Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
There's no admission charge to visit the Katsuren Castle and on a sunny day it's a wonder-
ful place for a picnic. There are stone or wooden steps all the way up, and after a fairly steep
climb you'll be rewarded with a million dollar view.
8
WHITE BEACH NAVAL FACILITY
If we continue south on the Katsuren Peninsula, it's a little less than 3.75 miles (6 kilometers)
to its final tip at the White Beach Naval Facility. White Beach is a very active US Navy Base
and you'll need a military ID to enter, but if you are able to enter you may get a chance to see
naval warships and submarines, which frequently make it a port of call. There are two piers
at the naval base but additional ships moor offshore. Most people who visit White Beach,
however, come to stay in one of the rental cabins or trailers and enjoy the beach because this
is a prime R&R facility open to all service members and their guests.
The Navy occupies the western side of the tip. Around the corner, on the eastern side, and
just over a mile (2 kilometers) north, is Heshikiya Port (
平敷屋港
; Heshikiya-kō). That's the
jumping off point for ferries to Tsuken Island. We'll discuss the port and the island further
below when we cover the Okinawa shotō.
Similarly, 1.75 miles (3 kilometers) north of Heshikiya Port, and staying on the east side
of the Katsuren Peninsula, we'll come to the 3-mile (5-kilometer)-long Kaichu-doro Cause-
way (
海中道路
; lit. “Sea Center Road”). The causeway is the route to the Henza, Hamahiga,
Miyagi and Ikei Islands, each one connected by another and, for some, another, bridge. We'll
discuss the causeway and these islands and their smaller “sister” islands, further below.
There's nothing more of any particular interest on the Katsuren Peninsula and, for that
matter, there's not much more on this side of the island all the way up for the next 20-25
miles (32-40 kilometers), so we'll depart and cross over to the west coast. From the Kaichu-
doro back to Okinawa City Hall, it's 8.5 miles (13.5 kilometers) by various routes, but there's
