(Photo by Shoji Kudaka / Stripes Okinawa)
Look Rock Bouldering Park provides space for both beginners and experienced boulderers to practice their skills in Okinawa. The gym is only three minutes away from Gate 3 of Kadena Air Base and the main gate of Camp Shields.
If you are new to the sport, you may wonder what the difference is between bouldering and rock climbing. Rock climbing can have a broad meaning, but one key element referenced by many sources is the use of gear. According to Avec Sport, a UK sport gear brand, rock climbing typically “uses safety gear such as ropes, harnesses and helmets,” whereas bouldering is “done at lower heights, and does not include the use of ropes or harnesses.”
Look Rock Bouldering Park is geared to bouldering. Although you don’t use safety gear, a soft ground runs side by side the walls for climbers to land without getting injured.
Navigating up the wall is both a physical and mental challenge. Are you up for it?
Look Rock Bouldering Park
GPS Coordinates: 26.35987, 127.80088 (behind Sun-sea DIY store)
Hours: 1 – 10 p.m. (Mon. – Fri.), 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. (Sat., Sun., holidays) *Closed on Wed
Fees: One-hour session costs 700 yen (approx. $4.76). Two-hour session: 1,200 yen for adults (15 years old and above) and 1,000 yen for children (under the age of 15) .*Rental shoes are available for 500 yen.
