10 Travel Scenes from Ike Castle (いけい グスク) in Okinawa

Best to Enter at Low Tide

 

 

The trail leading up to this site begins at sea level.

If you don't like getting your feet wet, wait for the tide to go out. I didn't.

A castle in Okinawa, is known as a gusuku.

If you have trouble finding the place, just ask the folks at Ike Beach, where the gusuku is.

Right across the street from the tourist beach is this trail.

It's on a not-so-touristy beach.

Sturdy walking shoes are recommended.  Flip-flops are dangerous.

Notice the bright yellow handrails. They help in climbing the stairs.

Plan on spending an hour climbing and returning along this path.

It is the only way to get up and down to see all of the the gusuku.

A few places along the way, you can stop and enjoy the ocean view.

For me, it's an opportunity to catch the breeze, my breath and some photos.

Nearing the peak of the climb is this shrine.

The red roof makes bright contrast with the jungle background.

The trail to the top of the gusuku continues, off to the left of this shrine.

Don't take the path leading past this shrine, unless you are an archaeologist.

When I see people digging up bones and shards of pottery, I go somewhere else.

Call me a pedestrian.

No more handrails or stairs, means you are nearing the top.

Once you see this small shrine, you have completed the hike.

Here and, at the lower shrine some offerings of coins may have been made.

This shrine contains lots of seashells, too.

The entire trip lasts about an hour and gives your hiking shoes a great workout.

A visit to this castle is a good way to spend some time outdoors in nature.

And, the best part of the deal: It's Free !

Bird Photo: Scaly-breasted Munia (Lonchura punctulata)

Also known as a Spice Finch or Nutmeg Mannikin, this bird is a seed eater.

In Japan it is called a Shimakinpara  (シマキンパラ) and, can be found eating rice grains.

The birds are always seen in groups or, pairs around the edges of farm fields.

Learn more about this species at ARKive

Kaeru-net for Japanese

Manko Waterbird and Wetland Center website for English and Japanese

Crazy Looking Plants Turned Out to be Papyrus

Growing Within View of the Kin Town Powerplant

Down in the wetlands, I noticed these a few days ago.

There were tall reeds with what looks like pine needles sprouting in the sky.

Somehow during last night's research (at a bar) the fuzzy plants came up.

 The gal I was talking to kept saying pa-pi-ru-su. 

And, I got her to write it down for me:

パピルス

Pa-pi-ru-su, sounds like someone trying to say, puppy loose.

No, I didn't have any puppies escape recently !

Today's mission was, get some more photos and identify the subjects.

For starters, I took "パピルス" and put in Google Japan for a search.  

 That led me to a Japanese website with photos and a Latin name.

What we have here is Cyperus papyrus.

The plant has its origins in Africa.

It thrives in wet soils and, Egyptians had many uses for this reed.

Boats, baskets, sails, sandals, bowls and, some foods were made from it.

The most famous use of papyrus was, making paper scrolls.

Dig a little deeper and, you may find blueprints for the pyramids on papyrus !

 In Japan and, many other countries it is an ornamental.

At one time the plant was considered extinct in Egypt but, rediscovered in 1968.

It is protected and on the Red List in Israel.

Internationally, it is not considered a threatened species.

If you read the Bible, there's a story about a baby floating in a basket.

It may have been made from the reeds of this plant.

Holy Moses !

Learn More About Papyrus at ARKive

Bird Photo: White-breasted Waterhen (Amaurornis phoenicurus)

This waterhen was spotted in a fresh water stream located in Kin Town.

They like to eat bugs, worms, small fish, the roots of marsh plants, seeds and grasses.

Just to prove, I don't go around making stuff up, I'll quote ARKive here:

"This species is described as being very noisy during the breeding season, producing a loud call consisting of various grunts, roars, quacks and chuckles, followed by a repeated kru-ak, kru-ak, kru-ak-a-wak-wak that may continue for 15 minutes or more."

More about these birds may be seen at:

Oiseaux-birds

Okinawa-kaeru

Entertained by Some Redheaded Cattle Egrets

These Herons Prefer Farm Fields

 

 

Unlike many egrets and herons they don't spend much time feeding around streams or shores.

Today, they were spotted following a farmer's tractor as the ground was being tilled.

They like to eat bugs, frogs and, any other small animal they can catch.

These birds originated in Africa but, now may be found around the globe.

The Latin name for these redheads is Bubulcus ibis.

The first photo shows a bird looking for something flying around, to eat.

The second photo, I'm guessing is a male bird, trying to attract a mate.

Remember the silly stuff, you had to do on the dance floor when you were younger ?