Experience the best of Nago

Nago stands on a bay on the west coast of Okinawa Island's northern half, and is the largest town in that part of the island. It is the gateway to the Yanbaru region, a forested upland of mountains and rivers that became a national park in 2016 and shelters wildlife found nowhere else, including the flightless Okinawa rail.

On a hill above the town, the ruins of Nago Castle are lined with cherry trees that flower in January and February, among the earliest in Japan. Pineapple farms and fruit-growing hills surround the town, and the Churaumi Aquarium lies a short drive to the north-west on the Motobu Peninsula. Further north, the road runs through forest and fishing villages to Cape Hedo at the island's northern tip.

Nago is known for pineapples and for shikuwasa, a small, sharp Okinawan citrus used in drinks and sauces, and for sweets made from both. Okinawa soba and local pork fill the menus. Blossom in winter draws crowds to the castle hill, and the beaches fill from early summer.