Coco Neel

First, we live in a beautiful place in Okinawa. It’s called “やんばる” (Yanbaru), which is the north area of Okinawa. In particular, we’d like to introduce a nice restaurant to you. This restaurant is Coco Neel. At the restaurant, you can eat popular western and Italian food.

Menu

At lunch, you can choose two types of set menus. For one lunch menu you can choose one side dish, and the set has rice, salad and Tonjiru. Tonjiru is like miso soup. It is 1000yen. For the other one, you can choose two side dishes and the set has rice, salad and Tonjiru. It has pork and some vegetables. It is 1200yen. You can choose one or two side dishes from 17 different side dishes. For example, hamburger steak, beef curry, omurice and many kinds of side dishes. We ate some dishes and we understood the reasons why this resaurant is popular.

When we ate there, we noticed a few things First, we noticed that the place is very reasonable for us. We ordinarily think that over 1000yen is very expensive, but almost all the dishes in the restaurant come with a lot of food, so we didn't think it. Secondly, the taste is delicious. Especially, if you were starving when you went to this restaurant, you will like it even more than if you were not starving. If you eat the dishes, you will be satisfied.

Information

Lunch time has very heavy traffic. (15:00-16:00)

Coco Neel has a variety of customers: ex) locals, tourists, foreigners, young people, and families.

We recommend all of Coco Neel's menu: all the food. So, the people who run Coco Neel have confidence in their menu.

You can see the beautiful sea from the restaurant. We recommend that you go to the restaurant on a sunny day.

Location

We will introduce how to get to Coco Neel from Naha airport. You can drive on Route 58 to Nago from Naha, about 2 hours.

• While driving on Route 58, you can see Super Hotel and turn left at the signboard near Super Hotel. Then, you are driving on Route 84.
• After that, drive until the Nakayama intersection. When you can see it, you have to turn right at the Nakayama intersection.
• Go straight toward the Nakijinn Village Office and then turn right at the corner before the park. Then, drive on Route 72. 
• Drive on  Route 72 about 10 minutes.
• You can find signboard of Coco Neel, so follow that board.

Address: 408-9unten Nakijin village Kunigami gun Okinawa (沖縄県国頭郡今帰仁村運天408-9）

Tel: 0980-56-5526

“やんばる” (Yanbaru) has many beautiful and nice places in addition to this restaurant.

We recommend for you to come to “やんばる” (Yanbaru) and enjoy it!

Mangrove Park in Higashi

People in Okinawa often go to the Mangrove park in Higashi village on school trips and so on. It is difficult to go there. That park is far away from our university. It takes 20 minutes or more.

The first time, we drove route 58 and then, there was nothing around the road. Along the way, we drove down a very narrow alley. That road was surrounded by a lot of forest. Finally, we arrived at that park. 

This park is an obscure sightseeing spot and one of the national all parks in Okinawa. You can ride a canoe with a coach. The mangrove root is very different compared to other plants. The mangrove live in brackish water place that mixes fresh water and sea water.

The mangrove grows in the tropics and subtropics. There are 2000 remaining mangrove forest areas of the world, spanning 118 countries and territories. (53.190 square miles or 137.760 sq km).

There are many different creatures. For example, birds, insects, shells, crabs, shrimp and fish. We saw unusual creatures there. We were surprised about a crab. It was smaller than a hand. It was only male. They pursue females with their big arms.

A statue of the crab.

The Mangrove plants.

There isn’t any building, but a small local store is near the national park. Many elders were gathering in a lodge in the park. They looked happy.

The mangrove is a unique plant that helps clean sea water. So it gets more attention from all over the world. But, the mangrove forests are decreasing because they are cut down to use as material for charcoal and farm animals. So, most mangroves are planted by people. For example, Manko Park in Naha City. The Mangrove functions as a brake water. Because Japan has a high possibility of Tsunamis caused by earthquakes, we thought that we should make the most of the mangrove.

Access

From Nago, go north on Route 58. Turn right at Route 14. Go straight on Route 14, till you meet Route 331. There are the park on your left.

Address: 188 Gesash, Higashi village, Okinawa

Orion Happy Park

Entrance

Do you know Orion Beer? It is a popular beer company among Okinawans. It is a local beer company. Orion Happy Park is their factory. Today, we will introduce about the factory.

Beer brewing machine

Did you understand the way to take a tour of Orion beer? First of all, you should check in at the counter. Maybe you need to wait a few minutes. The tour runs every 10 minutes. You feel various things as soon as you go into the factory.

The beer tank

This factory is divided into some sections. In the sake brewing section, you can touch malts. It is hard. The room is filled with a smell like grass. The next room's temperature is 38℃, so you feel so hot!! And you can see into the sake brewing machine. You can also smell malt. Then, you go to the second floor using an escalator. On the second floor, you can see two huge fermentation tanks. They are very big.

The tank for brewing

Finally, you move to a small room. You watch a video about Orion beer there for a minute, and you also can see interesting objects. But we will not tell you. See for yourself!! Afterwards, you can try to drink Orion beer, but only if you are over 20 years old. Other people drink juice instead of that, please. Be careful not to drive drunk!

Cans for each beer they have released

Orion Beer's History

Orion Beer sells more beer than anyone else in Okinawa. This company has only one factory, and it is in Nago City in Okinawa. Orion beer was created in 1975. "Orion Beer" was named by using a contest in the newspaper. The reason why this name was selected is "Orion is a south star, so it matches the image of Okinawa," "a star represents dreams and adoration" and "three stars are a symbol of GHQ." We think this name has good taste. And now, as its name suggests, Orion Beer gives people a dreamy time like a star.

Ingredients of Beer (each company)

Orion Beer's glucide and purine bodies are comparatively lower than other beers. Also, it is easy to drink. But, if you drink it too much, you will get lifestyle related diseases and gout.

・glucide…糖質　・purine bodies…プリン体　・gout…痛風

	Alcohol percentage	Glucide	Purine bodies
Orion	5%	3.0g	8.7mg
Kirin	5%	2.7g	0mg
Suntory	5.5%	3.8g	9.5mg
Sapporo (Yebisu)	5%	3.0g	11mg
Asahi	5%	3.0g	5~6mg

Access

From the Kyoda interchange go north on Route 58 and turn right at the 4^th traffic signal, which is in Agarie town. Drive about one km. The entrance is across the street from the car park. The factory is near the Nago post office and Agarie elementary school. The address is 〒905-0021 2-2-1 Agarie, Nago City, Okinawa. The phone number is 0980-54-4103.

Map

Pocket Marny

We will introduce our favorite place to eat to you. The restaurant’s name is “Pocket Marny.” This shop is located in Umusa, Nago, Okinawa. And this shop is near the Nago bus terminal. This is a map of Pocket Marny.
   

A map for Pocket Marny

The shop's signboard.

It is a curry and rice shop and has many kinds of delicious curry and rice. If you eat curry from 3:00p.m. to 6:00p.m, you can eat curry at a 100 yen discount.

The restaurant is a little small, but it has a calm mood and a homey atmosphere. They have a lot of comics. So you can read them and stay for a long time. If you have enough time to take your time, we recommend you to go there.

Next, we will tell our impressions of the curry we ate.

Dry curry

I ate a dry curry. This is a dish of rice fried with meat, vegetables and curry powder. Usually, if we eat Pocket Marny’s curry, we can choose its hotness. But this curry is not available to choose hotness. However, it was very delicious.

Curry with a hamburger

I ate curry with a hamburger and I chose the normal level of hotness. The hamburger was very delicious. When I cut it, it had a lot of meat juice. However, I thought it was not hot. But, other people said it was a little hot. So, next time, I will challenge myself to a hotter level.

Cheese curry

I tried cheese curry and rice. It has lots of cheese on it. When I mixed it, the cheese was melting and gooey. I thought it was a little hot, but it was really yummy and I liked it. And it comes with salad.

Pork curry

I ate pork curry and rice. My order was mild. It was 300yen. I don’t like hot food. So I thought if I order mild, I can eat it without drinking much water. But I felt that mild is also hot. I drank 3 cups of water. I wish this restaurant served more mild curry.



Here is the curry menu.

We recommend that you eat Indian curry. It separates the curry from the rice. The curry is in a gravy boat. It tastes so good, so many people like it.

Address ▷〒905-0006

                 沖縄県名護市宇茂佐９１３−７ S・Eハウスマンション 1F

                 Okinawa, Nago, Umusa 913-7, 1F

Phone number ▷ 0980-53-5030

Hours ▷ 【Monday ~ Friday】 11:00 ~ 21:00 (last order:20:30)

             【Saturday】 11:00 ~ 17:30 (last order:17:00)

Closed ▷ Sunday and every third Monday

Grace of India

There is an Indian café, GRACE OF INDIA, in the Nago City Municipal Market. It is a curry and naan café. Why did the café open?

First of all, there was no Indian restaurant in Nago. It was a good opportunity to begin. Second, the master of the café is interested in dishes using spice and he wanted to cook dishes that are good for the health using spices. So, he decided to open the Indian café GRACE OF INDIA.

They think it is important to cook naan in an open kitchen. There is an oven called a tandoor. It is good to cook a dish using a tandoor in an open kitchen, because people can see how to cook naan anytime, and people can feel the original method of cooking. It makes us closer with the chef.

There are ten kinds of Indian bread and twenty-two kinds of curry. And we can choose our level of spice. The curry includes many spices and these are good for your health. We can choose naan. It costs 320-950 yen. And we can also choose curry and it is 800-1080 yen. When we visited, we ate from the combo menu. It included curry, naan, and a drink. It was cheaper than choosing naan and curry separately. It was 800 yen. So we would like to recommend it.

Recently, more non-Japanese people are coming to eat there. Because of this, they started to serve a new combo menu. It costs 2,100 yen but there is a lot of food. If you would like to eat, let's try it. And there are unfamiliar foods which are eaten in India. For example, chicken tikka, tandoori chicken, kabab, and so on. We would like to try it. It will be a good time to experience another country's dietary culture. So we would like you to try these foods.

PARKING

You can use a few parking areas. The first is in the Nago Municipal Market. You can use it free for two hours when you do shopping or eat in the Nago Municipal Market. Otherwise, it costs \50 for one hour. You can go to Nago Municipal market by walking.

INFORMATION

GRACE OF INDIA is on the second floor of the Nago Municipal Market.

The address is Gusuku 2- chome, Nago-shi, Okinawa-ken, 905-0031.

Open 11:00 a.m. - 23:00 p.m.       last order 23:00 p.m.

Takeout and reservations ok! Tel: 0980-43-5001

HENOKO

In this page, we are going to talk about Henoko. Henoko is on the north east side of Okinawa. This name is often broadcast because of the new American base. So, even if you are not from Okinawa, you might have heard the name “Henoko.” And maybe, some of you don’t have a positive image of Henoko, because of such news, and you may be reluctant to visit here. But one thing what we want to express to you through this website is you should go there when you come to Okinawa.

              First, let us show you how you can get there. If you are south of Henoko, we think it is nice for you to drive route 329. Soon you’ll see the Camp Schwab on your right hand. There are some tents to protest the construction of new base in Henoko in front of Camp Schwab. There, you can hear the feelings of the people in tents. Some people experienced the war. You should hear the last voice of them.

              And next, we want to talk about Oura bay in Henoko. Here, you see many plants, then breathe in the fresh air. What a good thing! It will make you excited! Behind these plants, there is the beautiful sea. Your vision will be filled by the blue that the sea and the sky make. You can swim, dive and do anything that you want to. Look! There are many corals, sea-crabs and many kinds of shells on the bay. If you came to want to go, you should ask the way to there at the tents. Some kind people may navigate you.

             There are many beautiful beaches in Okinawa, but the reason we strongly recommend you to go to Henoko is because of one special point. This is that you sometimes see a dugong here. Dugong is an animal that is the origin of the mermaid myth. Moreover, Dugongs are threatened with extinction. So it will be an amazing experience for you to see them.

              In Japan, as you know, politicians have been discussing the American bases. People who live in the mainland of Japan may not care about this issue so much. And if you are a foreign person, you might never think about this at all. But this issue doesn’t only matter in Japan, but also in the world. If you go there, you can learn about the politics in Japan, especially the relationship between the mainland of Japan and Okinawa. It is true that Henoko has many problems, but it is also true that you will be moved by Henoko’s sea. So we recommend you to visit here to think about these issues and to see the beautiful see. Don’t avoid thinking. 

Glass House in Forest

              We will introduce the “Glass house in forest,” which is a tourist spot in Nago City. It’s a place where you can make things using Ryukyu glass. We each tried to make different things and we’re introducing about what we made.

－Photo frame (Ruka)

              I choose to make a photo frame. It was not difficult and took 40 minutes. First, I prepared four colors of glass: blue, light blue, green and orange and also some shells. I could choose what I use and I designed it by myself. I arranged glass and shells with some glue. And a few minutes later it dried. That was very fun and I could take it home soon and I put a photo in it. It is a good memory and also it can be a nice souvenir. I made it for my friend who lives in Fukuoka. I’ll send it to her for her birthday present.

－Candle (Yurika)

              First, I chose what kind of glass I would use. There are many shapes of glass. Next, I put sand into a glass. You have to pay attention to whether the sand is mixed or not when you put it in. In addition, you can put small dolls on the top of the sand. However, if you choose some dolls, the price gets higher. It takes about 50 minutes and it cost about 1600 yen in my case. The price depends on whether you will choose some extra things.

－Kaleidoscope (Nanami)

              I made a Kaleidoscope. It was easy to make and cheap. I’ll tell you how to make a kaleidoscope. First, I got a cylinder and a lot of pieces of broken glass. It was beautiful. Many colors and many sizes. I chose glass from that and put it into the bottom of a cylinder. Then I put on a lid. Just do this. If you look in the Kaleidoscope and don’t like it, you can change the amount of glass.

－Glass Ball (Yurie)

              I made a glass ball. In Japan it is called “Tombodama.” First, choose your favorite color, shape and pattern. There are many colors and many shapes. Heart shapes are very cute, but I chose oblong shapes. Second, you have to wear an apron and a pair of glasses. Next, make the shape you chose by melting glass. And draw a pattern on the shaped glass with another glass stick. One more time, prepare the form. Finally, the glass ball is cooled. So, you can finish. It takes about 30 minutes to make and 45 minutes to cool.

－Accessory (Saori)

              I choose to make an accessory. All the material was ready-made articles. I choose various types of strings and glass beads and trinkets. And I could make my favorite accessories. I made a blue accessory. My favorite beads did not fit the size of the string and I had a hard fight to get the string to go through, but I was able to complete it somehow because my friend helped me. It became a very pleasant memory!

－Directions

              The Glass House in Forest is in Bimata in Nago City. If you have a car, first, you leave Meio University and follow the road to the first traffic light. Then, turn left and follow the road. Go straight. Then you will see your destination on your left side. It’s next to Goen which is a yakiniku restaurant, and across from Meio Bowl. 

The Glass House in Forest’s address is 478 Bimata, Nago City, Okinawa. 905-0005

－Time

Open  9:00 a.m.

Close 6:00 a.m.

－The cost

Photo frame: 1080 yen

Kaleidoscope: 680 yen

Glass ball: 1440 yen

Candle: 1600 yen

Accessory: 1620 yen

Glass cup: 1620 yen

※  Only a glass cup requires an appointment.

We feel that making these objects was very interesting. It can be our memories. So, we want to go to Glass House in Forest.

Izakaya Tsukasa



We found a good place for tourists to eat at the corner of Nago Crossroads. It is a popular bar in Nago, so sometimes all its seats are full. It is better to reserve by phone. There are two things  we want to recommend to you.

First, the menu is written in English. So, people who can’t read or speak Japanese will choose food from the menu easily.

Second, you can enjoy various Okinawan dishes. Actually, we ordered thin wheat noodles with tuna and leeks because we just wanted to know about Okinawan dishes.

Dishes and Drinks

If you want to eat sushi and Okinawan food you must go Izakaya Tsukasa!

They have fresh fish, so you can eat delicious sushi. They also have many kinds of Okinawan food.

They arrange traditional Okinawan food and also new Okinawan food You should try it! They stock many kinds of Awamori and Orion beer. You can drink with the delicious dishes. The price is cheaper than other bars in Nago, so you don’t think about price so much. You can go there with your friends or your family so there are wide seats. Do you want to visit?? Let’s go!!

  

Okinawa beer are so famous. It tastes so good . You can eat something with it, when you have so many time with your friend.

                                            Menus



Udon is one of the most famous Japanese noodles. Udon is very delicious and lets people love it.

This picture is for Okinawa food. All the food is delicious. If you are so hungry, you should try it.

If you feel like eating dessert, you can order ice cream. There are many flavors.

 

 

There is an unusual menu item called Sashimi. Sashimi is just fish.Though some foreigners do not like Sashimi, it tastes really good.

Address: 1-19-4 Ohigashi, Nago City
Directions: From Meio University, follow the Prefectural Route 84 in the direction of Nago Pineapple Park Okinawa. After about 10 minutes of driving, you'll arrive at the Nago Crossroads. Izakaya Tsukasa will be on your left. That is in front of the Manekineko, a Karaoke bar.
Hours: 6:00 p.m.-5:00 a.m (Last food order 4:00 a.m., last call for drinks 4:30 a.m.)
Phone: 0980-54-9795


Here is a map. : )