A Day in the Hamlet of Kayo, Where the Time of Nature and the Time of Humans Crosses

Some people come to Okinawa wanting to do absolutely nothing but relax, but after arriving there are so many interesting things to do that they can’t stay still.

While it is wonderful to be busy in Okinawa, if you really want to do absolutely nothing, I recommend the hamlet of Kayo.

The landmark for the tiny hamlet, located between the forest and the sea of Yanbaru, is the Kayo Cooperative Store on a national highway.
If you find it, pull your car over and just go for a relaxing walk.

Spread out in front of you is Kayo Beach, which is a remarkable sunrise spot for those who know it.
The local call it an “unspoiled landscape” and the sun rises over a boulder that resembles a witch’s hat.   

After that, stay at the beach the whole day, and after waking up from a nap, locals come to stand up paddle surf; women, waiting for the surfers, hula dance on the beach; parents with their children fly kites and walk dogs; An older man with a dark tan puts on a wet suit and a diving mask then enters the water.
There is something nostalgic about the activity on this roughly 1 kilometer long, white, sandy beach, and it feels really good to be here.

After cleansing your soul at the beach, how about visiting the shrine in Uegusuku that overlooks the hamlet?
Apart from the sound of rustling Chinese fan palm leaves, indicating the wind is blowing, this space is quiet and pure.   
If there was a place to call “the top of the sky”, I think it would definitely be like this.
This is an important place for the locals, which they have been taking care of for generations, so please enjoy your visit humbly.

Since long ago, adults have come down the mountain to grow rice in the waters of the forest, children have learned to swim in the sea, and the hamlet of Kayo has lived while offering its gratitude for the blessings of nature to the gods of Uegusuku, it is a place where the time of nature and the time of humans crosses.

For more info about the hamlet of Kayo and its surrounding area, you can check the “Kushi Area MAP” or the “Kushi Area Leisure MAP” available at the website of Wansaka Oura Park, which is located on National Route 311 and is accessible heading to Kayo from the Okinawa Expressway Ginoza or Gyoda interchange.

Okinawa CLIP Photowriter AgriCu