North Okinawa · Motobu PeninsulaNo.679★★★Open in map →
Nakijin Castle Ruins
Nakijin was the seat of Hokuzan, the northern kingdom that ruled this end of Okinawa before the island was unified. Its curving limestone walls still climb a ridge above the East China Sea, and nothing on the site has been rebuilt.
- FromNaha Airport
- ~3 hrYanbaru Express Bus, direct
- Get off atNakijin Castle Ruins (Yanbaru Express Bus)
- On foot
- Nakijin Castle Ruins
Where it is
41 more notes in Okinawa · open the map →What to look for — in walking order
- Nakijin Village Center for History and Culturethe site museum at the foot of the ruins, holding finds excavated from the gusuku
- The Kanhizakura avenuedeep pink cherry trees lining the paved approach, in flower at the end of winter
- The curving outer wallslimestone ramparts that follow the ridge line rather than cutting across it
- Jonai Shitano Utakia sacred grove and small shrine standing inside the castle walls
- Uchibaru and the main enclosurethe highest ground of the site, open to the sea on the northern side
How to actually get there
- Naha Airport → Nakijin Castle Ruins (Yanbaru Express Bus, about three hours, direct).
- Get off at the site stop; the ticket office and the history centre stand at the foot of the ruins.
- Buy the ticket and walk up the paved approach, through the gate and into the walls.
- Return on the same line, or ride it on to Kinen-Koen-mae for the aquarium.
- Yanbaru Express Bus, direct from the airport
- The Yanbaru Express Bus runs from Naha Airport to the top of the island and stops at Nakijin Castle Ruins, a ride of about three hours with no change. The stop is at the site itself. Buy nothing in advance; pay on board. Because it is a long single leg, take the earliest departure that suits you rather than the most convenient one.
- Return from the same stop
- The same line runs back towards Naha from the stop you arrived at. It is a scheduled express rather than a frequent service, so read the return times on the pole before you go through the gate. If you are staying on the peninsula, the Motobu and Nago services also pass nearby.
About the place
The walls are the reason to come. Nakijin's builders followed the shape of the ridge instead of levelling it, so the limestone runs in long curves rather than straight lines. From the upper enclosures the ground drops away to the East China Sea on one side and to the hills of the Motobu Peninsula on the other. Inside the ramparts the ground is open grass and stone, with sacred groves left standing where they have always been. The site is one component of the World Heritage listing Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu, and it is presented as a ruin, not a reconstruction.
How to enjoy it
The gate opens at 8:00, earlier than most places on the island, and from May to August the site stays open until 19:00. Walk up first and take the history centre on the way out, so the walls come before the display cases. Late January into early February is when the Kanhizakura along the approach flowers.
Background & history
Nakijin was the castle of Hokuzan, one of the three kingdoms that divided Okinawa before unification. In 1416 forces from Chuzan under Sho Hashi took the castle and the northern kingdom ended; some accounts place the fall in 1422 instead. The Ryukyu court then governed the north from here through an appointed warden, and that post was abolished in 1665, when the last warden left the site. Because no keep was ever raised over the stonework, the plan visible today is the one the kingdom itself used.
Before you go
- Cash
- Admission at the time of writing is 1,000 yen for adults and 500 yen for junior and senior high school students, and free for primary school children and younger. Carry cash for the bus fare.
- Before you go
- Opening hours are 8:00 to 18:00 with last entry at 17:30, extended to 19:00 with last entry at 18:30 from May to August. The site was open normally when checked. Everything here is outdoors on stone and grass, so rain and strong wind make the slopes slippery.
- Another way
- From Nago Bus Terminal, the local 65 and 66 services reach the Nakijin-jo-seki-iriguchi stop, and the terminal itself is served by the 111 express from Naha. The Yanbaru line also calls at Kinen-Koen-mae by the Churaumi Aquarium, so the two can be combined in one day.
- After you get off
- From the Yanbaru Express stop the ticket office and the history centre are a short level walk away, and the paved approach starts behind them. If you arrive instead on the 65 or 66 from Nago, you get off at Nakijin-jo-seki-iriguchi and walk about 15 minutes uphill.