| The Omoro Botanical Garden (おもろ植物園, Omoro Shokubutsuen, 4 hectares), also known as the Omoro Arboretum, is an arboretum and botanical garden located in the Ocean Expo Park, 424 Ishikawa, Motobu, Okinawa, Japan. It is open daily except Thursdays; admission is free. This facility was opened in 1980 to commemorate the Okinawa International Ocean Exposition. At a 2003 press conference, Emperor Akihito suggested the garden serve as a parallel to Japan's Manyo botanical gardens, which feature plants appearing in the Man'yōshū anthology (much like a Shakespeare garden in the English-speaking world). Accordingly, this garden collects plants that are described in the Omoro Sōshi (おもろそうし), a collection of Okinawan poems and songs. |
| The Tropical & Subtropical Arboretum (熱帯・亜熱帯都市緑化植物園, Nettai Anettai Toshi Ryokka Shokubutsuen) is a 9-hectare (22-acre) arboretum and botanical garden located in the southern tip of the Ocean Expo Park at Ishikawa 424, Motobu-cho, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa, Japan. It is open daily without charge. The arboretum was established in August 1976 on the site of the 1975 Okinawa Ocean Expo, and describes itself as the only tropical and subtropical arboretum in Japan with Okinawan climate. Its mission is education and the promotion of the urban afforestation, with sample gardens including nearly 37,500 plants representing 320 species of tropical and subtropical plants. Major arboretum features include an herb garden, hedge & vine area, ground cover area, street trees, and sections for salt and wind tolerant trees, palm trees, and bushes. |
