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This evening before the sun set I decided to take a trip with my buddy Chris and my wife to Katsuren castle. We have visited the castle numerous times in the past but could not miss the opportunity to check it out on such a beautiful day.

The weird fact about Katsuren castle is that many people are unaware of who or when Katsuren castle was built. However, it is thought the be one of the oldest castle ruins on Okinawa. Katsuren flourished in agriculture in the late 14 century under the rule of Lord Amawari. It is said that Lord Amawari reached he status of ruler by pushing the current ruler off one of the castle walls.

Like the majority of other castle ruins on Okinawa, Katsuren offers spectacular views and is free of charge.

Information:

Hours: Open 24 Hours

Entrance fee: Free

Tel: 098) 978-2201

How to get there

Exit the Okinawa Expressway at Okinawa Minami and make a left onto Highway 23. At the Ikento intersection turn right onto Route 16. Follow the road straight for several kilometers until you go uphill as the road gently curves left. Halfway up the hill, there is a sign pointing to the Katsuren Castle ruins on the right.

You can check out a map with directions below

Make sure you check out the Katsuren slideshow below and also my Okinawa photo section .

Living here in Okinawa has provided many opportunities to wander out and see some really amazing sights. This weekend my friend Chris and I took about a 10 minute drive from Kadena Air Base and found a really great castle ruins site. Zakimi castle ruins is located in Central Okinawa in Yomitan village and boast some spectacular views of Okinawa.

It is said that a warrior named Gosamaru united many kingdoms of Okinawa and was rewarded with Zakimi castle. More interesting is the legend that states that Zakimi castle was built by having the stones from Gosamaru’s former castle moved one by one by forming a human chain of workers. That is how you get things done!

Zakimi stands roughly 125 meters high, perfect for viewing the hills of the north, the Kerama islands and the East China sea to the west, and the central region of Okinawa to the south. During World War II it was used by the Japanese military as a missile base before being completley destroyed.

In 1972 Zakimi was recognized by the Japanese government as a National treasure; it has also been been named a UNESCO World Heritage site . It also offers great walking trails and a visitor center to stop by and have all your questions answered. So, it is definitely worth checking out.

Information

Hours: Open 24 Hours

Entrance fee: Free

Tel: (098) 958-3141

How to get there/ Directions

Take Highway 58 north towards Nago. Keep left and continue through Kadena Circle, about 4 kilometers. Turn left onto Route 12 for Zakimi. Follow the road for 1.7 kilometers, and then turn right up a steep hill. Turn right into the parking lot.

I personally enjoy Zakimi castle because it is a short drive from Kadena Air Base gate 1 and it offers some really great scenic views, not to mention it is free. Check out the Zakimi slideshow below and also my Okinawa photo section .

High Dynamic Range Imaging has become very popular in the past few years. I can honestly say that I enjoy the majority of HDR images that I come across. However, I recently found some really great images of Okinawa, Japan at this website . Not only do they have HDR images of Okinawa, but they have pictures from all over Japan. I hope you enjoy!

slideshow | digg story

It was just recently that I was introduced to a wonderful new soft-drink that I thought I had to share with everyone. Living here in Okinawa Japan and experiencing new brands and taste has been tremendous. One of the new brands that has recently caught my attention is C.C. Lemon.

C.C. Lemon is a Japanese soft-drink produced by Suntory. Suntory Limited is a very famous Japanese brewing company that has been around since the late 1800′s. They originally started out distributing alcoholic beverages but then expanded into soft-drinks and vintage wines. I just need to say thanks for making C.C. Lemon, it is great!

As you may have already figured out, it is a lemon flavored drink. However, it is not as sour as one would think. It is the perfect blend of lemon awesomeness in every bottle, ha-ha.

What is extremely difficult to believe is the amount of lemons they say go into each drink. If you take a look at the picture it says, "70 lemons worth of Vitamin C in every bottle". Now that’s a lot of lemons!

After checking things out I found another great thing I liked about C.C. Lemon, it turns out that here in Japan you can watch C.C. Lemon commercials with none other then the Simspon family as the main stars. This just keeps on getting better by the minute.

One of the funny things about the Japanese is that some of them don’t know that the Simpsons are huge in the United States and have been running for over nineteen seasons. Some believe they are just characters of Suntory and a  C.C. Lemon branding technique.

Well, there is only one way for you to really know what I am talking about. I hope you enjoy!

I can’t be sure at this point, but I don’t believe that C.C. Lemon is available in the United States on a massive retail level. If you want to try it out desperately,  Mitsuwa Markets which is located throughout the U.S. is one location that I found to carry C.C. Lemon.

If Tokyo, samurai’s and sushi aren’t your thing, come to Japan for some C.C. Lemon.

Nakijin Gusuku Ruins Park located in the Nakijin village, a district located in Northern Okinawa Japan is a great place to check out if you enjoy sightseeing and have a couple hours to spare. We ventured there in mid February, just as the cherry blossoms were falling. This is a great time of year to enjoy one of the most spectacular castle sites on Okinawa.

When you arrive you will notice how truly enormous Nakijin really is. Also, you can begin to appreciate the hard work it must have taken to build such a towering structure. Archaeologists estimate that the castle covered nearly 14 acres  at one point. Nakijin’s large size is why it is the second largest castle ruins, only behind Shuri Castle here on Okinawa and is also part of Japan’s UNESCO World Heritage sites .

The admission fee of ¥400 for a single adult covers entrances into both Nakijin ruins and the Nakijin Village History ad Cultural Center. This does involve some walking, but not too strenuous… so wear some comfortable shoes if you want to experience the most.

If you want to see more pictures of Nakijin, you can check out my Okinawa photo album .

Admission Fees

Adult- ¥400

High school student or younger- ¥300

Child not yet in elementary school- Free

Information

Hours : Nakijin Gusuku Park 9AM-5PM

Extended hours : Hours of operation vary with the season

Nakijin Village History and Culture Center : Last entry by 4:30 PM

Parking : Free

How to get there

Take the expressway all the way up north to Nago. From Nago you can take several different roads to get to Nakijin. It is approximately 25 kilometers from Nago to the entrance of Nakijin. If you are familiar with Route 58, you can take 58 until you get to 505 and then look for signs that will lead you there.

That’s right, it says crocodile! It may be the only place on Okinawa that I have been to that serves the delicious fried crocodile.

The first thing that immediately grabbed my attention was the enormous crab that sits right outside of the restaurant. Being a seafood lover I had to check it out for myself.

As soon as you enter the Crocodile Seafood and Bar restaurant you will be greeted by a very friendly and polite staff that will let you choose between outdoor or indoor seating. Because it was raining, we opted to head inside for the evening. When we sat at our table we were drawn to the fascinating "water wall" that is continuously flowing a soothing stream of water while you eat.

As I gazed over the menu I noticed fried crocodile as one of the choices, I had to try it! Going to the Crocodile Seafood and Bar restaurant in Okinawa, Japan and not trying their fried crocodile could leave an empty void in my life. Other than fried crocodile they offer an assortment of lobster, crab, red snapper, shrimp platters, and of course chicken, steak, and filet mignon for those not big on seafood.

Well, so far so good. So I thought, until I looked at the drink menu and noticed that they offer a wide variety of mixed drinks, sake, awamori, beer, frozen drinks and wine. All the favorites that we all love and some drinks with names that I have never heard of, all ranging from ¥300 – ¥680. If you enjoy sake or just want to take a trip on the wild side, you can choose sake tasting for a mere ¥800. They bring out three different types of sake and let you choose which one you enjoy the most during your tasting session.

While you are waiting for your dinner to arrive, you can choose to play a friendly game of pool or darts. If that isn’t your thing, sit back and listen to the mostly pop-style music that is played throughout the restaurant.

The fried crocodile arrived on a slim wooden platter (¥850), along with the Ryukyu Jambalaya (¥950) I ordered. My immediate description of the crocodile would of course be, "taste like chicken".

My wife opted for the two shoulders of snow crab (¥2,400) which came with (Indian rice or steamed rice) or bread, baked potato, corn, steamed vegetables, soup and salad.

All in all the service and food coupled with cool atmosphere were pretty good. However, their elaborate drink menu and their late hours left me dreaming of a second date. If you are in Okinawa and want to have a fun time with friends, go and check out Crocodile Seafood and Bar.

Helpful Information

• Food Price: ¥500-¥5,700
• Drinks:
  • Cocktails- ¥480 and up
  • Soft drinks/Juices- ¥350
• English Menu: Yes

• Seating: Indoor/Outdoor/Bar

• Payment Options: Credit card/Yen/Dollar

Location

Chatan, Okinawa

One block west of Highway 58, near American village (the huge ferris wheel) across from Jusco. Just look for the huge red crab.

Hours of operation

Sunday-Thursdays: 6PM – 2 AM

Friday & Saturday: 6PM – 5 AM

Closed: Tuesdays and during typhoons. <– I found that kind of funny.

Time for Curry!

Coco Ichibanya is an extremely popular national Japanese curry house that is luckily located here on Okinawa. There are nearly 1,000 locations throughout Japan. For many military members arriving here on Okinawa; it is usually the first taste of Japanese cuisine you will experience. If you enjoy curry, then you will really enjoy Coco Ichibanya. What may surprise you at first is the somewhat sweet taste. See, Japanese style curry is more sweet, unlike the spiciness of an Indian curry.  Their motto is

“Good smell, Good curry”

They don’t lie, you can smell the curry from outside the parking lot and also as you pass by in your vehicle. But, what I really like about Coco’s are their portion sizes. It is plenty enough to fill even the largest belly. Their menu has many different choices of curry and toppings to satisfy almost anyone. You also have to option to choose the amount of rice ranging from 200g to what is only a myth at this point…The 1500g challenge.

How to order:

Ordering can be somewhat tricky for the novice Coco’s adventurer. So, I have listed a detailed step by step guide that MUST be followed to eat there.

1. Look for a little plastic button on your table somewhere.
2. Press the magic button when you are ready…Don’t worry, you are ready!
3. The all too polite staff will come running over to your booth/table.
4. Point to the pictures on your menu and wait for greatness to arrive.

I am really glad we got through that together.

Helpful Information

• For  Coco’s located near the Kadena area
  • Average Price: ¥600-¥900 per person
  • English Menu: Yes
  • Seating: Booths/Counter Seats
  • Credit card accepted: No
  • Phone# CoCo’s on Rt 23: 098-926-1851

Now that you are armed with all the information, go enjoy some really great tasting Japanese curry for an affordable price. You won’t be sorry you did!