Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
16
CAPE HENOKO
辺野古崎
If you check your road map you'll see that we'll leave the Kanucha Resort by picking up again
on Route 331 and continuing east 4 miles (6 kilometers) around the inner end of Oura Bay
until its end where it meets Route 329. If you recall, that was our dividing line from the is-
land's central and northern portions. So we're going to end our coverage of the northern sec-
tion of Okinawa here, except that we're going to cheat just a tiny bit and mention one last
place a little south of the line because it logically fits into our discussion of the North.
At the junction of Routes 331 and of the 329 there's a choice. Go right, northwest 4 miles
(6 kilometers) until you reach Route 58 on the west coast and then less than three-quarters of
a mile (1 kilometer) more and you're in Nago, or take Route 329 south 3 miles (5 kilometers)
to just before the village of Henoko (
辺野古
; Henoko). Here, if you're a military ID holder,
enter Camp Schwab and check in to the Cottages at Oura Bay, some of the most deluxe, spa-
cious and comfortable lodgings you'll see anywhere. Without doubt this is one of the nicest
R&R facilities, if not the nicest, on Okinawa. Marine Camp Schwab occupies all the tip of
Cape Henoko (
辺野古崎
; Henoko-zaki) and what a delightful spot it is. It's ringed by beauti-
ful beaches on both sides of the cape, but most people will swim on the more sheltered side
on Oura Bay.
A holiday cottage at the US Marine Corps Camp Schwab, Oura Bay.
You can't go wrong visiting here, and strangely enough, one of the pleasures, looking out
directly across the bay 2 miles (3 kilometers) to the gorgeous Kanucha Resort, is thinking:
“How nice this place is and I'm paying 1/10th the rate.” For here, it's about $50 a night instead
of $500. I don't know about you, but that gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling all over.
This is where we'll end our visit of Okinawa-hontō (Okinawa Main Island). Let's have a
quick look at the map of Okinawa's surrounding islands (Okinawa-shotō) before embarking
on our circular tour around them, for there are many islands and it's going to take some time.
