Google Maps is an excellent starting point in finding things to do in Okinawa.
You may click around place to place, or even do a search for something you want to find such as "Okinawa beach". Searching for this term will undoubtedly bring up all the popular beaches in Okinawa to include Naminoue Beach in Naha, Araha Beach in Chatan, and many more options to choose from.
But what if you want to find something to do near, let's say, Naminoue Beach? Well, you could click around on each item, such as Ryuchu, and read reviews on it before you visit.
Or, if you're the more adventurous type, you can switch to satellite view in Google Maps. This will unlock aerial reconnaissance mode, so to speak, a term coined by @Exposing_the_Light. This is often used by me for finding places to visit or to find some new Okinawa photography locations.
But for now, let's focus on Naminoue Beach: As you can see, if you zoom out a bit Google Maps' satellite view, you can see Asahigaoka Park. If you're into history, you can learn more about the 834 school children that perished during a WWII attempted evacuation of Okinawa at the Kozakura monument.
Alternatively, you can walk up to the hill where you see this odd circle and find out what it is.
Turns out, that it's a really great picnic table...
With even better views of Naha and the East China Sea.
In a park that my dog, @Marron, seems to enjoy quite much too.
Though, if you just went to the beach to swim or soak up the sun with a little more privacy, you can see that there's another, unmanned and unnetted beach, located just behind the cliff that Naminoue Shrine rests on. If you decide to go here as opposed to the lifeguarded Naminoue Beach, just be aware that you're entering the water at your own risk.
The best method to reach this area would most likely be to go through the Shrine and around the alleyway pictured in the walking path below.
Here's an area of southern Okinawa that is piquing my interest to hike around, or up and down, these odd-looking hills. I won't know if it's accessible until I go. But, I would've never found them without this tip.
You can use our Places directory or our Okinawa Pin Drops forum as a starting point for your Google Maps aerial reconnaissance experience.
So, get out there and make your own Okinawa adventure using this technique!
You may click around place to place, or even do a search for something you want to find such as "Okinawa beach". Searching for this term will undoubtedly bring up all the popular beaches in Okinawa to include Naminoue Beach in Naha, Araha Beach in Chatan, and many more options to choose from.
But what if you want to find something to do near, let's say, Naminoue Beach? Well, you could click around on each item, such as Ryuchu, and read reviews on it before you visit.
Or, if you're the more adventurous type, you can switch to satellite view in Google Maps. This will unlock aerial reconnaissance mode, so to speak, a term coined by @Exposing_the_Light. This is often used by me for finding places to visit or to find some new Okinawa photography locations.
But for now, let's focus on Naminoue Beach: As you can see, if you zoom out a bit Google Maps' satellite view, you can see Asahigaoka Park. If you're into history, you can learn more about the 834 school children that perished during a WWII attempted evacuation of Okinawa at the Kozakura monument.
Alternatively, you can walk up to the hill where you see this odd circle and find out what it is.
Turns out, that it's a really great picnic table...
With even better views of Naha and the East China Sea.
In a park that my dog, @Marron, seems to enjoy quite much too.
Though, if you just went to the beach to swim or soak up the sun with a little more privacy, you can see that there's another, unmanned and unnetted beach, located just behind the cliff that Naminoue Shrine rests on. If you decide to go here as opposed to the lifeguarded Naminoue Beach, just be aware that you're entering the water at your own risk.
The best method to reach this area would most likely be to go through the Shrine and around the alleyway pictured in the walking path below.
Here's an area of southern Okinawa that is piquing my interest to hike around, or up and down, these odd-looking hills. I won't know if it's accessible until I go. But, I would've never found them without this tip.
You can use our Places directory or our Okinawa Pin Drops forum as a starting point for your Google Maps aerial reconnaissance experience.
So, get out there and make your own Okinawa adventure using this technique!
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