Moopon

Kokusaidori (literally "International Road") is Naha's main street, stretching for around two kilometers through downtown Naha.
The street takes its name from the former "Ernie Pyle International Theater",a movie theater which was built along the road after the war.

Starting around the Naha Bus Terminal and Prefectural Hall, Kokusaidori is lined by restaurants, cafes,
bars, hotels, boutiques, department stores and souvenir shops.
Many shops are open until 11pm,and live Okinawa music is played at several restaurants..
If you are looking for even more shopping opportunities, you are encouraged to go into the colorful Heiwadori,
Mutsumidori and Ichiba Hondori arcades,which branch off Kokusaidori around the intersection with Okieidori,
halfway along the street.
The shops in the arcade are smaller than those along Kokusaidori.

The Tamaudun Mausoleum was built around the beginning of the 16th century as the mausoleum for the royal family of the Ryukyu Kingdom.
It was restored after suffering extensive damage during Battle of Okinawa.
The mausoleum is located only a short walk from Shuri Castle.
It was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO on December 2, 2000,
as a part of the site group Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu.

The mausoleum consists of three closed chambers:
the left one for kings and queens, the right one for princes and princesses,
and the central one for storing recently deceased bodies before undergoing a ritual of bone cleaning a few years later. 

Visitors require an entry fee, which also covers admission to a small museum located in the basement of the reception building.
Although the museum is small and the English is limited, visitors are able to see pictures of the mausoleum from before the war. 

Facility Information:
Hours: 9:00 to 18:00 (last entry at 17:30)
Closed: No closing days
Admission: 300 yen
Level of English: Minimal

Access Information:

The Churaumi Aquarium (Churaumi Suizokukan) is widely considered Japan's best aquarium.
The highlight of a visit to the Churaumi Aquarium is the massive Kuroshio Tank,which is one of the largest in the world.
The tank takes its name from the warm Kuroshio(black) current which plays a large part in the variety of Okinawa's of marine life.
The tank contains a wide range of species, the most striking of which are the giant whale sharks and manta rays.

The aquarium is spread out over three floors with the entrance on the third floor and the exit on the first floor.
Passing through the entrance, there is a pool where visitors can touch living seashells and starfish with their own hands.
Next there is a tank with the world's first large scale exhibit of living coral.
The route through the aquarium then leads past the Kuroshio Tank,where feeding shows are held twice daily.
Located just beside the tank is a Hi-Vision movie theater about Okinawa's marine life.
Past the Kuroshio Tank there are a few more amusing tanks and displays including an area dedicated to sharks with live tiger sharks and bull sharks.
Another area is dedicated to marine life in much of the deep sea of Okinawa and includes displays of various bioluminescent fish.

In addition to the main aquarium building, there are a few outdoor pools near the waterfront where animal shows of dolphins,
manatees sea and turtles can be viewed free of charge.
There are only a few shows per day, so visitors might as well check show times before entering the aquarium.

Facility Information:
Hours: 8:30 to 20:00 (until 18:30 from October to February)
Admission ends one hour before closing time
Closed: First Wednesday of December and the following day.
Admission: 1850 yen (1290 yen if you enter after 16:00)
Access Information:
The Churaumi Aquarium is part of the Ocean Expo Park on the Motobu Peninsula in northern Okinawa Honto,about 90 kilometers from Naha.

Tsumago was a post town on the Nakasendo route between Kyoto and Edo.
It is known today as one of the best preserved post towns in Japan.
The town and its residents go to great lengths to recreate the environment and atomosphere of the Edo Period.
Cars are not allowed on the main street in the day and phone lines and power cables are kept concealed,
allowing visitors to imagine they have slipped back to an earlier time.

Tsumago also recreates the post town ambience by maintaining its Honjin and Wakihonjin.
In all post towns, the Honjin was the principal inn and served government officials who were traveling through.
When more accomodations were required, the Wakihonjin served to accommodate the travelers of lower status.
Tsumago also maintains the office where laborers and horses were rented to aid in travel.                                          
Tsumago's Honjin was reconstructed in the 1990s, but great efforts have been taken so that it resembles its condition in the 1830s,
when it served as an inn.

Tsumago was a post town on the Nakasendo route between Kyoto and Edo.
It is known today as one of the best preserved post towns in Japan.
The town and its residents go to great lengths to recreate the environment and atmosphere of the Edo Period.
Cars are not allowed on the main street in the day and phone lines and power cables are kept invisible, allowing
visitors to imagine they have slipped back to an earlier time.

Tsumago also recreates the post town ambience by maintaining its Honjin and Wakihonjin.
In all post towns, the Honjin was the principal inn and served government officials who were traveling through.
When more accomodations were required, the Wakihonjin served to accommodate the travelers of lower status.
Tsumago also maintains the office where laborers and horses were rented to aid in travel.                            
Kotoku Temple (Kotokuji) is a Buddhist temple which is believed to have been built in 1500.
It is not really remarkable, but still quite pleasant.

The Art House Project takes empty houses scattered about residential areas, and turns the spaces themselves into works of art, weaving in the history and memories of the period when the houses were homes. Meetings between visitors to the island and the island's people in places where they go about their daily lives also provide occasions for a variety of interesting encounters.

The art houses are scattered throughout town, and most of them are unassuming from the street, blending into the surrounding traditional Japanese neighborhood. The interior of each, however, has been given over to artists to convert into whatever suits their artistic vision.

Closed: Mondays
Open on Mondays for national holidays but closed the next day.
Open Day Calendar
Hours: 10:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

The Art House project has English information page.

Kadoya  one of the art house project

Kadoya was the first art house completed. This nearly 200-year old house was restored using Japanese plaster, smoked cedar board, and traditional tiles. Artworks on display include a LED display set in a pool of water, a window turned into a digital display and an unconventional Japanese scroll painting.

Works:Tatsuo Miyajima
Closed : Mondays  Open on Mondays for national holidays but closed the next day
Hours: 10a.m-4:30p.m
Admission: 410yen

Gokaisho 【碁会所】
Artwork by Suda Yoshihiro

Gokaisho (literally "a meeting place to play go") was built on the site of a gathering place where people came to play go, a type of Japanese chess. A traditionally designed building holds hand carved wooden camellia flowers arranged on the tatami mat floors. The rooms overlook a small garden with real camellia flowers to contrast with the wooden creations.
There is an intriguing contrast between this sculpture and the real camellia outside in the garden.

Yoshihiro Suda
Born in Yamanashi, Japan, Suda lives and works in Tokyo. In 1992, he received his BA in Graphic Design and has exhibited internationally in numerous solo and group shows. Recent museum shows include the Chiba City Museum of Art in 2012, The Manghha Museum of Japanese Art and Technology, Krakow, in 2011, Asia Society Museum, New York, and the Contemporary Museum, Honolulu. In 2008 his work was included in Out of the Ordinary at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum. His work has been exhibited extensively in group shows in the USA, Japan, Germany, Australia and Quebec

Closed: Mondays  Open on Mondays for national holidays but closed the next day
Hours: 10a.m-4:30p.m
Admission: 410yen

 Haisha【はいしゃ】
Architecture and Artwork by Otake Shinro
Haisha (literally "dentist"), once the home and office of a local dentist, has been completely transformed by artist Shinro Ohtake into a sculptural or graphic artwork some of which can be viewed from different floors of the two storied house. The artworks include a replica of the Statue of Liberty. Otake also designed the I Love You bath house. Dreaming Tongue, the title of the artwork, represents the process of calling to mind a dream from the tastes and aromas of a morsel in one's mouth.

Shinro Ohtake
He is a Japanese artist who was born in Tokyo and lives in Uwajima, Japan. He paints, creates installations and designs record covers and book covers. He has published dozens of books, such as a dream diary, a picture book, essays and art books.

Closed: Mondays  Open on Mondays for national holidays but closed the next day
Hours: 10a.m-4:30p.m
Admission: 410yen