Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
3
SENAGAJIMA
瀬長島
On the weekends this otherwise uninhabited little isle is the hottest spot in town for at
least three reasons: a large four-leaf clover set of baseball diamonds, a popular beach and
a shoreline for collecting shellfish, and
the
place for watching jets come into Naha Airport.
Senagajima (
瀬長島
; Senaga-jima) was originally a tiny village before World War II but was
transformed into an American military ammunitions depot for the next 30 years. Only after
Okinawa's return to Japan did the island revert to Japanese authority and become a place for
outdoor recreational activities. A couple of years ago there were plans to take the island as
part of a Naha International Airport expansion project but public protest killed the idea.
Senaga is a most oddly shaped semi-oval about 1,640-1,970 feet (500-600 meters) in dia-
meter in any one direction and maybe 1 mile (1.5 kilometers) in circumference. There's a
paved ring road that circles the island and a semi-paved path to the island's center top. It's not
high and it's not much. The north, south and west coastlines are undeveloped but the center
high point of the island has become home to a new luxury airport hotel. At low tide people
walk over the reefs collecting sea life. The island's eastern side has the beach, ball fields and,
in the summer, lots of concession stands for lunch, snacks, ice cream, drinks, etc. No one
permanently lives on Senaga, so technically it's an uninhabited island, but there are plenty of
people by day and in the evenings in the summer. It's a relaxing place for Naha residents to
escape city life. In the winter it's pretty quiet.
The island is connected to the mainland by a 2,300-foot (700-meter)-long causeway and
here's where the airplane viewing action is. The Naha flight approach landing lights are built
over water for about three-quarters of a mile (1 kilometer) immediately before the airport's
1.25-mile (2-kilometer)-long single runway. The causeway runs perpendicular to the ap-
proach. There is plenty of safe parking along it and people just park their cars and wait for
the planes to come in. From about 7:00
AM
until 10:00
PM
every day, Naha Airport handles
around 300 take-offs and landings. That's 15 hours or 900 minutes or about one every three
minutes, so you don't have to wait very long. The Senaga Causeway is the best place in Ok-
inawa to view jets and other aircraft landing. It's only 1,970 feet (600 meters) before the air-
port's runway and they literally fly in right over the top of you! The Senaga Island Causeway
is where Okinawan parents bring their children to watch the planes.
