A resort style perfect for "travel and work". Okinawa 1 night 2 days

Ai Nishimura

Administrator of the blog "My Diary," which began in 2004. A writer who has traveled to all 47 prefectures and loves local culture and history.
Author of Shimane's "Geography, Place Names, and Maps" Mysteries (Jitsugyo no Nihonsha), My Town is the "Number One in Japan" Dictionary (PHP Institute), and Prefectures Explained in Neko Neko Japanese History (Jitsugyo no Nihonsha). Official blogger for Suntory Gourmet Guide, official top user for Retty, and official platinum blogger for Excite.

10:00 Cafe Yabusachi - Join the sacred site tour with lunch

On the second day, we moved from the central area to the southern area. If the atmosphere of the central area, which mixes foreign cultures, is typical of Okinawa, the majestic scenery of the southern area, overflowing with the power of the land, is also typical of Okinawa. We took a bus to the southern area.

In addition to regular bus routes, Nanjo City has the city bus "N Bus" and the hop-on/hop-off demand bus "Odekake Nanjii", making it a friendly town for bus travel lovers, as you can get to every place in the city by bus. The first place we visited was "Cafe Yabusachi", located on a hilltop with a panoramic view of the sea. It is a popular cafe among the many ocean view cafes along the coast of Nanjo City.

If you make a reservation at Cafe Yabusachi, you can experience a tour that includes a guided tour of sacred sites in the southern part of the island and a meal or coffee break.
The morning tour I booked this time included lunch and a tour of the sacred sites. First, I joined the tour of the sacred sites.
There are about 990 sacred sites in Okinawa, including on remote islands, but two-thirds of them are concentrated in Nanjo City. This is because Nanjo City, located in the agari (east) area of Shuri Castle, was considered a sacred place in Okinawa, where people worship the sun.

The tour starts at Yabusatsu Utaki, which is also the name of the cafe and is located just behind the cafe. It is counted as one of the Seven Great Utaki in Okinawa, a powerful power spot, and is enshrined in a deep forest called Yabusatsu Urahara. In an atmosphere permeated with the power of spirits, you will be guided while listening to Ryukyu mythology.

From there, we enjoyed the advanced course that took us around Miho no Utaki, Yaharazukasa, Hamakawa Utaki, Ukinjuhainju, and Kamekoubaka. This course also includes the sacred sites of the Agariumai, a pilgrimage for the kings of the Ryukyu Kingdom. We were able to tour these sacred sites, which have been cherished since ancient times, in just two hours, and it was a valuable opportunity to learn more about Okinawa.

The advanced course was, as the name suggests, an advanced course that descended a pathless mountain path. There are also intermediate and beginner courses (the beginner course is free) (all only available to those who use the cafe).
Every time we visited the Utaki shrine, we would join our hands in prayer, enjoy the natural scenery, and walk freely through the sacred grounds using all five senses. It was a fun tour exploring the sea and mountains, which can be fully enjoyed in Okinawa, where it is warm even in winter.

Cafe Yabusachi

12:00 Lunch and work time at a cafe with a view of the sea

We returned from the Cafe Yabusachi Holy Land Tour and immediately had lunch. The advanced course tour involves about an hour of walking, so for those who have joined with family or friends, it is very nice to have some time to enjoy a cafe break to linger after the sacred land tour.

The cafe is also equipped with Wi-Fi. I heard that there is a time limit on the weekends when it is full, but it was a good time to look back on my time at the pilgrimage sites I had visited and research my next travel destination.

While enjoying the buffet-style salad, soup and your choice of main dish, "Omurice", you can look out the window at the blue Okinawan ocean in the distance. This is a cafe with an outstanding view.
The omelet rice is topped with a slightly spicy and sour demi-glace sauce. The fluffy eggs are beautifully shaped, and the style is perfect, with no shortcuts taken. It's easy to see why this restaurant remains popular. I was able to spend my time productively, visiting various sacred places in Ryukyu mythology, enjoying a delicious lunch, and taking in some light work while gazing at the calm sea.

It was a time filled with gratitude for the new experiences I had while visiting Okinawa many times and for discovering a side of Okinawa I had never known before.

Cafe Yabusachi

14:30 "Seifa Utaki", a sacred place filled with sublime light and where gods reside

Sefa Utaki is said to be the most important sacred place on the main island of Okinawa. It was registered as a World Heritage Site in 2000 and is a very popular tourist spot in Okinawa.
"Utaki" is a place where legend has it that the Ryukyu gods descended, and has been carefully protected as a place of prayer in Okinawa since ancient times.
We had requested a guide in advance for Sefa Utaki, so we toured the area while listening to explanations. On weekends, there are scheduled guided tours. Based on my experience with a guide, I highly recommend everyone to tour the area with a guide.

Sefa Utaki was established as the most sacred place in the Ryukyu Kingdom by the king of the Shuri Dynasty. It was the place where the inauguration ceremony "Oaraori" (new arrival) of the "Kikoe Okimi", the woman who spiritually protects the king and governs the country, was held. The Kikoe Okimi was always a woman of royal blood, and the "Oaraori" ceremony, which took place when the king took over the reign, was a large-scale ceremony held once every few decades. The Kikoe Okimi was given the spiritual power to hear the words of the gods through the ceremony, and thereafter supported the king for the rest of her life. The Kikoe Okimi, who received oracles from the gods, held a very important position in the country and sometimes had enough influence to move the country. This is the place to visit in order to acquire spiritual power, and it is believed that the spiritual power of the gods resides here.

It was only later that it came to be called Sefa Utaki, but it was originally called "Saifa no Mori." Even today, as its name suggests, the entire area is a large forest, rich in nature and where you can feel close to the flora and fauna.
There are six places of worship (Ibi) inside, which you visit in order, but the path has slight ups and downs and stairs, so we recommend wearing comfortable shoes.
At the Kudakajima Yohaisho, you can see Kudakajima, where Amamikiyo is said to have landed when he came from Niraikanai. Pass through Ujoguchi and head to the worship site, climbing a gentle stone-paved slope. At the time, there was a gatekeeper at Ujoguchi, and the general public was not allowed to enter. This was the entrance to the sacred area.
We will be given an explanation of each Utaki, and at the end we will visit "Sangui", where the most prestigious place of worship, "Chounohana", is located. Currently, there is a fence in front of the entrance to Sangui, but you can see it from afar.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, it was possible to enter Sangui and see Kudaka Island, but in the past, this place was surrounded on three sides, so Kudaka Island was not visible. In the darkness like a cave, light was apparently pouring down on Sangui from a place that was open to the outside, which must have been a mystical sight.
The proper way to visit the Utaki is to join your hands, first state your address and name, and then say words of gratitude, before making a request in your heart. This is a sublime place where you can feel the Okinawan spirit of worshipping ancestors and worshipping the gods. The guide told us various myths, and we had a solemn time.

Sefa Utaki

17:00 Okinawan fruit-filled smoothie at "Ti-da Beach Parlour"

We returned to Naha city by bus from Nanjo city and did some shopping on Kokusai-dori. The last place we visited was a smoothie shop one block away from Kokusai-dori.
"Ti-da Beach Parlour Makishi" is a cafe where you can enjoy fruit smoothies in a space surrounded by neon signs and lots of dried flowers. They also sell T-shirts and accessories, and the interior is just so cute.

Parlour opened in 2017 as a cafe for the apparel store "Ti-da Beach" on Kokusai-dori Ukishima-dori. It is part of the Ti-da Beach Group, which has three stores in Naha City, and later opened "STUDIO SEA OKINAWA" as a restaurant. Parlour is a one-minute walk from Makishi Station. It is easily accessible, so you can drop in casually after shopping.

The Okinawan-born owner, who loves Okinawa, has designed this Okinawan fruit smoothie, incorporating Okinawan elements into the product design. There are several types of smoothies available for each season, using locally grown dragon fruit, passion fruit, mango, banana, and more. The space is decorated with a collection of Mexican and other South American goods, and the shop, which used to be a monjayaki restaurant, has been DIYed to give it a Tex-Mex feel. The shop's popularity has been fuelled by Instagram, SNS and guidebooks, and the original design of the space is enough to catch your eye if you pass by. The shop serves pink smoothies topped with dragon fruit with the customer's choice of initials cut out, which is particularly popular as it looks very picturesque.

The store's name, "Tida," means sun in Okinawa dialect. The colorful smoothies are packed with the bursting flavor of fruit grown under the tropical sun. After a drink to finish off my trip to Okinawa, I recharged my body and headed to the airport.

Ti-da Beach Parlour Makishi Branch