Things to Do Around Nakijin

Nakijin sits at the northern end of Okinawa's main island, about 90 minutes' drive from Naha. It is a good base rather than a destination in itself: the places most visitors come north for are all a short drive away, and the village you come back to at the end of the day is quiet.

Here is what is around Yukumiya, and how to make the most of staying here rather than in a resort.

Kouri Island and the Kouri Bridge

Kouri Island is reached by driving across the Kouri Bridge, a long, low causeway over water that turns an improbable turquoise on a clear day. The island itself is small — a beach, a few cafés, a road around the edge.

It gets busy in the middle of the day. Staying nearby means you can go early in the morning or towards evening, when there are far fewer people and the light is better. This is the single biggest practical advantage of basing yourself in Nakijin instead of driving up from the south.

Nakijin Castle Ruins (UNESCO World Heritage)

Nakijin Castle (今帰仁城跡) was the seat of power in northern Okinawa before the Ryukyu Kingdom was unified. What remains is a long run of curving stone walls along a ridge, with the sea below.

It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing for the Gusuku sites of Ryukyu. Go first thing in the morning if you can — the site is quiet then, and walking the walls in the early air is a different experience from doing it in the middle of a hot afternoon.

Churaumi Aquarium

The Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, in neighbouring Motobu, is the north's biggest single attraction — whale sharks and manta rays in one of the largest tanks in the world. It is an easy day trip from the house.

If you are searching for somewhere to stay near Churaumi, this is the trade-off worth understanding: hotels immediately around the aquarium are convenient but busy, while Nakijin is a short drive further on and much quieter. The surrounding park, beach and Bise fukugi tree lane are worth building into the same day.

The outer islands: Izena and Iheya

Very few visitors get this far, which is rather the point. Ferries to the islands of Izena and Iheya leave from Unten Port, about a 10-minute walk from the house. If you want genuinely untouristed Okinawa, this is the direction to go.

See ferries from Unten Port for how to plan it.

Yanbaru: the northern forest

North of Nakijin the island narrows and turns into yanbaru — dense subtropical forest, added to the UNESCO World Heritage list for its endemic species and forest ecosystem. It is a long day's driving to see properly, but even an hour further north gets you into a landscape that looks nothing like the beach resorts.

Doing nothing at all

Worth saying plainly, because it is what a lot of guests end up doing. There is no television in the house and the mobile signal is weak. There is a veranda, an electric BBQ grill, a full kitchen, and a sky with an unreasonable number of stars in it.

Pick up something from the village supermarket or a roadside produce stall, cook it, eat outside, and let the evening take as long as it takes. Several people have told us this was the best day of the trip, and it involved leaving the house exactly once.

Practical notes

• A rental car makes all of this easier. See getting here for the alternative by bus.
• You can buy food locally — there is a supermarket in the village, plus unmanned roadside produce stalls with an honesty box.
• Opening hours and access for the sites above change seasonally. Please check each one's official information before you go.