Chibana Castle Ruins

Chibana Castle Ruins is one of the forgotten castle sites here on Okinawa. It's location might surprise you being that it is only a short drive out of Kadena Air Base's Gate 3. Chances are you many people drive by it every day and don't even know it's there. Nevertheless with a little bit of luck you can find it.



 

The site is not difficult to get to and is marked with signs although they are in Japanese. Once you arrive you will see that there is a decent size area for parking. The site itself lacks the spender that you may find at other castle ruins which I anticipate is due to lack of funding, time and interest.

 



There are still signs in place which show what ceremonies were (and possibly still are) practiced in the area however one of the signs which explains the area is now no longer present. The sign once said:

CHIBANA GUSUKU (CASTLE)

This castle was build on a hill 88 meters above sea level in the era of Gusuku and is a site where much Chinese earthware, porcelain, etc. has been unearthed. It is an important region geologically and botanically as it is located at the point where distinctive kind of soil of Northern Okinawa edges the distinctive kind of soil found in the South. It is also the place where Uni-Ufugusuku, a martial arts expert, lived in his later years in the 15th century.

Unlike other castle ruins that you may be familiar with this site has a bit of a different layout. The first thing that you will see when visiting the castle site is a small staircase which leads up to a bed of coral and shells. If you look closely you can see that there is a small alter here. As depicted in the sign you can tell that this is an area where ceremonies take place.



 

You can go up the small staircase, very carefully, however it will lead you to only this small area. To get to the actual height of the castle site you will need to start down the path which is off to your right. A staircase will lead  you up through the foliage towards the top of this hill which sits in the middle of the city. There are a lot of stairs which lead to the top and the climb is not safe for children as some areas lack handrails and stairs are very steep and narrow.

Once arriving at the top you will see that there is some sort of structure. Just a few more stairs and you will find yourself at the top of the hill looking over the entire city from all sides. Like other castle ruins this is a spectacular view on a clear day, it's almost like you can see forever.



 

On our way back down the stairs I saw a sign which seems to indicate that this structure may have been built in the 60's. Unfortunately the kanji is a bit too difficult for me to translate entirely so I am not entirely sure but if I find out any information regarding this I will be sure to share it with you in the future.

Sites like this always make me wonder what it is that has caused them to become so deserted. After returning home I did my best to research the area but it was very difficult to find much more then I already knew. One of the interesting things that I did find, however, is that according to some of the local residents the site is haunted. As some of the information I found was in Japanese it is not entirely clear to me what the story is but there were at least 5 separate mentions. There is also mention of a house which is near the area and considered to be haunted however we found no such house on the site. There was, however, a plot of land where a house was being built. Could this be the reason that this location has become so forgotten?

As for me I have a few speculations as to why the site has been forgotten but they all seem to end with more questions than answers. For now I suppose that the Chibana Castle Ruins will remain a mystery at least to me.

PLEASE REMEMBER: 

This site is old, in disrepair and in some areas can be dangerous. Please proceed with caution and watch your step. I do NOT recommend visiting this site on a rainy day or when it has rained recently.

Nakijin-jo [World Heritage Site]

There are many things that Okinawa is known for one of which is it's abundance of castle sites. It is said that Okinawa was the home of over 300 castle sites, however many have been lost to the test of time and war. A great deal of effort has gone into reconstructing and storing some of these castles while others sit in ruins to this day.



One of the castles which has been reconstructed and is now recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site is Nakijin-jo or as it is also known by many Nakijin Castle Site. This large castle sits on the Motobu Peninsula in Northern Okinawa, Japan. The castle itself is immense and takes up much of the tall hill that it stands on. The view from the castle makes it no wonder that the royal people of the Ryukyus would want to live here.



Nakijin-jo offers a great deal besides the castle itself. There is a large clean restroom with western style toilets as well as food stands and shops with various goods. Inside the castle itself there are various placards with information about each area with information in Japanese as well as English. If you intend on reading about the castle ruin one you've returned home or sharing the information with your family and friends you can also take English guide maps home with you.



The site is a beautiful one any time of the year but during spring visiting the castle is a special treat. Cherry blossoms bloom on the site offering a beautiful walk to the castle. During certain days of the celebration you can also see traditional dances and other celebrations. Whether you are making the trip during the spring or any other time of the year you will find yourself enjoying the Nakijin-jo.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly: Nakijin Cherry Blossom Festival

It's that time of year again, that's right it's cherry blossom season! If you are like the thousands of other people throughout Japan you can't wait to get out and enjoy looking at the beautiful blossoms.



There are many festivals which take place throughout the island but this year the one that caught our eye was the Nakijin 6th Annual Cherry Blossom Festival which was scheduled to take place starting on January 19 2013. This festival takes place at the Nakijin Castle Site which is recognized as a World Heritage Site because of it's cultural significance. The event which included scheduled performances to include Eisa dancers during the weekend against the backdrop of the beautiful castle was too much to ignore so we make the trip up to Nakijin on the Motobu Peninsula to enjoy the festivities.

 

As we made the trip up the coast towards Nakijin Castle Site it was clear that it could not have been a better day. We knew that once arriving at the site we would not see full bloomed cherry blossom trees but the view from the castle, which we had visited before, would be amazing on a day as clear as this. Once arriving at the site we were directed to a parking lot by the staff and made the walk up the hill to the castle site. We promptly purchased our tickets (¥300 for children ¥400 for adults) after navigating through the thick crowds and made our way to the castle site.

The Good

The event takes place at the beautiful Nakijin Castle Site. This beautiful castle is very large and sits on a hillside. Once you walk up the stone stairs you will find yourself with a gorgeous view of the ocean. The view would be beautiful on any given day but on a clear day it will take your breath away.



The site itself also has some shops, food stands, lockers and rest rooms (including western style) near the ticket booth. This is very useful especially if you are one of the many who are making a long trip to the site and want to refresh yourself.



The Bad 

There are not many cherry blossom trees on site. Now, just to be clear and reiterate we went to the festival with a clear understanding of the fact that we were not likely to see many blossoms but the distinct trees seemed to only line the stairway to the castle. Inside the castle itself there were a few cherry blossom trees but from what I could see the main attraction was the path to the entrance of the castle.



Most of the trees were on the walking path leading into the castle, which included some stairs which can only be described as uneven and ancient. At times this made seeing the cherry blossoms a bit rushed and crowded. This did not make it impossible to see the cherry blossoms and enjoy them, it just require a bit more caution as to not knock down anyone who was trying to move past.





It's also important to note children who require a stroller may struggle with this event as there is no stroller accessibility. 

The Ugly

The flyers and posters for this event seemed slightly misleading. Based on what we saw in photos on the flyers it seemed as though we could have expected dancers and the concert in front of the castle, however, it turned out that we were mistaken and the performances took place in front of the ticket booth. Normally I would not classify something like this as "ugly" however the area in which the performance was taking place was incredibly small and obstructed the ticket purchase booth. It was also very congested because of the people who were trying to use the rest room, get some food, purchase goods, purchase tickets as well as the performers and equipment all shared the same space. The decision to have the performance here is still a mystery however we unfortunately decided not to watch either performance which we had planned on seeing because of the amount of people and complete lack of space.

 

The Conclusion 

The event is a nice one especially for those experiencing the castle ruin for the first time.  Cherry blossoms are icing on the cake adding something to the castle site which can only be experienced for a short time in the early spring. I would not recommend this event for those who are looking for an "intimate" experience with the blossoms.



If you want to attend the event it runs from now until February 3rd.

 

 

White Cherry Blossom

This photo was taken at the Nakijin Cherry Blossom Festival

[EVENT INFORMATION - Jan 19 to Feb 3]

Snow may be falling in Tokyo but here in Okinawa it's already cherry blossom season! There are many places where you can enjoy watching the cherry blossoms but one of the places which caught my attention is the NAKIJIN 6TH ANNUAL CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL.

What could be better than looking at the cherry blossoms wile walking through a historic castle site? Seeing it all in a beautiful night time display of course!

The opening ceremony for this event takes place tonight (Jan 19) at 6pm. If you can't make it out there tonight not to worry you won't miss out on a good time. Each Saturday and Sunday during the festival EISA DANCERS will perform at the entrance of the castle starting at 5PM. On JANUARY 20TH Meio University will perform a CONCERT starting at 4PM and on the 26th of JANUARY you can also enjoy a performance of "The Wind Of Hokuzan" which starts at 4PM. All of these performances can be watched for free as they happen at the entrance of the castle, however, if you would like to walk the grounds and enjoy the cherry blossom's night time display the standard price of admission applies (300yen for children, 400yen for adults).

Here are directions courtesy of our friend over at Map It! Okinawa:

The most simple route is Highway 58 North to Highway 449, then on turn on Highway 505 heading towards Nakijin Village. You will see signs directing you to Nakijin Castle along the way.

Agena Central Park - War Monument

Those who frequent the area around Camp Courtney in Okinawa, Japan may be familiar with this area. Others may drive by day after day not giving the small parking lot that they pass a thoughts. This is Agena Central Park and is the home of many interesting things that we will explore over the corse of the next few videos and blog posts. The first focus is a beautiful monument which is set up for those who's lives were lost to the war.





Although I was unable to read the monuments themselves I later found a bit of information which clearly stated that this corner of the park is dedicated to mourn those who lost their lives in the war. Although there was no distinction of what war is being referenced it is clear to assume that they are referring to the Battle of Okinawa which took place during WWII.



The area consists of a few different monuments all which are situated in one area. They are very similar of other monuments which I have seen in northern parts of Okinawa memorializing the same cause.





The monument is beautiful and seems relatively well kept because although flowers which had been left at the monument seemed to have been dried out for quite some time. This is one of the many places in the area of Ishikawa which make me wonder. I will get more into that in a later post.



The park is located next to the Agena Bull Ring and parking is available. There are also restrooms as well as vending machines.