Naminoue Shrine

Ships leaving Naha port used to look up at this cliff to pray for a safe voyage, and ships coming in gave thanks to it on their return. Nobody knows when worship here began. People prayed on the cliff edge to the gods of Nirai Kanai, the realm beyond the sea, and the shrine's founding legend tells of a fisherman from Sakiyama who found a glowing stone that spoke, and of an oracle from the Kumano deity telling him to build a shrine on this spot. The kings of Ryukyu came in procession every New Year, and the shrine ranked first among the kingdom's eight official shrines. Made a national shrine in 1890, it was destroyed in the war. The main hall and office were rebuilt in 1953, the worship hall in 1961, and the present buildings were finished in 1993. The grounds are a short climb from the street, and the view from the side of the hall drops straight down to Naminoue Beach, Naha's only swimming beach, with a raised road running past offshore. The shrine is small; 20 to 30 minutes is enough. The free car park has only 20 spaces and fills quickly, and the first three days of January bring long queues. The Nanmin-sai festival in mid-May has sumo, Ryukyu dance and a beach tug-of-war.