OKINAWA ! Maeda Flats - Gun Cave Beach on a Cloudy Day

            From the bluff, looking northeast over the Gun Cave Beach. An overcast December day, 2006. Two of my three daughters looking up from below. At the water's edge, two skin divers adjusting their flippers before floating out over the pools filled with tropical wonders. The beach below has a 100-yard shoreline.

Floating on the hazy horizon, and just touching the left frame line of the image, you will see a very small triangle formation (probably easier to see with the ALL SIZES button). That is the center peak of the small island of IE JIMA, where the American war correspondent ERNIE PYLE was killed during the WW2 Battle of Okinawa. It is a 30 minute ferry ride from Motubu Peninsula (also seen on the Horizon above and beyond the sea-rocks in the photo).

"Maeda Flats" is the long-standing American name for this shallow, blue and green coral reef along the East China Sea just south of Maeda Point. It is only about 20-30 minutes north of Kadena Air Base, depending on the traffic, or the route you take to get here. For us, it's a little closer, being about 10-15 minutes from home.

The Flats are faced with a half-mile stretch of several hidden coves and "private" beaches like this one, all separated by narrow walls of high, coral outcroppings such as the one I am standing on to take this picture. On the other side of the rock wall seen at the far end of this beach, there is another hidden beach as just like this one, and more beyond that. There are even a few behind me.

While Maeda Point itself (700 yards away) is serviced by a large parking lot and scenic lookout pavilion (usually packed with tourists, and scuba divers descending a long staircase down to the sea), the adjacent beaches such as above see very few visitors. 

The trails that lead to these beaches are not shown on the tourist maps. Usually, just the locals (like us) and the beach and reef-loving members of the US Military pass the "secret knowledge" of these spots on to each other. Great places to have beach parties, family picnics, walk the dog, and.... and other activities I can only mention in my posthumously-published memoirs.

By the way, the above pictured beach can usually be had all to yourself --- and that's why we come to this one.....slipping down the trail between the old Okinawan tombs, and onto the beach and tidal pools. There is an old WW2 cave cut into the rocky bluffs over there, just past those camper tents, but hard to see in this pic (try the ALL SIZES button). It was made by the Japanese Military for gun emplacements, but is now just a good spot to take pictures, hide from a squall, or have a roaring fire going all night while camping out.

PHOTO INFO :  1/2 of Full Frame stereoview taken with RBT Stereo Camera. 35mm Fuji Velvia 100 Slide Film.  Skylight Filter only. Scanned straight from film. No enhancements or corrections. Posted as is.

NOTE:  I am already shooting (Slide Film again) but processing takes a while these days. So, just to show you where I am, these "old" images will do. The place looks exactly like this today (almost 2 years after the above was taken).

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Taken in: Japan / Okinawa Prefecture (show map)

Taken on: November 23, 2008

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Sets appears in: • OKINAWA ! • MEADA FLATS in OKINAWA

Groups appears in: • Okinawa Explored • Okinawa in Film

Camera: NORITSU KOKI QSS-29_31 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	NORITSU KOKI QSS-29_31
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
Software:	Picasa 3.0
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