The , also known as the Omoro Arboretum, is an arboretum

Arboretum

An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...

 and botanical garden

Botanical garden

A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...

 located in the Ocean Expo Park, 424 Ishikawa, Motobu, Okinawa

Motobu, Okinawa

is a town located in Kunigami District, Okinawa, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 14,481 and a density of 266.69 persons per km²...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. 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

Akihito

is the current , the 125th emperor of his line according to Japan's traditional order of succession. He acceded to the throne in 1989.-Name:In Japan, the emperor is never referred to by his given name, but rather is referred to as "His Imperial Majesty the Emperor" which may be shortened to . In...

 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

Shakespeare garden

A Shakespeare garden is a themed garden that cultivates plants mentioned in the works of William Shakespeare. In English-speaking countries, particularly the United States, these are often public gardens associated with parks, universities, and Shakespeare festivals...

 in the English-speaking world). Accordingly, this garden collects plants that are described in the Omoro Sōshi

Omoro Soshi

The Omoro Sōshi is a compilation of ancient poems and songs from Okinawa and the Amami Islands, collected into 22 volumes and written primarily in hiragana with some simple kanji...

 (おもろそうし), a collection of Okinawan poems and songs.

The garden contains about 400 species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 of salt-resistant plants organized into zones, including large trees (Ficus microcarpa

Ficus microcarpa

Ficus microcarpa, also known as Chinese Banyan, Malayan Banyan, Indian Laurel or Curtain fig, is a banyan native in the range from Sri Lanka to India, southern China, the Malay Archipelago, the Ryukyu Islands, Australia, and New Caledonia.-Taxonomy:Hill's Weeping Fig is a form of Ficus microcarpa...

, Ficus superba, Ficus virgata, Bischofia javanica

Bischofia javanica

Bischofia javanica is a plant species of the family Phyllanthaceae. It and the related B. polycarpa are the only two members of genus and tribe...

, etc.), small trees (Maytenus diversifolia, Scaevola taccada

Scaevola taccada

Scaevola taccada, also known as Beach Cabbage, Sea Lettuce, Beach Naupaka, Naupaka kahakai , Merambong and Ngahu is a flowering plant in the family Goodeniaceae found in open coastal locations of the tropical areas of the Indo-Pacific...

, Wikstroemia retusa), shade trees (Artcarpus altilis Fosb., Ficus lyrata

Ficus lyrata

Ficus lyrata , commonly known as the fiddle-leaf fig, is a species of fig tree, native to western Africa, from Cameroon west to Sierra Leone...

, Koelreuteria elegans

Koelreuteria elegans

Koelreuteria elegans, more commonly known as the Chinese Rain Tree is a deciduous tree to 15-20 metres native to Taiwan and southern China. It is widely grown throughout the tropics and sub-tropical parts of the world as a street tree....

 subsp. formosana), and other plants including Antidesma pentandrum, Buxus liukiuensis (Makino), Clerodendrum inerme, and Murraya paniculata

Murraya paniculata

Murraya paniculata, commonly called orange jasmine, is a tropical, evergreen plant bearing small, white, scented flowers, which is grown as an ornamental tree or hedge. Murraya is closely related to Citrus.- Synonyms and Common & Local Names :...

, as well as various garden plants, herbs, and so forth.

The garden also contains more than 110 wild orchid species, many of them endangered, native to the Ryukyu Islands

Ryukyu Islands

The , also known as the , is a chain of islands in the western Pacific, on the eastern limit of the East China Sea and to the southwest of the island of Kyushu in Japan. From about 1829 until the mid 20th century, they were alternately called Luchu, Loochoo, or Lewchew, akin to the Mandarin...

. These include Acanthephippium pictum, Acanthephippium sylhetense, Bulbophyllum macraei

Bulbophyllum macraei

Bulbophyllum macraei is a species of orchid in the genus Bulbophyllum.-References:**...

, Dendrobium okinawense, Eria ovata, Eulophia graminea, Gastrochilus japonicus

Gastrochilus japonicus

Gastrochilus japonicus is a species of orchid....

, Gerdorum densiflorum, Malaxis kandae, Neofinetia falcata, Sedirea japonica, and Tainia laxiflora.