Located between Okinawa’s Nanjo and Itoman regions, Maekawa is a top Okinawa destination with many natural and manmade sightseeing attractions. Venture into the depths of the earth and wander amid bamboo forests and into limestone caves. Learn about local culture and traditions at Okinawa World theme park. Maekawa is a perfect jumping-off point for a Southern Okinawa vacation.
Indulge your fascination with Okinawan nature at Okinawa World and its spectacular Gyokusendo Cave. Discover underground caverns, stalactites, stalagmites and subterranean rivers in this natural limestone attraction, more than 300,000 years old. Walk along a steel pathway extending 2,900 feet (890 meters) through the cave’s hidden twists and turns, watching cave fish swimming in the river below. All around, bright lights enhance the cave’s dramatic geology.
Above ground, enjoy other activities at Okinawa World, one of the island’s most popular and informative attractions. Learn about papermaking, weaving and pottery alongside a helpful guide at Kingdom Village, a replica Ryukyu settlement. Visit the mini-zoo to see pythons, giant tortoises and baby mongooses. Cautiously touch a live habu, a poisonous snake native to the Ryukyu islands. Learn more about the habu and other snakes at Habu Museum Park, the theme park’s small zoological center.
Explore the mystical Valley of Gangala. Enter through a cave tunnel and embark on a guided tour through lush forest and a fascinating limestone cave system brimming with stalactites and stalagmites. Okinawans believe the rock formations within the caves are symbols of fertility.
Don’t miss the large, excavated cavern at the end of the tour, where a stone coffin containing the 3,000-year-old Minatogawa Man was discovered in 2008. Spend time in the tropical bamboo forest, marveling at the foliage and ancient trees. Listen to the gentle sounds of the Yuuhi River. Take your photo with Ufushu Gajumaru, an ancient banyan tree said to contain the spirit of Kijimunaa.
Maekawa is located south of Naha. Reach major attractions in the area by bus or car.
