Photo Fun in the Mountains of Okinawa, Japan (Yambaru)

At least once a week someone will contact me asking where I shot some scene they spotted on the
blog or my website.  That's good, knowing someone is looking at the photos and not just reading. 

And, it's a real bonus when you've inspired someone enough to actually want directions to the location.

Last Saturday, after leaving the Iris Fields, my photo fun for the day was up in the mountains.  In Okinawa, the locals call this territory "Yambaru". Now that I've been enlightened to the fact we have these folks called Geocachers on the island I may start having more fun than ever before with my photography.

For me, it's pretty difficult giving directions mostly because I don't pay that much attention to where I'm going.  Even when you know exactly where something on Okinawa is, it's not easy telling someone else how to get there. Streets and buildings don't have names and numbers in lots of locations. 

There aren't that many traffic signals so, telling someone, "Go three lights down that way from here and take a left.  Then, two more blocks and another left. The second light, from there, hook a right and my house is catty-corner from the red brick church."  This ain't that kind of country. It's a bit different here.

In town, I might tell someone, "Look for the ugly blue gas station.  At the next corner there's a Mom and Pop store on the left. From there you keep going until you pass two red Coke Machines and five blue Boss Coffee Machines, cross a narrow wooden bridge, after a yellow vending machine turn right and, so on." 

Up in the Yambaru (Mountains) look for lots of woods and jungle.  There's no Coffee or Coke machines. 

You might spot a Mongoose Buster's vehicle parked alongside the one lane road winding through the mountains.  Don't mess with them guys; they work for the Government.  They might know karate.

Every now and then you may come across something like this gem.  I guess you could call it a lookout point but, when you look out all you'll see is more Yambaru jungle and mountains.


Once you run across a dandy like this with a fence, electricity and probably runnng water, you know civilization can't be too far away.


When I spotted this pencil, for sure, I knew if I kept on going the way I was, sooner or later, I'd be running into the educated masses of people back down in the cities. Dang it !

This is just where the fun begins now, for me.  This will be my weekly contribution to Nancie, the LadyE, over at Budget Travelers Sandbox for Travel Photo Thursday.

Plus, that pencil, located in the YAMBARU DISCOVERY FOREST points to a map that the Geocachers and people asking me how to find the BRIDGE TO NOWHERE can use.  It's all right there.  Just bring along your camera so you can have Photo Fun in the Mountains of Okinawa, Japan the way I do. 

To get there you take HWY 58 north to Ogimi.  Turn right and drive up into the mountains.  You'll pass thousands of ferns and the forest will stop having Coke Machines.  Then you know you're on the right track.

Keep your eyes open for Mongoose Buster trucks, falling rock zones with yellow signs and fixer-upper dwellings and sooner or later you'll see sunshine and the signs for the Yambaru Discovery (YD) Forest.