ちゅら宿暮らし

週末は関西より両親が来沖
神戸は快晴だったのに沖縄に着くとあいにくの雨模様
５月の沖縄は梅雨のまっただ中なので今回は雨の中、南部方面へドライブ。
ランチに行った『浜辺の茶屋』窓の外はすぐビーチなので海を見ながらお食事ができ、とてもリラックスできました。




お腹を満たした後は斎場御嶽へ
最近ではパワースポットとして雑誌などでも紹介されているのをよく目にしますが、雨のせいか訪れていた人も少なめ。でも雨降りが神秘的な雰囲気をより一層深めていた感じがして、これもまた良かったです


普段、なかなか南部まで足を運ぶ事は少ないのですが、のどかな風景や眼下に広がる大海原などを見ながらのドライブが本当に気持ち良く、いつも来るたびに「また来たい」と思わされます。今回はゆっくりと廻る事ができなかったので次の来沖時の楽しみとして、晴れ渡る空の下でのドライブに連れて来てあげたいと思いました

It had been quite a while since I last visited Hamabe-no-Chaya, a beach side cafe located in Tamagusuku. The decision to visit today was a good one since it was Komaki's mother's birthday. Together with Komaki's parents we passed the time eating and drinking while rain drizzled over the Pacific Ocean. Rukai and I went for a walk on the beach below and we both enjoyed the ocean breeze.

Driving along Tamagusuku's coastline makes me feel like I am vacationing somewhere else. The green hills that slope down to the sea are dotted with residential homes and the occasional cafe, each one with its own spectacular view of the sea and sometimes Kudaka Island in the distance. Life is much more slower here, and the village's many fresh water wells and natural springs have been used by residents since ancient times.

After lunch we decided to visit Seifa Utaki - Okinawa's most sacred prayer site that can trace its history back before the Ryukyu Kingdom. The two huge monolithic stone slabs that lean against each other form a perfect corridor that leads to a small area where the Pacific Ocean and Kudaka Island lay in the distance. It is easy to imagine how the first humans who stumbled across this wonder of nature must have felt. It indeed is a spiritually moving experience to stand here and feel so humble when thinking of the power and history behind this sacred site.