Tom On Day 2 of our Okinawa Travel Itinerary, we woke up at 6am in the morning to walk along Yaka Beach that is 5 minutes north of our stay at Kariyushi Condominium Resort Kin Yaka Seaside…
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Though it was a little cloudy this morning, the sun eventually rose above the clouds and revealed a beautiful sunrise that we were anticipating. A light drizzle ensued and we headed to our favourite joint – Family Mart, right across the road from Yaka Beach. Here, we stocked up on water, beers (Kirin & Sapporo) and Yuzu Chips (yes! Japanese citrus lemon chips)! :O
After leaving Kariyushi Condominium Resort Kin Yaka Seaside, we topped up our petrol for 870 yen and headed to a supposedly popular local soba spot – 二見そば (Futami Soba). However, as we drove past it, we realised that it was under renovation! 🙁 Thankfully, お食事処おれんじ (Orange Restaurant Futami) was open nearby! Phew!
Tasting Okinawa Soba for the 1st time @ お食事処おれんじ (Orange Restaurant Futami)
When we stepped into the restaurant, there was nobody. Hence, we were a little unsure whether the restaurant was open. Hence, we said “konnichiwa” and a reply came. Soon an old lady appeared and brought us to our table. We were then handed the menu, which was ALL IN JAPANESE…
Fortunately, we had brushed up on our Hiragana and Katakana, which allowed us to order…Okinawa Soba (沖縄そば) (850 yen) and a stir-fried vegetable (やさい or 野菜) set meal (700 yen)…
This time, we ordered the Okinawa Soba (850 yen) and Stir-Fried Vegetable Set (700 yen). Before we visited Okinawa, we knew Okinawa was famous for its rendition of the soba – Okinawan style. We were pleasantly surprised by what we tasted at お食事処おれんじ (Orange Restaurant Futami) because the braised pork was SOOOO tender while the soup, though light, was ultra flavourful. That gave us an excellent first impression of this Okinawan cuisine. The stir-fried vegetables was also sweet and crunchy, while the flavouring was not too salty. Just nice.
After a hearty meal, we set off to find another Okinawa Attraction – Melody Road Okinawa!
Melody Road Okinawa
One of the reasons why we wanted to visit Futami Soba (二見そば) initially, was because of its location, near to Melody Road Okinawa (also known as Music Road). The cool thing about Melody Road Okinawa is that as you drive past it, the indentations on tarmac of the road, produces a musical tune. This is a Japanese traditional folk music that some may recognise (tune up your volume!)…
Melody Road Okinawa Video
To hear the music “played” by Melody Road Okinawa, you must be travelling at the speed of 40 km/h. We were initially travelling a little too slowly and the music could not be heard. As with many visitors to Melody Road Okinawa, we did the drive twice! Thankfully, there weren’t many cars and we were able to make a quick u-turn for our second “ride”.
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Fukugawa Dam (aka Ada Dam) Okinawa
We were supposed to stop by Hiro Coffee to break up our drive up north. However, it was also closed! Along the way, we drove by a village but it seemed rather deserted – a first look at the depopulation phenomenon in Japan. So we continued our drive up north and saw a sign that said Ada Dam. There, we made a detour and were glad that we did…
The name of the dam is actually called Fukugawa Dam. As it is also located in the city of Ada, it also is known by the name, Ada Dam. We drove further in and parked at the designated parking area. Soon, we came across this view…
Fukugawa Dam was built across Fushi River. The view above was simply beautiful. Somehow, it reminded us of Tunnel View at Yosemite National Park. Perhaps due to the “Tunnel View” formed by the land formations on both sides. There, we continued our drive to Ada Garden Hotel…
As it was still relatively early, we checked in and paid for our dinner (2500yen per person) before checking out another Okinawa attraction – the Yambaru Kuina (Okinawa Rail)!
Seeing the Okinawa Rail (Yambaru Kuina) at Okinawa Rail Ecology Center
The Okinawa Rail Ecology Center was only a short 5 minutes drive from Ada Garden Hotel. Entrance fee was 500 yen per person. Here, we also found out that there’s a Putt Golf golf course (which we came back the next morning to play! 🙂 ) There’s also a restaurant here that opens from 5 to 10pm, if you don’t want to have dinner at the hotel. Not much options for food out in the north here.
As we entered the Okinawa Rail Ecology Center, we were educated by the posters and information about the Yambaru Kuina. The Yambaru Kuina (Okinawa Rail) is a flightless bird that is native to Okinawa. Due to the presence of the Asian mongoose, the Okinawa Rail was previously on the verge of extinction. Today, due to a campaign to capture its predator, the population of the Okinawa Rail has started to increase. However, there’s another “predator” that they’re facing – humans. Road kills also account for a substantial number of deaths. Hence, you’ll also notice that the drainage systems are built such that it allows the Okinawa Rail to cross beneath the road. Cool…
Before seeing the Okinawa Rail itself, we sat down to do an origami of the Yambaru Kuina…so whose origami is better? Tom’s or Kate’s? Tell us what you think in the comments section below!
Soon…it was time to see the Okinawa Rail up close…
The Okinawa Rail looks really beautiful up close. The feathers had a vibrant and definite curved pattern while its feet was a bright copper colour. During feeding session, the staff would lead the Okinawa Rail away from the feeding mechanism and when the feed came down, the Okinawa Rail ran at such a fast pace toward the food – demonstrating the speed of this flightless bird.
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Turning in at Ada Garden Hotel Okinawa
We headed back to our room at Ada Garden Hotel before having dinner at its in-house restaurant…
The room itself was clean and spacious. There’s even a balcony that overlooks the Yambaru forest. Soon, it was dinner time!
To be honest, the price of 2500 yen for the set meal at Ada Garden Hotel Okinawa, was rather expensive. Nonetheless, the hamburger was tender and of a good portion. Though the patty looked like a conventional burger patty, the meat within was made with real meat. This probably explains the price of the meal. The main was served on a hot plate, so it took a while before the rest of the vegetables (onions, bean sprouts and Okinawa bitter gourd – Goya) were cooked. But once cooked, the vegetables were indeed very sweet. It was also a unique experience to sizzle our own dinner on the hot plate. We actually observed the locals on the order in which they ate the dinner set. In reality, there’s no set order. Just as you like it 😉 After the meal, there was complimentary coffee as well.
To end off the evening, we watched some local variety shows while enjoying the beers and chips we bought in the morning…
One of the variety we watched were about celebrity “has-beens” in Japan. There was a ex-actor who, at his height, earned 1.5 million (SGD) every month! However, due to overspending on cars, drinks and women, he is now a caretaker at a local amusement park. We also watched an ex-Olympic skater learn ballroom dancing. Not an excellent dancer, but she was much fitter than her male partner during fitness work outs at the gym 😛
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We hope you have enjoyed our coverage of central and north of Okinawa on day 2 of our travels in Okinawa! Stay tuned as we check out the beautiful natural formations on the island of Okinawa in our next post!
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