Day 2 begins!
Kouri Bridge
A bridge stretching straight across coral reef waters in beautiful shades of emerald green. Kouri Bridge links Kouri Island in Nakijin Village with Yagaji Island in Nago City and is the perfect spot for a scenic drive flanked by the ocean.
For the best photographs, park at the Kouri Bridge South End Observation Point on the Yagaji Island side.
8 minutes by Car
Teenu Beach and Heart Rock
Stand where the strange rock formations along the shore overlap and you will see a heart shape. This popular spot is also known as a sacred place for lovers. There is a single rock that looks like a small heart, a gap between two rocks an upside-down heart, and all kinds of other hearts you can see depending on where you stand and your angle. See how many of nature’s miraculous hearts you can find!
35 minutes by car
An Eco-Tour to Experience the Miraculous Forest of the World Natural Heritage Yambaru
This eco-tour takes you walking through forests that are home to countless endemic species, such as the Okinawa rail and the Okinawa woodpecker.
A variety of courses offer an up-close encounter with subtropic wilderness. There is even a course to discover the “king of the Gajumaru (banyan trees)” in a location deep in the forest that is inaccessible without a guide. At just 90 minutes, it is short enough to enjoy even if you are pressed for time.
20 minutes by Car
Kijoka Elementary School
An elementary school loved by the people of Ogimi Village for 127 years, revived as a creative hub for local artisans!
The staff room is now Yambaru Craftworks, a shop exhibiting and selling works by artisans from the north of Okinawa’s main island, and the third- and fourth-grade classrooms have become a hand-woven hammock studio where you can try making your own, while other classrooms have been transformed into an assortment of shops and studios. Here, you are bound to discover something that sparks your curiosity!
10 minutes by Car
Okuma Private Beach & Resort
Okuma Private Beach & Resort overlooks a heavenly sea where coral colonies thrive and diverse marine life abounds. Relax as you gaze out over the pristine white sand, rare even by Okinawa standards, and the emerald-green sea. As the sun sets and the sea shifts from orange to soft pink to deep purple, savor the special experience of taking it all in with a glass of champagne in hand.
10 minutes by Car
Starry Sky Gazing Tour:
Yambaru Tingala Story
The Yambaru Tingala Story is a stargazing tour led by a certified Hoshi-no-Sommelier® (Star Sommelier).
Tingala is the Okinawan word for “Milky Way.” With few streetlights, Kunigami Forest Park is a prime stargazing spot where you can see clearly the band of starlight stretching across the night sky. Lie back in a reclining chair and gaze up at stars so close they seem ready to cascade down, and you will feel both the grandeur of nature surrounding you and a sense of pure freedom! Inside the domed observatory, you can also peer through the telescope to see the bands of Jupiter and the rings of Saturn.
