Japan: Naze

 Wednesday, June 14, 2023, Naze, Japan

Naze is on Amami Oshima Island. It’s a small city of less than 50,000 people. The mayor and other dignitaries greeted the ship’s officers and presented them with flowers. Naze is not normally on cruise ship itineraries. They were happy to see us.

Japanese dignitaries welcome officers of the Insignia cruise ship 

None of the ship tours had appealed to us. We took the free shuttle into town, picked up a map, and headed for the top of Ogamiyama Park with the best views of the small city. The town has light traffic consisting of boxy electric cars. Even the buses are electric. After experiencing bigger cities with gasoline vehicles, it was wonderfully quiet, lacking the usual traffic roar. 

A business in downtown Naze

The park encompasses a high hill that overlooks the city. It was hot and humid - again! We crossed a small river and found the entrance. The path was paved and lined with terraces. There were plenty of beautiful flowering plants unique to the area, bushes, ferns, and shade trees with butterflies here and there. Periodically there were warning signs about snakes. We stayed on the paths. We could hear a raucous chorus of cicadas much of the time.

Starting up the path at Ogamiyama Park

It was a family-friendly place with playground equipment in a couple of areas, and there were old wooden buildings. Some of the open areas had busts of Horo Izumi, “the father of the return of the Amami Islands to Japan.”  

At the top of the hill was a stone tower. There were viewing areas and we could see the town and our ship. The thick foliage of this lush climate hugged the town. 

Stone tower at the top

Unusual flowers in the gardens

There was another way back that took us through “Tori Gates” which promise good luck once you pass through enough of them. Once back down on city level, an opaque, tunnel-like covered walkway took us into a mall area. A casual restaurant served delicious local food. No one spoke English, but thankfully the menu had pictures, and the staff was friendly. There were a few other people from the ship who had also found this establishment. 

A series of tori gates on the way down (left side of photo). Our ship was visible in the water.

Arched opening to the mall where we had lunch 

Our lunch spot. No English translation on the menu—this was authentic local cuisine

One ship passenger told us about a second hand store with great prices on obis, the Japanese kimono belts made of silk. It was called “Second Sale.” We found it nearby. Charlie bought sunglasses and a coat, Jill bought obis (cheap silk fabric for sewing or table runners).

It was a relaxing day, but we had an early departure at 3 pm. We caught the shuttle bus back.