Southern country Okinawa. Okinawa, a subtropical island that has nothing to do with skates and skis. However, ice skating is possible in Okinawa. The name is “Sports World Southern Hill”. There is an ice skating rink at a sports facility in Haebaru town. I have known for a long time, but living in hot Okinawa is not an idea to go ice skating. However, ice skating has never been seen or heard by Okinawan children. I wanted to experience it once, so I went to Southern Hill on a holiday and had an ice skating experience!! My lower child, who was not very motivated before going to ice skating, was very satisfied with it, saying, “I want to skate more!” For those of you who have never experienced ice skating in Okinawa, here is a brief introduction to my experience.
The Southern Hill is about 5 minutes by car from the highway Haebaru north exit. There is a skating rink site at first floor, first of all, you purchase a ticket at a ticket vending machine. You can skate with this ticket all day, and it is OK to rent skates and helmets.
Take the skates and enter the ice rink, the world of ice! It was completely white until my breath (laughs). It is cold that you can not experience once a year in Okinawa. It feels like it’s just inside the freezer.
My children wear ice skates and have a first experience with ice skating! However, they could not skate, so they felt the first ice skating feeling while holding on to a handrail. They could not go ahead more than they thought, and they were having a hard time in the beginning without getting balanced.
By the way, for me, it is my third ice skate in my life. It’s been a while since I was a student when I lived outside Okinawa Prefecture, so it’s been over 15 years. I also struggled a bit as I thought at first I was not balanced. However, after about 10 minutes, I could slip a little, remembering the old sense. For the ice skating inexperienced Okinawa people, please see the video shot of ice skating on Southern Hill. It is an atmosphere like this.
Please be assured that people are not all good at ice skating. If you have used roller skating in the old days, you should be quick to get the tips. You don’t have to be slippery at all. A skate sled is also available for rent. Hot Okinawa, I think ice skating is also interesting when it is hot in summer. If you are a young couple, it would be fun to go on a date.
Even children who had been struggling with ice skating in the first place could now slip slightly without handrails after about two hours. Even though they were pretty much it had fallen. But even if they had fallen, they looked fun. After all the first experience is fun. “I want to slide more,” “I want to come to ice skateing tomorrow,” and enjoyed it to the end.
They were desperate to slip more, but on our way home they were both tired and they slept in a car. Maybe because we used a different muscle from the one we usually use, the next day was a good muscle ache. Well, it’s nice to be a parent as child still enjoyed it.
On the way, maintenance of the ice skating rink started. They used this kind of machine to water and maintain the unevenness of the link area. After maintenance it was so slick! Because it was thinly watered. It was even more slippery.
A quick note on Okinawa people to experience ice skating for the first time
Ice skating rinks are literally ice. In other words, the temperature inside the venue is almost the same as the freezer. Therefore we recommend wearing long-sleeved long pants. Having said that, it’s still a good exercise when you’re slipping, so it’s warm and you’ll get some sweat. I had two layers of T-shirt and hood parker, but it was enough. You are also required to wear gloves. Ice and water will keep getting cold as your hand and tipped over, etc. You can not slip very much without gloves. If you are coming with a small child, it may be better to bring in gloves and pants. Because it falls and gets wet more and more.
Everyone of Okinawan who has nothing to do with winter sports, please try ice skating with your children once. I think it will be an unforgettable experience for your children.
- Address: Zip901-1104, 460-1 Miyahira, Haebaru-cho, Okinawa
- Telephone: 098-888-5656
- Opne: Weekday 11:00〜20:00、Saturday Sunday 10:00〜21:00、Holiday 10:00〜20:00
- Price: Adult 1,700 yen, Student 1,500 yen, Elementary school 1,300 yen、Infant 1,100 yen, Visitor 300 yen
- HP：Click here for the homepage of Southern Hill
The Southern Hill is here ↓
If you want to know recommended sightseeings in Okinawa
Since you are coming to Okinawa traveling a lot, you want to know the shops and spots that local people only know. This book is a little different from the ordinary guidebook, and the local recommend these books. Every book has many pictures and it is easy to understand. It is recommended.
※If you click on the image you can buy it directly from Amazon Japan
