Museums & galleries
Sakima Art Museum
Sakima Art Museum is a private art museum that opened in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan in 1994. The collection includes The Battle of Okimawa (沖縄戦の図) by Iri and Toshi Maruki, and works by Käthe Kollwitz, Georges Rouault, Yayoi Kusama, and Ueno Makoto.
Sakima Art Museum
This is a small private museum in Ginowan, best known for permanently displaying "The Battle of Okinawa" (沖縄戦の図), a large-scale collaborative work by Iri and Toshi Maruki depicting the civilian experience of the 1945 land battle. The rest of the collection is smaller but international in scope, including pieces by Käthe Kollwitz, Georges Rouault, and Yayoi Kusama alongside Okinawan artist Ueno Makoto. It suits travellers interested in how Okinawa's wartime history is represented through art, rather than a general fine-art collection.
Getting there
The museum sits on a low bluff near Futenma, on the edge of the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station. From central Naha it's roughly a 20-25 minute drive or taxi ride; there's no direct monorail access, so a rental car, taxi, or bus connection with a walk is the practical option for most visitors.
How much time to allow
The collection is compact, so an hour to 90 minutes is generally enough to see the galleries at an unhurried pace.
When to go
As a small private museum, it rarely feels crowded, so there's little need to plan around peak times. Given the subject matter of the main exhibit, some travellers prefer visiting earlier in the day when they have more time and energy to take it in.
Combine with
- Nakagusuku Castle (2.7km) — the closest stop, one of Okinawa's Gusuku castle ruins.
- Ireibaru Site (5.4km) and Urasoe yōdore (5.5km) — historic sites a short drive away, easy to combine with the museum's wartime-history theme.
- Urasoe Art Museum (6.4km) — a second art stop if you want to extend the day around art and history in the central Okinawa area.
Sources: open data from Wikipedia and OpenStreetMap · Updated August 5, 2026 · Edited by the World by City editors
