Okinawa is rightly famous for its stunning turquoise waters and vibrant underwater world. While scuba diving and snorkeling are absolutely fantastic ways to experience the marine life firsthand, they aren't always feasible for everyone – maybe you're not a certified diver, you're on a very tight schedule, or you're traveling with young kids and can't afford to spend hours geared up in the water. If you want to enjoy Okinawa's spectacular ocean views and get a fascinating glimpse below the surface without needing to change into a bathing suit or commit to a full water excursion, then you've absolutely got to visit Busena Marine Park (ブセナ海中公園)!
Effortless Marine Exploration at Busena Marine Park
Set on a beautiful stretch of coastline, Busena Marine Park makes marine life accessible and easy for visitors of all ages and abilities. The park is well-organized and relaxing to explore. A convenient, free shuttle runs around the park approximately every 20 minutes – a real lifesaver for families with small children (or just tired legs after walking!). The shuttle efficiently connects the beach house and parking areas with the ticket booth, the pier for boarding the glass-bottom boat, and the longer pier leading out to the main attraction, the underwater observatory.
The walk out to the Underwater Observatory itself, along a long, picturesque pier extending hundreds of meters into the shallow bay, offers lovely views back to shore and across the clear water. Once you reach the end, descending the spiral staircase takes you four meters below sea level into a comfortable, climate-controlled viewing chamber. With 24 large windows providing a nearly 360-degree panoramic view, it truly feels like being in a giant bubble completely surrounded by the sea! We could sit and watch schools of colorful tropical fish darting among the coral formations, see various marine creatures like anemones and perhaps even a sea snake going about their day in their natural habitat just outside the glass. The water here was remarkably clear during our visit, allowing for fantastic visibility, and it was truly magical and peaceful to simply observe the underwater world from this unique, dry vantage point.
Another delightful attraction included in the park is the charming, whale-shaped glass-bottom boat! This whimsical vessel, with a capacity for about 36 people, takes you on a pleasant 20-minute ride gliding over sections of reef closer to the surface. Looking down through the large glass panel in the boat's floor gives you a different perspective compared to the observatory, seeing fish swimming directly beneath you as the boat gently cruises along.
Adding to the fun, and particularly popular with kids, is the opportunity for some direct interaction. While waiting in line for the boat or standing on the pier, you can purchase a small bag of fish food for only 100 Yen (a great value!). Tossing the little pellets into the water immediately attracts a swirling, colorful frenzy of fish – it's exciting and interactive, letting you get up-close "encounters" with the hungry marine residents nibbling just below the surface!
A Culinary Deep Dive: Makishi Public Market in Naha
After enjoying the visual splendor of the underwater world at Busena, our exploration of Okinawa's deep connection to the ocean continued, this time focusing on its incredible fresh seafood scene. Our culinary adventure led us back to Naha, Okinawa's vibrant capital, and the bustling Makishi Public Market (牧志公設市場).
Finding the market is part of the fun – it's located deep in the center of a maze of lively side streets and covered shopping arcades in downtown Naha, feeling like uncovering a true local treasure as you navigate the bustling walkways filled with small shops and food stalls. Stepping into the Makishi Public Market building itself is a vibrant, sensory overload, particularly on the ground floor. It's a bustling hub filled with energetic fish mongers, butchers, produce stalls, and local snack vendors. The air is thick with the sounds of chatter, calls from vendors, the occasional splash of water, and the distinct, fresh smell of the sea. Your eyes are immediately drawn to the tanks brimming with live, swimming creatures of all shapes, sizes, and vibrant colors – many unique to Okinawan waters, alongside fascinating displays of freshly caught fish and other seafood. It was a truly wonderful market for fresh seafood, offering an astonishingly wider selection than we'd seen elsewhere.
The unique and highly recommended experience here is the "buy-and-eat" system. You get to browse the ground floor stalls and choose your favorite seafood, pointing out exactly what you want. We decided to be adventurous and picked out a pair of lively groupers from a tank at one of the friendly fish monger stalls. Once you've made your selection, the fish monger will expertly clean it and then escort you or bring the food upstairs to one of the numerous small, casual restaurants located on the second floor. Here, you hand over your fresh catch and tell them exactly how you want it prepared – grilled, as sashimi, stir-fried, incorporated into a soup, etc. – paying a separate, very reasonable cooking fee.
Our lunch cooked upstairs was absolutely marvelous! Because the seafood was chosen while it was still live and swimming just minutes before, the freshness was beyond compare. Our groupers were prepared exactly as we had requested, resulting in incredibly tender, flaky, and flavorful dishes that tasted purely and simply of the sea. The process added such a fun, interactive element to the meal, and the prices overall felt very reasonable, especially considering the unparalleled quality and the unique experience of selecting your own ingredients from the tank downstairs.
No visit to Okinawa is truly complete without trying the local treat, Blue Seal ice cream! While there was likely a shop conveniently located within or near the market maze itself, you'll find Blue Seal-branded cafes, parlors, and stands all over Okinawa, easily identifiable by their cheerful blue and white branding. It's definitely a must-try while you're on the island, perfect for cooling down in the tropical heat. Beyond standard flavors, they offer unique Okinawan specialties that are incredibly popular and distinct. We highly recommend venturing out to try flavors like the subtly sweet Sugarcane, the surprisingly refreshing and slightly unusual Bitter Melon (don't let the name scare you, it has a unique, pleasant taste!), and the vibrantly colored and deliciously sweet Purple Sweet Potato (Beni Imo) – often a beautiful lavender hue with a rich, earthy sweetness. Enjoying a scoop (or two!) of these unique local flavors was the perfect sweet ending to our market adventure and a delightful taste of Okinawa's culinary identity.
From exploring the underwater world without getting wet at Busena Marine Park to diving into the vibrant sensory experience and culinary delights of Naha's Makishi Public Market (always leaving room for iconic Blue Seal ice cream!), our time exploring these two spots offered fantastic and accessible ways to connect with Okinawa's beautiful ocean and its delicious bounty. Both experiences provided unique perspectives and created wonderful, tasty memories of this tropical Japanese paradise.
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