Kadena Marina

People at play at Kadena Marina

by Pa Rock

Cultural Explorer

Two young fishermen at Kadena Marina

This past week I made my first visit to Kadena Marina, a popular spot for Americans and Okinawans who like to play and have fun in the sun and surf.  The Marina features a by-the-sea Italian Ristorante where our group gathered for a baby shower for one of the young Airmen and her husband.  The food was as wonderful as the company.   The marina also has a pro-shop of sorts where people may rent boats and those horrid skee-doos,  as well as snorkeling and diving equipment, and also register for snorkeling, diving, or boat operation lessons.  (I signed up with two friends to learn how to operate a twenty-foot fishing skiff.  That happens in mid-July.)  There are also nice beaches for swimming and fishing.

My car in front of the blue waters of the East China Sea

One interesting feature of Kadena Marina is a tomb of historical interest.   (Family tombs are very common on Okinawa, with some even being located on the grounds of Kadena Air Base.)  The tomb at Kadena Marina is the final resting place of Noguni Sokan, the gentleman who brought the sweet potato from China to Okinawa in 1605.

I did visit with two young Okinawan boys who were fishing.  Sadly, they were having no luck.

The tomb of Noguni Sokan