ra's house, and the ruins of Nakagusuku castleCastle: hours 8:30a to 5p, admission 300Y
Nakamura house: 9-5:30p, admission 500Y
This is a great area to explore on a sunny winter's day. Nakamura house is attractively landscaped and offers an interesting view into Okinawa's past. About an hour is plenty of time to contemplate the tile, wood, tatami, and ceramics. http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~knaka/english/.
Dow
n the road, the Nakagusuku castle ruins are quite impressive. You can walk over the curved walls and enjoy views over both coasts. There is a nice open grassy area which is reminiscent of a college lawn, and equally suitable for lying in the sun or having a picnic. There is ongoing renovation at the site. http://www.jcastle.info/castle/profile/109 For more info about other castle sites on Okinawa, including opening hours and admission charges: http://jasonkimball.org/tag/castle/
n the road, the Nakagusuku castle ruins are quite impressive. You can walk over the curved walls and enjoy views over both coasts. There is a nice open grassy area which is reminiscent of a college lawn, and equally suitable for lying in the sun or having a picnic. There is ongoing renovation at the site. http://www.jcastle.info/castle/profile/109 For more info about other castle sites on Okinawa, including opening hours and admission charges: http://jasonkimball.org/tag/castle/ From
the Nakagusuku castle site (past he Kanja gama/Main gate 
area), you can walk to an abandoned hotel complex that is popular among photographers.
It is also a stop on the Haunted Okinawa tours. The complex is really large, with communal baths, tatami and western-style rooms, open halls, a bar, dining rooms, a kitchen, and lots of other rooms with an unclear purpose. Many walls are covered in graffiti, some of it not bad. http://www.okinawahai.com/my_weblog/2008/10/haunted-hotel.html http://www.stumpyjoe.com/okinawaArchive/oct.html From the abandoned hotel you can keep walking along the path passing lots of old tombs; this is the Hanta trail which continues across the hill and down the ridge. This historic trail reportedly 
courses from Shuri to Nakagusuku. About 800m from the castle there was a sign indicating it was another kilometer to Perry's banner rock. We haven't yet found good information about starting the trail from the Shuri side. Currently there is construction going on at the trail that leads directly from the Hanta trail to Nakagusuku castle. This is bypassed by walking through the abandoned hotel area. For more info about this segment of the Hanta trail: http://joomla.planetfleming.com/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=3 
the Nakagusuku castle site (past he Kanja gama/Main gate 
area), you can walk to an abandoned hotel complex that is popular among photographers.
It is also a stop on the Haunted Okinawa tours. The complex is really large, with communal baths, tatami and western-style rooms, open halls, a bar, dining rooms, a kitchen, and lots of other rooms with an unclear purpose. Many walls are covered in graffiti, some of it not bad. http://www.okinawahai.com/my_weblog/2008/10/haunted-hotel.html http://www.stumpyjoe.com/okinawaArchive/oct.html From the abandoned hotel you can keep walking along the path passing lots of old tombs; this is the Hanta trail which continues across the hill and down the ridge. This historic trail reportedly 
courses from Shuri to Nakagusuku. About 800m from the castle there was a sign indicating it was another kilometer to Perry's banner rock. We haven't yet found good information about starting the trail from the Shuri side. Currently there is construction going on at the trail that leads directly from the Hanta trail to Nakagusuku castle. This is bypassed by walking through the abandoned hotel area. For more info about this segment of the Hanta trail: http://joomla.planetfleming.com/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=3 
