Nakijin Castle

I realize that we haven't updated you on travels since January - so sorry about that. Please allow this hobbit to bring you up to speed on a few of our adventures!









Well, back in the winter time peach coke was totally a thing - and it was fantastic. I actually miss it. However, it's probably good for my waistline that it was seasonal.

Drinking different flavored sodas wasn't our only activity this past winter. We also visited Nakijin Castle Ruins to see the Cherry Blossoms! 

This was such a surreal experience for me! Having lived near Washington D.C. most of my life, I do not remember visiting the city to see the Cherry Blossoms bloom - ya know, the ones that were gifted to us from the Japan?

Yet, here I am in Okinawa, thousands of miles away from my home, finally seeing Cherry Blossoms - Sakura - bloom.

It was an incredible experience and the blossoms were beautiful!






Another point to mention about this outing is the castle itself. Nakijin Castle Ruins is a lovely spot to visit. There is ample parking and several souvenir and food shops. The path to walk around the castle park is well cared for and fairly easy to follow while allowing a few opportunities to freely wonder. Whether it's Cherry Blossom season or not, I highly recommend visiting Nakijin Castle Ruins for a day out in Okinawa.

*This spot in pet friendly. Parking is free. Take Yen for vendors.*

MariCar

A few days ago I posted this photo on one of my social media accounts.

⇩

A few comments populated wondering if this experience was "for real" or not. I can assure you it is. And, I can testify - IT'S A MUST when you visit Okinawa.

In downtown Naha there is a tourist activity called MariCar. It is a super fun concept where you, you and your love, you and twenty of your friends, or you and a bunch of random strangers; dress up in adult sized character onesies, hop on go carts, and zip around Naha in the middle of everyday traffic. This experience is one in a million. It's not everyday you get to drive a go cart through normal city streets - let alone doing it dressed like Minnie Mouse.

This tour is more than just fun, however, it's also a bit thrilling. Our tour group admitted to having a "need for speed" to our tour guide, therefore, our go carts clocked speeds of approximately 70 kph when the route opened up. Not only are you going this speed on a go cart but your doing it on the streets of Naha so buses are rolling up next to you, taxis are trying to cut in on you, and cars are whirling pass you - it's a rush! If my mother is reading this, don't worry, I was safe. MariCar doesn't send you out onto the street alone. This company has excellent guides. I've been invited to go riding through Naha twice now and I have had two different guides, both were knowledgable, kept us safe, and helped us have a good time! You're with a guide the entire time and you drive in groups in order to make it harder for cars to cut in and separate go carts from the tour. I've felt safe throughout both tours that I've taken and I 1) wouldn't have taken the tour a second time and 2) wouldn't recommend to you if I had not felt safe.

One last super cute thing about this tour is the "fifteen minutes of fame" you get to experience on Kokousai Street. You might be thinking: If this kind of tour happened all the time in my city I'd hate it... I bet people honk there horns and yell and blah blah blah...  Not in Naha. They do not honk their horns (if you recall from the driving post, that's rude here in Okinawa). And, when you drive down Kokousai Street (part of your tour) you'll feel like a celebrity. Don't forget that you are dressed like a famous cartoon character as you drive around. No matter how many times people have seen it, they're excited to see ridiculous people dressed up on go carts. Also, a lot of people on Kokousai Street are tourist so they're excited to capture a photo of you for their Shutterfly book. This is the fun part - you get to be Minnie Mouse (or whoever you are). Smile for the camera. Wave! Be a celebrity. Zach and I are very cheesy and had a great time waving to the people and saying, "Hello!" Why not!? They'd smile, we'd smile! Bottom line - this experience is super fun!

Okay, so since you're still reading this blog I know that you're convinced that you're going to come to Okinawa, therefore, you must add this activity to your list - See downtown Naha...MariCar style! Let me know what costume you'll be picking out in the comment section and I'll be sure they have it ready for your trip😉.

If you are in Okinawa and interested in going on a MariCar tour, you'll need to set up a tour through MariCAR Okinawa (you can find them on Facebook). For the actual tour you'll need to wear closed-toe shoes and bring the proper forms of ID. If you're a SOFA status driver (like me) you'll need your SOFA license and your ID. If you're visiting Okinawa, because it's amazing, you'll need your passport and driver's license.