Okinawa World & Nanjo Cultural Workshops
Last updated: September 13, 2026
Okinawa World brings the Ryukyu Kingdom to life above one of Japan's largest limestone caves — Gyokusendo, whose illuminated walkway winds 850 metres beneath southern Okinawa. Up top, a village of red-tiled houses hosts hands-on workshops: whisk a bowl of frothy buku-buku tea, paint your own shisa lion, craft leather goods, weave a coaster or dress in Ryukyu costume. Round out the visit with the Tropical Fruit Garden, awamori from the Nanto Brewery, and the fearless snake-and-mongoose shows of Habu Museum Park.
Itinerary
- Stop at: Okinawa World
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Frequently Asked Questions
The park gathers Okinawan culture into one valley in Nanjo City: Gyokusendo Cave below ground, and above it a Kingdom Village of traditional houses with craft workshops, the Kingdom History Museum, the Tropical Fruit Garden, the Nanto Brewery, and Habu Museum Park with its live snake and reptile exhibits and snake-versus-mongoose shows.
The cave system runs about five kilometres, making it one of Japan's largest, and roughly 850 metres are open to walk on an illuminated pathway lined with hundreds of thousands of stalactites. Allow around half an hour underground; the path is well maintained but humid year-round.
The Kingdom Village hosts a rotating line-up of hands-on experiences: whisking buku-buku tea, Okinawa's frothy jasmine tea; painting a shisa lion guardian; crafting leather goods; weaving coasters on a hand loom; and dressing in traditional Ryukyu costume for photos among the red-tiled houses.
Okinawa World sits in Nanjo City at the island's southern tip, about half an hour's drive from central Naha or Naha Airport. Local buses from Naha Bus Terminal also stop at the park, so it pairs easily with a first or last day around the capital.