Cape Manzamo

Manzamo is a raised coral limestone headland on the Onna coast, and the sea has undercut its edge so that a projecting arch of rock reads, from the path, as an elephant lowering its trunk into the water. The name comes from an eighteenth-century visit by a Ryukyuan king who is said to have remarked that ten thousand people could sit on the grassy top - which they could, since the surface is flat open turf about twenty metres above the sea. A circular path runs round the headland with the East China Sea on three sides; the water below is the strong blue Okinawa is known for and the cliffs are sharp raised coral. A visitor centre and paid parking were added when numbers grew. It takes half an hour to walk and is at its best in the late afternoon, when the light comes in under the arch.

History

The name is said to come from the 18th-century Ryukyuan king Sho Kei, who remarked on a visit that the clifftop was big enough for 10,000 people to sit, and its characters mean ten thousand, sit and field (Wikipedia, Cape Manzamo).

What's there

• The elephant trunk - an undercut arch of raised coral limestone reaching to the sea.
• Flat turf on top - open grassland about twenty metres above the water.
• A circular path - the East China Sea on three sides of the headland.
• Late afternoon light - coming in under the arch from the west.

When to go

All year; late afternoon for the light. An hour.

Before you go

It is a short visit and there is little to do beyond the walk. Parking and entry are charged. Coach parties fill the path in the middle of the day. Typhoons close the headland in late summer.

Nearby

Onna's resort coast runs north and south; Kouri Island is further north.

Key facts