"Fukugi Trees of Bise Village"

Fukugi Trees of Bise Village

View Map It! Okinawa in a larger map

Fukugi Trees of Bise Village

     GPS

Latitude	Longitude
N 26 42.283	E 127 52.867

Fukugi Trees of Bise Village

Welcome to Bise Village. This little town, or district, is often overshadowed by a much larger tourist attraction just a few kilometers to the south, the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium. But Bise Village isn't exactly a tourist attraction. People actually live here. What makes Bise Village a place of wonder is how the town is zoned together. The roads and walkways are laced with tall Fukugi Trees (Garcinia subelliptica). Aside from being tall, these trees hold sturdy against strong winds, which makes them very useful during typhoon season to protect the local domiciles. Their bark is also used to make a form of red dye.

As you walk around the town, you do get a feel that you have just walked into a theme park, like Disneyland. Feel free to walk around and take pictures. The towns people have grown accustom to the curious traveler wanting to take a glimpse of their famous Fukugi Trees. But please remember that people do live here and as such, their privacy should be respected. To see some other outstanding photos of the Fukugi Trees, please see Michael Lynch's Fukugi Tree Photo Essay. On the outskirts of Bise Village to the west you will see a great view of Ie Shima Island. Please see photo album above.

Getting There/Parking. There is a blue route marked on the map to take you to the center of Bise Village. The route starts from Highway 114. From there you are gonna have to find parking where you can. You can probably park just little to the south where I designated a Landmark. There may be certain areas you may have to pay for parking or you can chance it somewhere else. The roads are narrow, so park at our own risk. There is a 'Shell Shop' further north that I have also marked. They do have designated parking but it is for the store. I will post a blog on this soon. The owner is a very nice lady. You can get a preview of her here at MikesRyukyuGallery.com.

What to bring. Definitely a camera, mosquito repellant (depending on the time of year, you will see a lot of mosquitoes as you walk through the Fukugi corridors), water.

Sources. Description of Flora, Okinawa Story.

Other places of interest nearby: Okinawa International Orchid Show (February Only), Bise Village Shell Shop.