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Nature

Ryukyu Islands

The Ryukyu Islands , also known as the Nansei Islands or the Ryukyu Arc , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan. Administratively, they are divided between Kagoshima Prefecture and Okinawa Prefecture. The larger ones are mostly volcanic islands and the smaller mostly coral. The largest is Okinawa Island.

Castles & palaces

Nakagusuku Castle

Nakagusuku Castle is a Ryukyuan gusuku fortification located in the village of Kitanakagusuku, Okinawa, Japan. It is known for being the best-preserved of any gusuku ruins, and the six courtyards of this fortress with stacked stone walls make it a prime example of a gusuku. It has been protected by the central government as a National Historic Site since 1972. The designated area is 110,473 square meters, of which 14,473 square meters is the castle grounds. In November 2000, it was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of...

Nature

Lake Man

Lake Man is an area of wetlands in Okinawa that is located between the cities of Naha and Tomigusuku, and within Manko Park. Despite being called "Lake Man", it is in fact a wetland and not a lake. Lake Man covers 0.11 square kilometres (0.042 mi2).

Heritage & monuments

Tamaudun

Tamaudun (玉陵) is one of the three royal mausoleums of the Second Shō Dynasty of kings of the Ryukyu Kingdom, along with Urasoe yōdore at Urasoe Castle and Izena Tamaudun near Izena Castle in Izena, Okinawa. The mausoleum is located in Shuri, Okinawa, and was built in 1501 by King Shō Shin, the third king, to bury his father, King Shō En a short distance from Shuri Castle. The Tamaudun complex was designated a National Historic Site in 1972. It was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO on December 2, 2000, as a part of the site group Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of...

Museums & galleries

Okinawa Prefectural Museum & Art Museum

The Okinawa Prefectural Museum and Art Museum , or Okimu for short, is a museum in the most southern prefecture of Japan. The museum complex in the Omoro-machi area of Naha, the capital city of Okinawa Prefecture. It opened in November 2007, and includes art, history, and natural history museums focusing specifically on Okinawan topics.

Heritage & monuments

Sefa-utaki

Sefa-utaki, is a historical sacred space, overlooking Kudaka Island, that served as one of the key locations of worship in the native religion of Ryukyuan for millennia. It was designated a National Historic Site in 2018. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu in the city of Nanjō, Okinawa, Japan.

Parks & gardens

Okinawa Senseki Quasi-National Park

Okinawa Senseki Quasi-National Park is a Quasi-National Park around the battlefields of south Okinawa, Japan. It was established as a Prefectural Park in 1965 and redesignated with the return of Okinawa to Japanese administration in 1972.

Nature

Mae Island

Maeshima is an uninhabited island in Okinawa's Kerama island group. It is controlled by the city of Tokashiki in Shimajiri District.