The Nakijin Illumination festival was well worth the drive. A little farther North than the Churaumi Aquarium, the Nakijin Castle ruins were lit up with thousands of colored lights. This is the only time of year where the castle is open to visitors at night. The festival is complete with food, music, dancing, and a dramatic play. You can tour the ruins and visit the site museum as well. As an added bonus, the festival occurs at the time of year when the cherry blossoms trees are in full bloom.
Nakijin Castle itself is one of nine world heritage sites on island. The
multi-level castle was built in the late 1200's. During the Sanzan Period (1322-1429), Okinawa Honto (the main island) was divided into three kingdoms: the Hokuzan (North), Chuzan (Central), and the Nanzan (South).
Nakijin served as the castle of the Hokuzan king until it was taken over by the Chuzan on their way to unifying the island and forming the Ryukyu Kingdom. The Hokuzan king and his senior leaders then committed suicide. Nakijin Castle continued to serve as the kingdom’s
northern outpost for more than 200 years.
Today, Nakijin Castle is an active archeological excavation site.
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