Stunning Views, Great Food, and Okinawan Culture: 10 Must-Visit Spots in Nago

If you’re sightseeing in Nago, summer is recommended, when you can fully enjoy its biggest draw: the beautiful ocean and beaches.
Have fun with activities like snorkeling and diving in Nago’s crystal-clear waters.
At the Nago Summer Festival, held every year in late July, you can enjoy food stalls and fireworks, and also watch Eisa, a traditional Okinawan performing art.

To get to Nago from Naha Airport, take an express bus or rent a car.
Since Nago doesn’t have a monorail, transportation options are limited.
Either way, travel time is Approx. 1 hour 30 minutes–1 hour 45 minutes.

A pineapple-themed park that opened in 1992.
You can enjoy views of pineapple fields, colorful flowers, and jungle-like plants, and learn about Okinawa’s pineapple history through lectures and exhibits.
Starting from the walking paths, the grounds are packed with flowers and trees, surrounding you with plants in every direction, just like a jungle.

Set in the vast natural landscapes of Yanbaru in northern Okinawa, this theme park delivers an extraordinary experience on a breathtaking scale. Its concept is “Power Vacance!!” Surrounded by Yanbaru’s forests, vibrant plant life and a lineup of next-level attractions draw visitors into a deeply immersive experience.

A botanical and zoological park located around a 10-minute drive from downtown Nago.
Across a vast area about five times the size of Tokyo Dome, you’ll find zones recreating tropical environments.
Rather than simply collecting rare and beautiful plants and animals, the park aims to zone them by region as much as possible, with exhibits that pair animals and plants from the same area.

A tourist facility located at Cape Busena, a scenic spot in northern Okinawa’s main island. Designated as a “Marine Park Area” within Okinawa Kaigan Quasi-National Park, it’s a great place to observe colorful tropical fish living in the surrounding waters and enjoy panoramic ocean views.
On the “whale-shaped glass-bottom boat,” you can watch fish in their natural habitat through the glass bottom while enjoying a relaxed undersea stroll, with beautiful fish appearing so close they feel within reach.

A sightseeing spot where you can tour the Orion Beer brewing process and enjoy tastings.
Highlights include an engaging factory tour, photo spots throughout the facility, and the chance to enjoy fresh beer.
The factory tour takes Approx. 60 minutes.
With guidance from staff, you can see the process from milling ingredients to fermentation, storage, filtration, and packaging.

With the mystery-solving game “Tropical Kingdom Story,” based on an original storyline, the popular “Fruit Cafe” serving a parfait weighing Approx. 1.5 kg made with mango and dragon fruit, and “Asatoya Restaurant” where you can enjoy Okinawan cuisine, there’s plenty for both adults and kids to enjoy all day.

A theme park featuring over 80 realistic dinosaur figures set among a dense forest of Hikagehego tree ferns, said to have existed as far back as 100 million years ago.
You’ll see a wide variety of dinosaurs, including the iconic carnivore Tyrannosaurus, Stegosaurus with its striking back plates, and the massive long-necked Brachiosaurus.
It feels like stepping back in time to the age of dinosaurs.

An observation deck where you can enjoy breathtaking views of small islands lined up across calm seas.
It’s located Approx. 25 minutes by car from downtown Nago in northern Okinawa’s main island.
From the second-floor observation level of the concrete building, you can take in 360-degree views of a beautiful scene defined by the contrast of green islands and Okinawa’s signature blue ocean.

A facility where you can watch the production process of Ryukyu glass and try hands-on crafting.
In the quiet, relaxed showroom, you can browse and purchase many varieties of Ryukyu glass.
“Ryukyu glass” is a glass craft mainly made on Okinawa’s main island, and in 1998 it was certified as an Okinawa Prefecture traditional craft.

A prefectural natural park located Approx. 10 minutes by car from downtown Nago.
Spanning the Nago-dake area, its observation deck near the summit offers views over downtown Nago and the beautiful East China Sea.
Within the gently rolling forest, the park is divided into 12 zones where you can enjoy nature, and facilities such as a large observation tower, rest areas, and restrooms are in place. It’s also used as a starting point for routes toward Mt. Nago and other walking trails.

An avocado specialty cafe on Yagaji Island in Nago, known for lunch and shaved ice.
It’s so popular that not only locals, but also visitors come specifically for this cafe.
A top menu item is the “Avocado Spam Bowl,” topped generously with avocado and Spam.
There are also plenty of Okinawa-branch-only items you can’t find elsewhere, like “Avocado Zenzai” with a sweet, moist avocado sauce and a smooth, soft texture, as well as “Beni-imo Zenzai” made with ingredients unique to Okinawa.

A dining spot open only at night, located around a 5-minute walk from Nago City Hall.
In a charming 70-year-old traditional Okinawan home, you can enjoy shabu-shabu made with the rare Shima Kuro Agu pork.
While shabu-shabu is commonly associated with beef, this restaurant serves “Shimakuru,” a purebred pig born from crossing Agu with Agu, using rare local pork.

If there’s one essential ingredient on the Okinawan table, it’s pork.
As the local saying goes, “Everything but the footprints can be eaten,” and Okinawan style is to enjoy it without waste.
This is exactly what you can experience at Shimabuta Shichirin-yaki Manmi.

Oriental Hotel Okinawa Resort & Spa is a resort hotel located at the entrance to Yanbaru in northern Okinawa’s main island, an area designated as a World Natural Heritage site.
With the concept “Play with the island, connect with the forest,” the hotel offers experiences that connect you to Yanbaru through your stay.
The lobby is a greenery-filled space featuring plants native to Yanbaru, and at night, illuminated trees create a magical atmosphere.

Kanucha Resort sits at the gateway to Yanbaru, a northern Okinawa area also listed as a World Natural Heritage site, surrounded by forests and sea across a vast 800,000-tsubo property.
With nine lodging buildings, plus restaurants, beaches, pools, a golf course, more restaurants, and shops scattered across the grounds, it’s like a small town all on its own.

A resort hotel standing on Cape Busena, one of Japan’s largest resort areas.
With facilities suited to Okinawa’s climate and a warm, gracious hospitality full of loyalty, it creates a refined space for adults and a relaxed sense of time.
The open-air-style guest rooms and public spaces, filled with tropical light and breezes, are designed in a calm, simple style so that nature itself becomes the best interior.