Nanjo

Sacred Sefa-utaki and Chinen’s Charming Overlook
Sacred Sefa-utaki and Chinen’s Charming Overlook

Sacred Sefa-utaki and Chinen’s Charming Overlook

According to legend the goddess Amamikyo first came to the island of Okinawa in what’s now Nanjo City on Okinawa’s southeastern Chinen peninsula. With her came the beginning of Ryukyu’s culture and native religion. Her children where the first kings…

Green Jungle and Grey Stone: Chinen and Tamagusuku’s Gusuku (Castle) Road
Green Jungle and Grey Stone: Chinen and Tamagusuku’s Gusuku (Castle) Road

Green Jungle and Grey Stone: Chinen and Tamagusuku’s Gusuku (Castle) Road

Because I didn’t know what my options were until I arrived, I set aside the afternoon of my anime sightseeing day trip to Nanjo City for whatever locally spoke to me. Since the Sefa-Utaki, the most sacred place in Okinawa’s…

White Sand and Blue Sea: Chinen Village in Aquatope on White Sand
White Sand and Blue Sea: Chinen Village in Aquatope on White Sand

White Sand and Blue Sea: Chinen Village in Aquatope on White Sand

This is the first part of a one-day trip to Nanjo City, Okinwa, broken into two stories. Those interested in how a real seaside Okinawan village is depicted in modern pop culture can start here. If you’re just here for…