Okinawa 3-Day Itinerary (2 Nights)

Ryukyu Islands

Nature

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.

Nakagusuku Castle

Castles & palaces · 7.5 km from the previous stop

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...

Urasoe yōdore

Heritage & monuments · 8 km from the previous stop

Urasoe yōdore is one of the three royal mausoleums of the Ryukyu Kingdom, along with Tamaudun at Shuri Castle and Izena Tamaudun near Izena Castle in Izena, Okinawa. It is located in Urasoe, Okinawa, in a cave on a cliff to the northeast of Urasoe Castle. It houses the remains of three rulers of the Ryukyu Islands, along with one king of the Ryūkyū Kingdom separated from the others by several centuries.

Urasoe Art Museum

Museums & galleries · 1.3 km from the previous stop

Urasoe Art Museum opened in 1990 in Urasoe, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The collection has a particular focus upon Ryukyu lacquerware.

Lake Man

Nature

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).

Gokoku-ji Temple

Temples & religious sites · 1.9 km from the previous stop

Gokoku-ji is a Shingon Buddhist temple in Naha, Okinawa. Established in 1367, the temple served as a major national temple for the Okinawan kingdom of Chūzan and the unified Ryūkyū Kingdom which would follow. It is well known for its associations with Christian missionary Bernard Jean Bettelheim and with the 1853-1854 visits by Commodore Matthew Perry to Okinawa.

Naha City Museum of History

Museums & galleries · 0.1 km from the previous stop

Naha City Museum of History opened in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, in 2006. The collection includes the National Treasure Materials relating to the Shō Family of Ryūkyū Kings. The digital museum was launched in 2014.

Fukushūen

Parks & gardens · 0.6 km from the previous stop

Fukushūen is a traditional Chinese garden in the Kume area of Naha, Okinawa.

Tamaudun

Heritage & monuments

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...

Shureimon

Heritage & monuments · 0.2 km from the previous stop

Shureimon is a gate in the Shuri neighborhood of Naha, the capital of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It was the second of Shuri Castle's main gates. Now it is the main gate to the castle complex. Chūzanmon was the first ceremonial gate to Shurijo, built around 1427 by King Shō Hashi, and it was demolished in 1907.

Sonohyan-utaki

Heritage & monuments · 0 km from the previous stop

Sonohyan-utaki is a sacred grove of trees and plants (utaki) of the traditional indigenous Ryukyuan religion. It is located on the grounds of Shuri Castle in Naha, Okinawa, a few paces away from the Shureimon castle gate. The utaki, or more specifically its stone gate, is one of a number of sites which together comprise the UNESCO World Heritage Site officially described as Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu, and has been designated an Important Cultural Property by the Japanese national government.

Shikina-en

Parks & gardens · 1.6 km from the previous stop

The gardens of Shikina-en (識名園) are located on a small hill to the south of Shuri Castle in Naha, Okinawa. The residence and its gardens are also known as Sichina-nu-udun or Nan'en, as opposed to the Tōen of Uchaya-udun, laid out on a small hill east of Shuri Castle in 1677. In 1992 Hiroshi Shō, the great-grandson of Shō Tai, the last king of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, donated the royal mausoleum of Tamaudun and Shikina-en to the City of Naha.