Spiritual Trip to Miyako Island, Okinawa #1

I went to Miyako Island from Apr. 13th to 16th.
It was my third time to go to the island, so when I arrived at the Miyako Airport,
I felt relieved like “I’m back”.

 

The temperature was about 24 degrees there.
Even so, an islander said that it was cool for this time of year and it was abnormal
weather. In Fukui, just before the day I left, the temperature went fairly up, so I thought
that I wouldn’t feel the difference that much in Miyako, but it was surely in subtropical zone and has moderate humidity, so the sensory temperature was much higher.

 

By the way, while I was planning the trip, it was getting kind of spiritual one.
Because with more research, I found out it is said Miyako Island itself has a strong energy and Ogami Island, where I also wanted to go, it is truly called an island of God.
So I decided to look around spiritual spots in Miyako Island.

 

Next morning, I headed off to Ogami Island.
It takes 15 minutes by a fast ship from Shimajiri fishing port.
As I was watching the beautiful sea called Miyako Blue, the island is almost upon us.
At the port, a man of the tourist association that I asked for a guide in advance was waiting for us.

 

He guides five persons including myself. The island’s outer perimeter is about 2.7 km. At low tide, you can walk around the island along the beach. In the island,
there are some sanctuaries and sacred spaces where it is said that gods descended.
Also, the sea is very clear enough to see tiny blue tropical fish from the water’s edge.
So many people come to the island to swim.

 

Ogami Island’s population is 26 people now. There are no children. An elderly female called Tsukasa handles religious services. But what would have happened to the religious services in the near future?

 

That day, I also visited Harimizu Utaki, where is the oldest hallow ground in Miyako Island and the Miyako Shrine, which is the southernmost one of Japan. (H.S)

 

Yuri, ten years old, the only dog in Ogami Island.
She is very clever and shows us the island with the guide.
For your information, the number of cats are more than people and I met some that day.

 

The lovely view from the observatory of Ogami Island. The blak part in the sea is a farm of nemacystus decipiens. In July, when the farming finishes, the sea will be deep blue completely.

 

The stairs to the observatory. The guide told us about mulberries screw pines grow wild and we tasted them. They were sweet and good.

 

We head to the seaside from the observatory. Of course, Yuri was with us!

 

The center part of the breakwater. Because Tsukasa complained that the passage was blocked. So they scraped off the part. Tsukasa has a say even in public project!

 

Harimizu Utaki. Acutally, three women were worshipping inside.

 

Cats relax on the stone wall in front of the utaki.

 

I received a stamp at the Miyako Shrine.

 

At the evening, I went to an Okinawan restaurant which has a folk song live show.
The song is BEGIN’s “My grand father takes pride in Orion Beer”
The rylics are laid-back but meaningful.