What Is Chura Yashi Park Okinawa / Southeast Botanical Gardens?
An Outdoor Botanical Garden for a Tropical Green Stroll in Chibana, Okinawa City
Chura Yashi Park Okinawa / Southeast Botanical Gardens (Chura Yashi Park Okinawa / Tōnan Shokubutsu Rakuen) is an outdoor botanical garden where you can fully enjoy tropical greenery, located in Chibana, Okinawa City, Okinawa Prefecture.
Within the garden, you can leisurely enjoy a mix of tropical and subtropical plants, waterside scenery, encounters with animals, and hands-on craft experiences, all at your own pace.
It is introduced as a place where you can view about 1,300 species of plants.
The garden, spread with over 50,000 plants, is also known as one of Japan's largest outdoor botanical gardens.
It is a spot well suited to visitors to Japan who want to feel Okinawa's nature from an angle different from the seaside.
Why It Is Easy to Spend Time Here Between Sightseeing
Since time in the garden centers on walking while looking at plants, it is an easy spot to choose when you want to step a little away from busy tourist areas and spend quiet time.
You can change how you enjoy it to match your companions' interests, such as taking photos, walking while reading plant names, observing animals, or joining hands-on programs.
The grounds are divided into two areas, the "Botanical Garden" and the "Water Garden," making it easy to get around according to your purpose.
Slowly Enjoy the Yusura Palm Avenue and Tropical Plants
In the Botanical Garden Area, Search for Tropical Scenery
In the Botanical Garden area, you can stroll while viewing tropical and subtropical plants that make the most of Okinawa's climate.
Highlights introduced in the Botanical Garden area include Japan's finest Yusura palm avenue, an herb garden with about 80 kinds of herbs, an orchard, and a bottle palm avenue with about 40 years of history.
In the orchard, depending on the season, you can also observe fruits such as shīkuwāsā (Okinawan citrus), pineapples, and bananas.
Walking while looking at the straight-rising palms and the plants that change their look with the seasons, you can feel an atmosphere different from gardens on Japan's main islands.
Enjoy Photos With an Eye to Capturing Tropical Scenery
For the Yusura palm avenue and the bottle palm avenue, including the vertical lines of the trees makes for a tropical-looking photo.
Bringing the waterside or blue sky into the background also makes it easier to convey Okinawa's brightness.
However, do not block the path with long photo sessions, and be mindful of your distance from other visitors and the animals.
Enjoy Waterside Scenery and Animal Encounters at the Water Garden
The Waterside Area Is a Place to Walk While Resting
The Water Garden is an area where you can enjoy not only plants but also waterside scenery.
Scenery where green and water surfaces overlap is a point that makes it easy to change your mood, even during Okinawa sightseeing in the hot season.
Rather than rushing around, making time to pause and take in the scenery lets you enjoy the quiet pleasures characteristic of a botanical garden.
Check the Rules Before Meeting Capybaras and Squirrel Monkeys
Within the garden, alongside the "Animal Petting Square" where you can interact with capybaras and squirrel monkeys, there are areas where you can see goats and Aldabra giant tortoises.
Hands-on programs such as shīsā (guardian lion-dog) painting that can be enjoyed even on rainy days are also available, making it easy to plan even on days when the weather changes.
When approaching the animals, check the staff guidance and signs, and do not give them food on your own.
Create Okinawan Memories Through Hands-On Programs
Add Variety to Your Trip With Shīsā Painting and Fishing Ponds
Experiences introduced include a fishing pond, shīsā painting, animal painting, and a herbarium pen-making kit.
The fishing pond can be enjoyed at the Water Garden's "Lake of Encounters," and shīsā painting and the like can be joined in the shop's experience area.
Adding time to use your hands, not just to look, makes the trip more memorable.
Since you can paint an Okinawan-style shīsā motif yourself and take it home, it is also well suited to those who want to make their own souvenir.
Choose Your Experience by Checking the Day's Information
For hands-on programs, the offerings may change depending on the season, events, and reception status.
If there is a program you want to join, check the facility's information before visiting.
On site, looking at the reception location and participation conditions and then fitting it in before or after your garden stroll makes it easier to get around.
Usage Rules and Etiquette to Check Before Visiting
Check the Hours and Admission Fee Before Visiting
The opening hours, admission fee, and event content may change.
The garden has a daytime session and a nighttime session, and the operating hours and prices are set differently depending on the period.
This article does not present fixed prices or times, which tend to change.
Once your visit date is set, please check the facility's usage information and operating calendar.
In particular, if your aim is a nighttime event or a seasonal event, the conditions may differ from the regular admission information.
Photography, Live Streaming, and Barrier-Free Information Are Also Reassuring to Check in Advance
Visitors are asked to refrain from individual live streaming and other live broadcasts.
If you plan filming that may be considered commercial use or news coverage, it is reassuring to check the filming and coverage regulations in advance.
Wheelchair and stroller rentals are indicated at the reception entrance, but the number is limited and reservations are said not to be accepted.
Multipurpose restrooms and a nursing room are also available within the garden.
How to Get to Southeast Botanical Gardens and Get Around the Grounds
Check in Advance for Both Car and Public Transport
Chura Yashi Park Okinawa / Southeast Botanical Gardens is introduced as a facility located right off the Okinawa-Kita Interchange.
Situated in central Okinawa City, about 60 minutes by car from Naha Airport, it is a location easy to combine with sightseeing in the central area if you are touring Okinawa Island by rental car.
If you use public transport, it is reassuring to check the bus services and how to get there from the nearest bus stop in advance.
Within the Grounds, Flowing From the Botanical Garden to the Water Garden Is Easy to Walk
If it is your first visit, it is clearer to first enjoy the Yusura palm avenue and seasonal plants in the Botanical Garden area, then proceed to the Water Garden and the animal encounters.
If you plan to join a hands-on program, checking the reception location first before starting your stroll makes it harder to get lost.
On days with strong sunshine, prepare a hat and drinks, and take frequent rest breaks.
Summary | Enjoy Tropical Plants and the Waterside at Your Own Pace
Chura Yashi Park Okinawa / Southeast Botanical Gardens is a spot where you can enjoy about 1,300 species of tropical plants, waterside scenery, animal encounters, and hands-on programs all at once.
For visitors to Japan who want to feel an Okinawan nature different from the sea or city walks, it is a place that easily adds variety to your itinerary.
Since prices, operating hours, and event content may change, please check the facility's information before visiting.
Making time to walk slowly lets you calmly savor the charm of the Yusura palm avenue and the seasonal plants.
