down below

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Scenic View on a Shioya Hilltop, Ogimi

     GPS

Latitude	Longitude
N 26 40.268	E 128 06.387

Scenic View on a Shioya Hilltop, Ogimi Village

Shioya is a small town in Ogimi Village. It lies on the outskirts of Shioya Bay. The hilltop that you see above pretty much lies in the center of the town and has a wonderful view of the bay and the town itself. At the top of the hill you will see an utaki and then a large cabana-type structure. At the corner of this cabana-like structure you will see a pedestal holding a large rectangular brick stone facing south with a giant hole punched out in the middle. The inscription reads, "Okinawa Tourist Spot, Shioya Bay, Appointed, April 1, 1978, Okinawa Prefecture, Tourism Development, Ryukyu Shimpo".

Every year around August, three towns around the Shioya Bay (Shioya, Yako, and Taminato) participate in a festival known as the "Unjami Matsuri". One of the main attractions at this festival is the dragon boat race. Each town puts forth two dragon boats and they race from one end of the bay finishing up in the town of Shioya. See also Mike's Ryukyu Gallery.

If you look to the north from the Shioya Hilltop, you may see a set of concrete stairs disappearing up to the hills. This will take you to the Ogimi War Memorial.

Parking. You will have to find open areas to park. Roads in this neighborhood are narrow. There is one public parking area marked by the Green Thumbtack. You can park there and walk to stairway leading to the Shioya Hilltop.
Restrooms. Near the Green Thumbtack is a public restroom.
Other places of interest nearby: The Ogimi Waterfall, The Ogimi War Memorial.

"Kyoda's Hidden Fountain - The Water From Hands" (In Nago)

Kyoda's 'Water from Hands' in Nago

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Kyoda's Fountain, the "Water from Hands"

     GPS

Latitude	Longitude
N 26 32.588	E 127 58.024

Kyoda's Hidden Fountain - The Water From Hands

Perhaps not so hidden now after being mapped. This is Kyoda's water fountain called the 'Water From Hands'. I say it's hidden because it was neatly tucked away in the hillside - the same hill that host the town's sacred place of prayer (see blog post, the Kyoda Utaki). As I mention before in the previous post, I probably would have never known this fountain existed if I did not walk around the corner. If you drive your car to the Utaki, you will see a large open lot to the east. If you park there, you will see the fountain. (Originally, I had parked my car near the two Giant Shisas to the southwest and walked to the Utaki - which is why I didn't see the fountain at first).

This fountain has an interesting story about its origin. Here is a translation of the sign posted next to it.

A long time ago, there was a beautiful girl who lived in Kyoda. One day wanting to do laundry, the girl approached the fountain called 'Kushinuka' located behind the village. At that time, a King from Shuri was passing through on his horse, and asked the girl to fetch him some water. The girl fetched the King some water using a nibu (ladle). The King, however, asked the girl to give him water with her bare hands. Reluctantly, she did as he requested. As she approached, he was mesmerized by her beauty and took her away back to Shuri. The town's people were devastated.

Since that day, this place has been called the 'Water From Hands". Before a bridge was built over Kyoda, there were roads along the coast. People had to take the long route through Fukuchi and XXXX (translation unknown) to get here. Along the side of this road, was where this fountain was found. The fountain was used to replenish thirsty travelers. This fountain was known for many years. Subsequently, a poem was written about it in which it was later used in a 'kumiodori' (traditional dance/play) composed by XXXX Heshikiya (translation unknown).

Note: The poem was difficult to translate with accuracy, but it does mention verbiage about the horse turning back.

Other places nearby of interest: Kyoda's Two Giant Shisas, The Kyoda Utaki, Todoroki Waterfall, Nago Green Bridge/Lower Creek Park, The Nangusuku Castle Ruins, Nago Museum.
What to bring. Umbrella for rain, camera.
Parking. See Green thumbtack above.
Other amenities. There were no bathroom facilities nearby.

"The Obscure 'Ato no Utaki' in Kyoda, Nago"

A view of Kyoda's Utaki from Highway 71

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The Obscure "Ato no Utaki" in Kyoda, Nago

     GPS

Latitude	Longitude
N 26 32.591	E 127 58.013

The Obscure 'Ato no Utaki' in Kyoda, Nago

Obscure? Perhaps more of a pun than anything. This Utaki (sacred place) is quite visible from Highway 71...only if you are looking in a certain direction and from a certain place. And you may barely see it from the 58. I speculate that most people driving on the 71 heading west towards Nago tend to be focused on what's straight ahead. This is understandable. You are going downhill at this stage at a good speed. You are almost about to hit the 58. You are wary of oncoming traffic. Even if you are driving eastward, you will more than likely miss it. That's because the way this Utaki is tucked in and masked partly by nature and partly by the overgrowth vegetation along Highway 71. But when you do happen to see it, you may say to yourself, "Wow! I drive through this place all the time and I didn't know that was there!".

I posted the photo above purposely to give you an idea what you may see driving along the 71 if you are looking to the north. There is a long stairway that leads to this Utaki. At the bottom is a Torii entrance gate. An inscription on the Torii itself says it was donated by the 'Toyota Car Company'. Next to the Torii is a large stone with the Utaki's named inscribed on it. It is called the 'Ato no Utaki'. The word 'Ato' can have several meanings in Japanese. It can mean 'later' or 'after'. I am not positive of the symbolic meaning it may have here. This Utaki looks relatively modern.  Inside, were concrete platforms to place ornaments or offerings. It was a very ordinary setup.

I'm not certain if the Utaki's location has any historical significance to the town of Kyoda. BUT! perhaps what lies around the corner is why the people of Kyoda chose this location. I used the word 'obscure' earlier to describe the Kyoda Utaki. Well,...what lies close by is really a tiny hole-in-the-wall. If I didn't take time to walk around the corner, I would have never known this little place existed in a 100 years...and I'm willing to bet that most people outside of the town of Kyoda ever heard about it too. It's Kyoda's legendary fountain, called the 'Water from Hands', in which I will blog about very soon.

Parking. You will have to find open areas nearby for parking. Be aware that some neighborhood roads are narrow and not advisable you park on them.  

Other places nearby of interest. Giant Red Shisas in Kyoda, 'Water from Hands' Fountain, Todoroki Waterfall, The Nangusuku Castle Ruins, The Nago Museum.

"A Map It! Photo Moment - Kyoda's Tale of Two Shisas"

Two Tall Shisas in Kyoda of Nago City, Okinawa

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A Map It! Photo Moment - Kyoda's Tale of Two Shisas

     GPS

Latitude	Longitude
N 26 32.532	E 127 57.931

A Map It! Photo Moment - Kyoda's Tale of Two Shisas

No Tall Tale to Tell Here. But every now and then, I will post a Map It! Photo Moment. I couldn't resist stopping for five minutes to take pictures of these two Shi Shi Dogs or Shisas. And I know some of you would be guilty of the same, so I thought I indulge for you.

Shisas are great for photo moments. You find them everywhere in Okinawa. Some craftsmen add their own unique style. What's impressive about these two Shisas is that they are just as tall as standard soda machine you find anywhere in Okinawa (see photo album).  Plus, their bright red color is magnetic. You can't help to stop and take a photo.

I found them as I was searching around in the town of Kyoda, a small inconspicuous town in Nago right next to the Route 71 and Route 58 intersection. They were standing in front of warehouse or craftsmen shop, perhaps placed there for good luck. Kyoda might be small town, but it does have some interesting sites to see, often not visible even to the wandering eye...to include a Legendary Fountain called the "Water from Hands". You can scroll on the map above and see two sites of interest, in which I will blog about very shortly.

Other places nearby of interest. Kyoda's 'Ato no Utaki', Water From Hands Fountain, Todoroki Watefall, The Nangusuku Castle Ruins, Nago Museum.