European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 16, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                8 stripes Okinawa an advertising supplement Friday March 16 2007 Friday March 16 2007 an advertising supplement stripes Okinawa 9 it was Cloudy and wet when we went but this is the ski Hill and monster slide skiing Okinawa style Okinawa offers so Many opportunities for service members to get out and enjoy the outdoors in addition to world class scuba diving there is sea kayak ing deep sea fishing Tennis camping hiking Golf and skiing just to name a few ski ing Are we talking about water skiing no i mean downhill skiing and you dont have to spend much Money or valuable leave time to take a trip up to Nagano or Sapporo downhill skiing hiking cycling ground Golf Tennis camping and a Host of other activities Are available right Here at the Ken min no Mori Park in Onna son notice that i said downhill skiing and not Snow skiing the Park also called the resident of prefecture Forest Park stretches along Highway 58 in Onna it offers a Host of family oriented activities for free or at reasonable prices Story and photos by Keith t Graff to get there fake the drive up Highway 58 through Onna son just a few Kilometres North of Highway 104 past the Hamlet of Atta youll see the sign and the Road leading up to the Park on your right if you miss that Entrance dont worry just before you reach the Hamlet of Nakama youll find a second Entrance leading into the Park this Entrance is not As Well marked so youll need to look for it a Little More closely of course the availability of some activities is dependant on the weather to help maintain the Hill and keep slope conditions optimal skiing is not allowed during inclement weather or Overly wet conditions if youre itching to hit the slopes you May want to wait for a couple of dry Days before heading out cant wait for the Sun try challenging one of the hiking courses instead All r t it Jav r trails Are reasonably Well maintained but some Are not for the faint heart i cant count How Many times i had to Tell my wife that this must be the last set of Steps however when you finally reach the top the View is Well Worth the struggle want to make a Day of it invite some friends and have a barbeque not a problem Camp Sites Are available for a reasonable fee the Price depends on whether youre plan Ning just a daytime adventure like a picnic or a full blown Camp and overnight stay the main restrictions Are that you use the Cook ing area and grills provided and clean up after yourselves please take your trash Back when you leave As there is no trash collection or recycling receptacles provided More photos on Page 10 hiking trails Are Well marked and maintained dont bother counting the Steps unless youre a Glutton for punishment