"Nago Green Bridge and The Lower Creek Park"

The Nago Green Bridge

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The Nago Green Bridge and Lower Creek Park

     GPS

Latitude	Longitude
N 26 35.209	E 127 59.591

Nago Green Bridge and The Lower Creek Park

If you are driving on Route 18 from the east side of the island and coming towards Nago, you will see the "Nago Green Bridge". It will just hit you as you turn the curve and pass the treeline. This marks your entry way into the heart of Nago City. Soon as you cross it you will have the Orion Brewery to your left and the Nago Castle Ruins to your right.

Underneath the Nago Green Bridge is a park in the lower creek area. This is a great place for shade and to relax. Some people park their cars underneath the bridge. There are some steps near the creek you can just sit and relax. You will sometimes see families and kids in the creek looking for fish or crawl dads. There are other places you can sit and relax. See photo album above.

Next to this park is the Nago Castle Ruin. This deserves a whole blog post on its own. Just a little warning though. If you decide to go up the castle ruins, be prepared to walk.

At the lower creek park, they have bathroom facilities and soda machines.

Other places of interest nearby:  Ato no Utaki (Kyoda), Giant Shisas (Kyoda), Water From Hands (Kyoda), Todoroki Waterfall, The Nangusuku Castle Ruins, Nago Museum.

"Haneji Dam Family Picnic Area"

Haneji Dam Family Picnic Area

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Haneji Dam Family Picnic Area

     GPS

Latitude	Longitude
N 26 36.527	E 128 01.195

Haneji Dam Family Picnic Area

If you are looking for a great place for a family picnic, this is the place. This is the Haneji Dam family picnic grounds in Nago. Though somewhat out of the way, it may be a great stop on your way back from the Ocean Expo Park or nearby areas. The best time to be there is when the afternoon sun has somewhat subsided into the treeline or if it is cloudy day.

You will mostly likely see other families there playing in the water (see photo album above). Just park your car and relax a bit. There is a visible post of what is not allowed: No overnight camping, no pets off the leash, take out any pet droppings, and leave no trash. Basically, pack out what you bring in. They do have some provided shade, but you may want to bring your own shade just in case.

Getting there isn't hard if you are coming back from Okuma or Expo Park. Look at the map for landmarks.
The Haneji Dam family picnic area lies along the Haneji Dam Nago City Bypass. There is an entry way to look for (see photo album). Otherwise you may pass right by it.

What to bring. Camera, tent or umbrella for shade, slippers for getting into the water, bath suit for kids.

Note: I did not see any bathroom facilities in this area nor soda machines. There is an upper viewing area not far above (driving distance). There may be restrooms there. I have to verify next time I am there.

"Scenic Route 18 and the Haneji Dam Nago City Bypass"

View of Haneji Dam from the Upper Level

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Scenic Route 18 & the Haneji Dam Nago Bypass

Scenic Route 18 and the Haneji Dam Nago City Bypass

If you are in for a drive or headed up towards the Expo Park or to Okuma, I recommend taking either Route 18 (Green Route above) or the Route 18/Haneji Dam Nago Bypass (Yellow Route above). The latter route bypasses Nago City completely.  When headed up towards the Expo Park or Okuma, most people take the expressway and exit the last toll station (Exit 10) and then take the 58 to either the Expo Park or Okuma. The problem with this route is that you tend to run into bumper-to-bumper traffic. Most resorts are along the 58 and so you get an influx of traffic from tourist who use the 58 going north.

Both routes will take you eventually to the 58. Route 18 takes you into the heart of Nago City and ends near the Orion Brewery. You will see the "Nago Green Bridge" as you arrive towards the end of Route 18. You won't miss it. It hits you as you skirt around the treeline. The Route 18/Haneji Dam Nago Bypass is what I recommend if you want to skip the traffic all together. Once you arrive to the Highway 58 Interesection you either turn right to go to Okuma or left to go to the NeoPark or the Expo Park. I've included pictures of the Haneji Dam in the photo album.

How you get on the route coming south. If you are coming from Courtney or Kadena, take the expressway and get off Exit 9 and go north on 329. Once you pass Camp Schwab, you will soon reach the 331. Hang a right and follow it through a couple of tunnels. Eventually, you will see the Route 18 turn off (See map for landmarks). If you are coming from Camp Hansen or Schwab, just take 329 north to the 331.

Once you are on Route 18, at some point you will go through another tunnel and the Haneji Dam turn/intersection will apear. You will see a sign. If you don't turn off, you will continue on Route 18 into the heart of Nago. At the end of Route 18, you will see the "Nago Green Bridge", the Orion Brewery (to the left), and the Nago Castle ruins (to your right).  If you do turn on the Haneji Dam route you will then take a nice route over the Haneji Dam. There are some different scenic view points along that route. Eventually you will run right into the 58.

How you get to the Haneji Dam/Route 18 from the 58 (coming north from Okuma). There is no visible mark off the 58 to tell you where to turn. Look at the map closely and at the picture of landmark (see photo album) of what to look for. There is a statue of a small baby boy at the turn off on 58.

How you get to Route 18 from the 58 (coming north from Expo or Neopark). Look at the map closely. Route 18 does not start from the 58. There is a large pedestrian bridge at the intersection along Highway 58 where you turn off. I recommend you use Google's 360 Map view to get an idea. Once you make this turn, you will see the Department store, San A.

Once you take either route, you will probably end up using it every time you go to Okuma or to Expo Park. You won't regret it. Plus you will see some other areas of interest that you may want to stop by. THIS IS A GREAT SCENIC ROUTE! IT'S PRETTY SMOOTH SAILING.

CAUTION. If you take the Route 18/Haneji Dam Nago bypass, be aware of some damage done to the road caused by Typhoon Muifa (August 2011). There were areas that the road was starting to buckle. There were signs that marked the damage. If you go on this route, there may be some construction going on to fix this. Also, there is a bend in the curve where the Okinawans park. This is on the east side of Haneji Dam Bridge. There is a pipe that pours out natural spring water. Some Okinawans stop here to collect water. Just use caution with the driving speed.

Places nearby of interest: Nago Castle Ruins, The Nago Green Bridge and Lower Park, the Haneji Dam Family Picnic Area.

"Nago's Makiya Dam"

Nago's Makiya Dam

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Nago's Makiya Dam

     GPS

Latitude	Longitude
N 26 37.483	E 128 02.134

Nago's Makiya Dam

Perhaps one of the least well known dams of Okinawa, Makiya Dam in Nago provides great opportunities for photography and a place to spend time with the family. Not as big as its sister dam just a few miles south (Haneji Dam), Makiya Dam is still an impressive site to see. You can see the dam from Highway 58 but if you are not looking to the east, you will miss it.

I parked my vehicle at the bottom of the dam and walked up to the top. There is a stairwell that leads to the top. I don't recommend you do that though. Park your car at the bottom, take some pictures of the water outlet below, and then, if you want to go to the top, take your car and find one of the side entrances that will take you up there. You will be able to cover more ground that way, plus it won't be a long way walking back (Personally, I don't like to be to far away from my car in a secluded area).

When you get up top, you will see open fields, the water on the other side, a large set of stairs (that I decided not to go on). You will know why, when you get there. But perhaps the most impressive part is the view as you look to the west and see parts of northern Nago. See photo album above.

At the bottom of the dam you may see some wildlife. There were two Common Moorhens walking around (see photo album) and we even managed to see a very, very large turtle that plunged in the water before we could snap a picture. Still trying to find out what kind of turtle it was.

Getting there. There were no clear landmarks that you can use to guide you off from Highway 58. Look at the map to get an idea of where to turn. There are multiple ways to get there. It's shouldn't be to difficult to navigate. I did mark a Family Mart on Hwy 58 to let you know that you are close to one of the turn offs. I also posted a landmark for the parking area of the dam. It is a cabana type of structure.

What to bring. Camera, lunch box, umbrella, water.

"The Mysterious 'Meinu' Utaki - Awase's Birthplace?"

'Meinu' Utaki in Awase, Okinawa

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Meinu Utaki in Awase, Okinawa

     GPS

Latitude	Longitude
N 26 19.139	E 127 50.147

The Mysterious 'Meinu' Utaki

This sacred place, or 'utaki' is found in Awase, Okinawa. It is called the 'Meinu Utaki'. According to the translation from the stone inscription right next to it and from the town office brochure. People at one time immigrated from the Shuri province to the island of Awase in the 18th Century. They would pray at this utaki for good fortune and luck as they embarked on their new life here at Awase. The stone inscription (see album) starts with the heading 'Mae no Utaki'. 'Mae' usually means in front of. It also has the meaning of 'before'. Putting the pieces together as best as possible, I think what the stone is saying, that "This is a Sacred Place from Long Before". Translation is often tricky and difficult. Even the local Japanese and Okinawans may have difficult translating the Kanji, since even a Kanji may have several meanings.

Why I use the word 'mysterious' is that according to the translator, the inscription says that the people immigrated to "The Island of Awase". Parts of modern day Awase might have been at one time an independent island. I didn't know that. Since then, it perhaps was built up over time and connected to the mainland. Doing a Google search I was not able to find another source to accurately confirm this. This adds to another long list of mysteries of Okinawa history. According to the translator, the sacred place marks the center of the old Awase Island, hence why it could be considered the birthplace of modern day Awase.

(Update, August 25, 2011: Here is literal translation of the inscription.

Awase was once known as the "Ase Island," "Awasu Kubanari," which was a desert island.  However, during the King Sho Boku (1768) era, people from Shuri, Naha started to move here and became a village. The origin of this stone is when the island people thought about building a shrine to worship and pray for the prosperity of the village.This coral-lite based structure has been withstanding over 200 years of wind and rain and is known to be the oldest place of worship. The shed was added later in 1997 to protect this stone from wind and rain.

August 31, 2001
Awase Restruction Committee)

Directions. If you follow the blue route that takes you to the Awase Shrine and continue on, you will eventually find some side streets that would lead to the location. You may have to count the streets to figure out which lane to turn on.

Parking. You should be able to park off on the side somewhere nearby.

What to bring. Definitely a camera. There are other areas nearby that have yet to post due to translation confirmation.

Other places nearby of interest. The Awase Shrine, The Awase War Memorial, The God of Fire Utaki, Kanomou Well, Ubugaa.