Aug 15, 2013 - 2 min read

Misato Park

Green space in the heart of old Misato Village

By Michael Flemming

Community writer

A pair of rocks with cascading waterfalls at the entrance of Misato Park are usually turned off most of the time

This large pavillion provides a lot of shade for parkgoers and is a central focal point of fesitvals held at the park

The mens, ladies, and family restrooms are architecturally intriguing for a park setting

I haven't seen too many skateboard parks in Okinawa, but there is a halfpipe - really it's two quarterpipes - and a few grind rails available inside a fenced-in area of Misato Park

There's a small assortment of children's playground equipment in the center of the park; this is an elongated spider web that children love to climb on

An official Japan Basketball Association basketball is a must for this court

There's a running path along the perimeter of the park and several other trails like this one that lead through the center of the park

A couple of the water drinking fountains at Misato Park are designed as wings; this is the left wing

I discovered Misato Park by accident while jogging along the pedestrian-only side streets that wind through the old Misato Village area of northern Okinawa City. Running in Okinawa can be a little bit dangerous as many narrow residential roads don't have sidewalks, and wide open parks can be hard to find. Since I like to explore Okinawa with my running shoes on, Misato's matrix of roads that are closed to motorcycles and cars are a godsend. It was a pleasant surprise that my chosen path concluded at this beautiful medium sized mixed-use park. Misato Park is a wide open green belt of grass and a few scattered trees providing a recreation outlet for the working class neighborhood that surrounds it. There is a 700 meter long jogging path that hugs the perimeter of the park, a fenced-in skateboard park, an outdoor basketball court, a small assortment of children's playground equipment, and a few exercise stations as well as clean restrooms, drinking fountains, benches and a large pavilion. The park is a bit crowded in the late afternoon on weekdays and most of the time on the weekends. I like to jog through this park in the morning time to avoid having to dodge cars. The park is open around the clock and is located on Route 224 between Routes 75 and 85. There is no parking at the park, but the Okinawa City branch offices adjacent to the park are usually a safe place to leave your car.