Urasoe

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Urasoe, Okinawa, Japan

Urasoe City Hall, Urasoe, Okinawa, Japan

View of Urasoe and Ginowan from the Urasoe Dai Park 20250506150941, Urasoe, Okinawa, Japan

Nishibaru Hi nu kan Shrine Close up, Urasoe, Okinawa, Japan

Urasoe Shopping Center, Urasoe, Okinawa, Japan

About Urasoe

Long before Shuri became the royal capital, the kings of central Okinawa ruled from a castle on the ridge above Urasoe. Today this busy city just north of Naha is mostly modern homes, offices and shopping, but that ridge still holds the stone walls of Urasoe Castle and the cliff tombs of two early Ryukyu kings.

The same ridge saw some of the fiercest fighting of the Battle of Okinawa in 1945. The Maeda Escarpment, known to Americans as Hacksaw Ridge, is where medic Desmond Doss rescued dozens of wounded soldiers, and a quiet monument and lookout now stand at the top. From here you can see across the city to the East China Sea.

Urasoe has a lighter side too. The Minatogawa Stateside Town, a former neighbourhood of American-style housing, is now filled with cafes and small shops, Urasoe Grand Park has one of Okinawa's longest roller slides, and the city's art museum specialises in Ryukyu lacquerware. The monorail makes it an easy trip from Naha.

Best seasonOctober to May, avoiding the typhoon months of late summer

Ideal stayHalf a day to a full day from Naha

ArrivingThe Okinawa Urban Monorail runs from Naha Airport and central Naha to Urasoe-Maeda and Tedako-Uranishi stations

7 Places Locals Love in Urasoe

History 3

Urasoe Castle Ruins, Urasoe, Okinawa, Japan

Urasoe Castle Ruins

On a long limestone ridge above the city, Urasoe Castle was the base of the kings of Chuzan from around the thirteenth century unt...

Urasoe Yodore, Urasoe, Okinawa, Japan

Urasoe Yodore

Cut into the cliff below the castle, Urasoe Yodore holds the tombs of King Eiso of the thirteenth century and King Sho Nei of the...

Maeda Escarpment, Urasoe, Okinawa, Japan

Maeda Escarpment

This steep cliff at the end of the castle ridge was the scene of brutal fighting in 1945 and is where US Army medic Desmond Doss l...

Museums 1

Urasoe Art Museum, Urasoe, Okinawa, Japan

Urasoe Art Museum

Opened in 1990, Urasoe's city art museum was the first public museum in Japan devoted to lacquerware. Its collection centres on Ry...

Parks 1

Urasoe Grand Park, Urasoe, Okinawa, Japan

Urasoe Grand Park

Spread over the hills next to the castle ruins, this large city park mixes sports grounds and picnic lawns with wooded trails and...

Neighborhoods 1

Minatogawa Stateside Town

Built from the 1950s for American military families, this grid of flat-roofed concrete houses was later rented out and has turned...

Shopping 1

San-A Urasoe West Coast Parco City, Urasoe, Okinawa, Japan

San-A Urasoe West Coast Parco City

Opened in 2019 on reclaimed land on the city's coast, this large shopping centre holds hundreds of shops, restaurants and food cou...

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Photo credits

Photo: Abasaa, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Photo: Abasaa, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Photo: TurnOnTheNight, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Bérangère444, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Abasaa, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Photo: TurnOnTheNight, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: TurnOnTheNight, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: TurnOnTheNight, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Balon Greyjoy, Wikimedia Commons, CC0

Photo: TurnOnTheNight, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: TurnOnTheNight, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: 663highland, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5

Photo: Ken FUNAKOSHI from Yokohama, Japan, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Photo: 663highland, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5

Photo: 663highland, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5

Photo: 663highland, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5

Photo: 663highland, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5

Photo: Recom, Wikimedia Commons, CC0