Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
headland that juts out into the sea. It's Cape Akamaru (
赤丸岬
; Akamaru-misaki) and here
you'll find two resorts. They were originally one. One is open to the public, the other is a mil-
itary facility.
The cape was requisitioned at the end of World War II by the US Army to serve as a re-
creational facility. With the addition of several sorts of lodging facilities, including cabins,
Okuma Beach, as it was then known, served in that role for over 30 years. In May of 1977,
one section of the resort, half the southern beach, was returned to Japanese local adminis-
tration. The photograph of the cape below was taken from the east. Its general orientation
pushes out to the west, so the beach on the right-hand side is the north beach and that on the
left is the south beach. The end of the cape is still controlled by the US military. It's separated
from the rest of Okuma by a road and a fence. It's a joint operation run by Moral, Welfare &
Recreation (MWR) for the various branches of the armed services and is now known as the
Okuma Military Recreational Facility.
It's a great place to go. If you're a military ID holder and live on or near any of the bases to
the south, it's far enough away that you'll feel like you've gone away someplace, yet it's really
only about a two-hour drive from home. The facilities are good (cabins, restaurant, beach,
small golf course, etc.), and they have every type of water sports activity available for adults
and kids. It's a great family destination. There's a large camping area too, if that's your style.
Cape Akamaru and the village of Okuma.
Okuma Military Recreational Facility.
