Naminoue Shrine - Naha Okinawa

This past weekend we booked ourselves a last minute and much needed staycation in Naha. Naminoue Shrine has been somewhere I have wanted to visit since I moved to Okinawa, and it wasn't until now that I finally got to visit. 

Naminoue Shrine, sits atop a rock (mountain? I'm not sure what it's called) overlooking Naminoue Beach in Naha. It is the most important Shinto Shrine in Okinawa, and as temples and shrines seem to be much more scarce in Okinawa than on mainland Japan, I was excited to visit. The temple complex itself isn't actually very big, but it's very pretty, and when we visited there was some kind of ceremony happening, which was interesting to watch.

I really loved how, although the temple itself looked typical of most shinto shrines I have seen in Japan, it was surrounded by palm trees and other lush, distinctly Okinawan trees, that gave the whole place a bit of a tropical vibe.

After visiting the shrine, we walked down to the beach below because you can get a glimpse of the shrine atop the mountain as well as go for a swim or just dip your feet in the amazingly blue water. 

Torii gate at the entrance to the Shrine

Main building of the shrine

I love the palm trees

Amazing tree makes this shrine feel very Okinawan

View of the shrine from the beach

View of the harbour from the Shrine

Naminoue Shrine is actually quite close to Naha airport, so could be easily visited on your way to or from the airport, as well as Tomari Port. Access information can be found here.