moacha's VirtualTourist Home Page

I like Okinawa, here is a place of haeling, this is Sefa-Utaki registered into world heritage in 2000.
The exact date of the foundation of Sefa-Utaki is not clear,but the official chronicle of the Ryukyu's Kingdom,titled Chuzan Seikan,says that it was one of the ritual stages created by Amamiku,the god who founded Ryukyu. In the early 15th century Sefa-Utaki had already estaburished itself as an independensable sanctuary in the Ryukyu Kingdom:the Ryukyuan king made pilgrimages to Sefa-Utaki and the ritual of Oaraori was performed by the kikoekimi highestpriestess. Lush sub-tropical forests and rocks in various picturesque shapes produce an awe-inspiring, forbidding atmosphere around Sefa-Utaki.
This is triangle shaped opening. Many alters exist in this area surrounded by natural rocks and openings. Entering the triangle-shaped opening, you'll see the sanguui (alter) in front and on the right lies the chonohana (alter), names also existing at Shuri-jo. On the left is a spectacular view of Kudaka Island and the Pacific Ocean. On the right side of the triangle-shaped opening, you'll see an area called the kifujinsama oyasumidokoro and twe stalactites. Water dripping from these stalactites fell into pots placed below and was concidered holy. the holy water was used to foretell the fortunes of Kikoe Ogimi (highest-ranking priestess) and Nakagusuku Uden(king's son) as well as for an offering during rituals held on New Year's Day.

"Okinawa" is a leading tourist resort in Japan.
There are many theme parks various type in Okinawa.
This photograph is a frame in Okinawa world and here is the greatest sightseeing spot in Okinawa.
Four how to enjoy yourself of "it seeing", "it learning", "it making" and " it eating" can be done.
You can see much vivid flowers of southern country and red tiles of Ryukyu Dynasty,and you can inspect or experience industrial heritages and traditional handicrafts in the "Ryukyu Kingdom castle town" reproducing beautiful rows of houses.

This photograph is a traditional-performing-arts dance of Okinawa called "Eisaa."

Shisaa is a lion of a talisman and its origin is called the ancient Orient or India.
It is prototype of the king lion of 100 beasts and it was built as "the symbol of authority", or "a guardian deity of a cemetery of a temple."
Or the origin of Shisaa of Okinawa has passed through India, It is said that it came from China and passes along the Silk Road.
Then, Shisaa of Okinawa changes a form and comes to enter also into a life. In the beginning, he is also Shisaa assigned in entrances, such as a castle gate, a temple, tomb of kings and a colony.
Now, it comes to be seen on the roof and gatepost of a private house.
The fixed area of Lion culture is only Okinawa.

Gusuku- It is the thing of the ruins of a castle which remain in Okinawa.
There are some which are registered into world heritage, and there are still a ground of faith of people, i.e., a worship place, and some things currently used. It is said that the place in which a spirit of a departed person dwells is in untouched Gusuku.
Although Tama-Gusuku is located in southern Okinawa and it is not world heritage, it is still the place of faith of people. It is a maniac tourist's visit place. If you walk on the building blocks of a bad stone pavement underfoot, you reach the castle gate of an arch where the hole opened is located in a place with a summit altitude of 180m. From here, you can see the Kudaka island and the wonderful scene has spread.

In Okinawa, the cherry tree which blooms early most in Japan in January can be seen. It is Hikansakura.
Hikansakura has the feature which blooms from north to south.
Here is Nakijin in a northern part of Okinawa. The Nakijin ruins of a castle are world heritage, it has left the grand rampart soon and many worship places and Utaki are scattered in the rich green mountains of the circumference.
The Nakijin castle is impregnable castle in the mountain built in the 14th century before the Ryukyu Kingdom formation, and its scale is also large.
Gusuku,for exsample, Nakijin-jo shows the culture unique to Ryukyu built by the exchange with Japan, China, and the countries in Southeast Asia, and is also residents' mental ground in symbolic existence of the Ryukyu society.

Tonan Botanical Garden is a theme park in the central part of Okinawa.
The plants of about 2000 kinds of the torrid zones and the subtropical zone are planted.
January is cold every year, it is very rare for us to see the flower of a bougainvillea.
It is "karakusai" that means flower-enjoy-festival this year, 1000 flowers of a bougainvillea were passionately in all glory on the slope of a 1000-square meter hill this year.
The bougainvillea is grown all over the world centering on the torrid zone and the subtropical zone with the beautiful colorful flower color.
That it is visible to a flower is carrying out the vivid color by the leaf. The kind of a bougainvillea is abundant in the present, the typical Mrs. bat of Buttiana has a crimson leaf, and it is a kind often seen in Okinawa.

After some Gusuku were registered into world heritage in 2000,the restoration construction of Gusuku started here and there.
The stone with which repair of the collapsed rampart is existing is carried forward by the method of leaving as much as possible, making the lost portion newly and accumulating it.Therefore, in many stones of building blocks, it is describing in the sign or the number.
I am glad that restoration construction becomes prosperous and the inheritance is valued. but the state where it is still natural are also mystical, and emotional.
Here is Nakagusuku, it separates about 2km from the harbor of Yagi in where Trade was performed, and make clif of a hill a natural fort.
it is famous for ruins remaining best in more than Gusuku ( 300 or more are in Okinawa ). Moreover, it was said that the high level of the construction-of-a-castle technology was of art, and high evaluation is receive historically.

Kongou Sekirinzan is the only tropical Karst topography in Japan.
which the limestone of 200 million years ago eroded over long years by rain water etc. Although the state where the limestone is exposed to a karst plateau like a tower is called "PINAKURU", Kongou Sekirinzan's PINAKURU is no less than 10m, and the scene which bristles with the huge rock megalith which rose steeply violently cannot be seen in other plases.
There are temperate and tropical in Karst topography and Kongou Sekirinzan is the tropical karst at the northernmost tip in the world.
The feature of tropical karst is cone karst and can be seen here at two places.
Standing close together of huge strangely shaped rocks and strange stone here is felt like although gods designed and sculptured completely.