Botanical Garden

Welcome to seeing the botanical garden through my eyes…

You can’t see it but this pond is filled with Koi fishes ~ The Koi fish is always at ease in the water. Feng shui, a spiritual form of organization and placement of objects, says that having the spirit of the koi near you will attract good luck, fortune, and spiritual benefits. You will see many koi fishes here in Japan.

They had cute little ones to really large ones in all different colors too. You can feed these fishes for 100 yen. You get a whole container of food.

You will see nothing but lush green all around with breath taking views as you can see.

As you walk through the botanical garden you will cross a section that was a little zoo. They had many animals such as muscovy ducks, house mice (which I was not a fan of), chickens, Rabbits, Guinea pigs, an African spurred tortoise, a capybara, goats and many more. I’m sorry I did not take any photos because we walked through it very quickly. Ha! Catch my drift?

You will also come across little ponds like this one below. The lily pad you see in this picture below are the biggest I have ever seen! Beautiful for sure!

This beautiful 38-meter-tall statue of Kannon Bodhisattva, the Goddess of Mercy was the main reason I wanted to visit the botanical garden. This statue is covered in gold leaves. Kinzo Norimatsu, a ceramic artist is the one who created the statue. It is definitely worth it to see it for yourself in person.

Can you see me? This statue is HUUUUUUUUUUUUGE!!!

We were lucky enough to see this beautiful statue before the typhoon tore it down. Typhoon season in Okinawa Japan starts in June until November. Unfortunately, this statue was not strong enough to withstand the crazy typhoon and is now in pieces. I can’t tell you where this statue is located now but I am sure they are working on rebuilding.

This picture shows how excited I was to be able to see this statue up close and personal. There was also a section where little wooden plaques hung up but we couldn’t understand what it meant or what it was for. From what I have seen, this is something that you will see a lot of in Japan especially near shrines and temples. Regardless of not knowing what it was for or what it will do, I took a photo anyway!

Of course, this place was filled with beautiful flowers. I was able to snap a few good ones.

Below is my favorite shop of me and my husband.

~Walking hand in hand through this thing called LIFE~

The Alexander palm is an iconic tree that can only be grown in greenhouses in mainland Japan, but we were able to enjoy walking through them and seeing them in person here in Okinawa. This path is also a popular spiritual spot that many come to for spiritual healing.

together we walk through this thing called life.

We had an amazing time here and we are thrilled that we were able created some great memories. Not to mention the great photos we have to remind of our time here.

I’d like to share some advice with you before heading to this botanical garden. Being prepared is the key to having a great time. Okinawa is very humid so if you plan to go during the summer months, be prepared to sweat. I would highly recommend:

Wear/bring sunblock/sunscreen needed for sure. You will definitely get a tan or sunburn depending on how your skin reacts to sun. I got a very nice tan.
Wear a hat, wear sunglasses to block the sun and protect your eyes.
Wear comfortable walking shoes. Lots of walking around, on concrete and on dirt. You will be climbing stairs as well. Look cute but be comfortable.
Bring bug spray so you don’t get eaten alive. Buy the mini travel size so you can keep it in your purse.
Bring a mini umbrella to block the sun. Here in Japan, an umbrella is not just for when it rains. They carry it around all year round, during rain or shine!
Bring a mini towel. The one thing I was happy I had with me was a little wash cloth to wipe the sweat off of me. I’m telling you… it was humid and extremely hot. We were all sweating but I was only one who was smart enough to bring a towel. Dab dab on my face so I would mess up my make up. Come on now, I have to look presentable in all of my photos so duh! I thought to bring one!
Bring a mini fan. I forgot to bring my portable fan on this trip which was stupid so I am reminding you to bring one! That fan will be your life saver. Whether it’s a portable fan or a fold up fan, it will do you good!
Water! You will have to hydrate so bring a bottle or hydro flask filled with ice, not water, but ice. It will melt and when you are thirsty you will have nice ice cold water to cool you down with.
Bring a snack. A protein bar will do. All the walking you will do, you will eventually build up an appetite and will most likely be stuck in the middle of nowhere. The last thing you want to do is have to hurry and leave to find a spot to eat. They have a little restaurant/gift shop but it was located at the entrance.
Take lots of pictures! If you are alone with a friend or your significant other, don’t forget your selfie stick that has the option to use as a tri-pod. We went with our friends so we were able to get some great photos thanks to them. The worst part about taking an adventure with your spouse or friends is being stuck having one person not in the picture. You want to be able to capture all of you in one photo.

Thank you for allowing me to share some of memories from our trip to The Southeast Botanical Gardens in Okinawa Japan.