A Swift Adventure - Iheya Island, Okinawa

Last weekend, I went over to Iheya Island with fellow photographers David and Jose. It’s a 90 minute ferry ride from Unten Port on the Motobu peninsular. Rather than rent a car when we got there, we all bundled into my little Swift. One of the advantages of a small car is that it makes the ferry ride cheaper.

Misty Mountains, Iheya Island, Okinawa

The weather wasn’t great while we there, thick clouds at dawn and dusk meant there were no spectacular sunrises or sunsets. It was, however, a decent opportunity to explore one of the islands I’d never been to before. And because I didn’t get all the shots I wanted I have a good reason to go back again.

Rule of Thirds - Iheya Island, Okinawa

One of the island’s attractions is Kumaya-gama a large cave beside the ocean that holds a small shinto shrine. I think the plastic buckets you can see on the floor to the right of the shrine are to collect droplets of water dripping from the rock. At other religious sites in Okinawa such as Sefa Utaki, this water is thought to be sacred. Blue and yellow buckets don’t seem particularly reverent. but I guess they get the job done.

Kumaya Cave, Iheya Island, Okinawa

And finally, a shot of the unusual rocky coastline of Iheya.

Shioshita Beach, Iheya Island, Okinawa