Elephant rock
A trunk in the sea.
FoxyStranger Kawasaki — CC BY-SA 3.0 · MOILIP — CC BY-SA 3.0 · othree — CC BY 2.0 · そらみみ (Soramimi) — CC BY-SA 4.0 · kanesue — CC BY 3.0 · Taiwai Yun — CC BY 2.0 · 芳蘭 徐芳蘭 — CC BY 2.0 · MOILIP — CC BY-SA 3.0
A rocky cape on Okinawa's west coast near Onna village, facing the East China Sea, and one of the island's best-known natural sights. Its name means «a field for ten thousand to sit»: the 18th-century Ryukyuan king Shō Kei is said to have remarked that the clifftop could seat ten thousand people. Its signature is a rock at the tip of the cliff where the waves have carved an opening, so it looks like an elephant dipping its trunk into the sea, above clear blue water where the surf breaks. The top of the cape is a flat grassy meadow of coral limestone with a loop path looking over the cliff, the sea and the neighbouring beaches, and over protected coastal plants. A modern building at the entrance holds shops and restaurants. Entry is about 100 yen, open 8:00 until sunset, per visitor guides. It lies on the road between Naha and Nago and is loveliest at sunset.
A trunk in the sea.
Along the cliff.
Over the sea.
Onna village, west coast of Okinawa
A rock at the cliff's tip where waves carved an opening, so it looks like an elephant dipping its trunk into the sea.