Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Not far from the Ōasato Spring, perhaps less than three-quarters of a mile (1 kilometer),
you'll come to the last place we'll visit on Kikai, the Ufuyaguchi Limestone Caverns (
ウフヤ
グチ鐘乳洞
; Ufu yaguchi shōn yūdō). It's a little difficult to find. There are only a couple of
small signs and they are only in Japanese. Watch for the last Kanji character “
洞
” as it means
cave or cavern. There's a small parking area on the side of the road and then a short walk up
a hill leads you there. The caverns are not commercialized and therefore entry is free.
Pachinko
(
パチンコ
)
Okinawa and the Ryukyus may be another world, and they are, but they are sill Japan, and that
means Pachinko. Like Sumo wrestling and Kabuki theater, Pachinko is wholly unique to this country
and found nowhere else. Supericially, a Pachinko machine resembles pinball, but it's verical and
there are no levers (flippers) for the player. Also, the steel balls are much smaller than those used in
pinball. The player iniiates the ball's speed, but then has no further control over it. The ball travels
downwards through a maze of pins, in most cases, to be lost at the botom. But some, by chance, are
diverted to side pockets, which then generate more balls for the player. As gambling is illegal in Japan,
that's essenially the payout: more balls and thus more playing ime. Patrons may while away count-
less hours in brightly lit, smoke-filled Pachinko Parlors, where the sound levels are always a deafening
cacophony of machine noise. Not so surprisingly perhaps, you'll find fairly large Pachinko Parlors on
even some of the smallest islands in the Ryukyus. It may be a litle diicult for a
gaijin
(
外人
) (foreign-
er) to understand, but after all, what's a sugar cane farmer to do in the off season?
The Ufuyaguchi site is a good example of the difference between a cave and a cavern.
Rather than a tunnel or some narrow, confined space, this opening into the earth is
large—“cavernous.” There are several chambers and they may be reached from several en-
trances. You'll need a flashlight, so bring one. There's usually no one around and it's a little
spooky. Watch your step. In a couple of places there are vents in the ceilings allowing some
light to stream in. There are few stalactites or stalagmites but there are some limestone form-
