Whenever we share the length of our orders to Okinawa with people, they often respond with, "Wow! We've been here 'x' amount of years and still don't feel like we've been able to see or do half of what we've wanted to on this island!" And after hearing that five or six times, Zach and I devised a plan: with every free weekend that we have we are going to attempt to visit a new place.
Our most recent new place was the Agena Castle Ruins in Uruma City. These ruins date back to the 14th century (not too shabby) and were part of the Ryukyuan Kingdom. Although the outer wall has not stood the test of time, the inner wall has and is protected by the Japanese Government.
But here is what's really fun about this site - it's open to the public. The Agena Castle Ruins have become part of a central park for Uruma City and visitors can enjoy this history anytime they want. As long as you are able to make the ascent up to the top of the castle (approximately 161 feet) you should have no problem enjoying the ruins as there are easy walking paths and benches throughout the ruins.
If you choose to visit these ruins in the summertime and lack the motivation to continue the ascent due to the heat, let me encourage you with this picture:
The view from the top is totally worth it!
The refreshing breeze along with the spectacular scenery is surprising and quite beautiful!
The ruins were so much fun to walk through. There's a tunnel to go under, trees to go around, and rocks to climb over; but only if you want to. If you're not interested in that you can stick to the main path (except the tunnel, you have to go through the tunnel to get to the view).
Overall, we had a great visit to the Agena Castle Ruins and would highly recommend visiting if you're looking to get outdoors without going too far away from everything (we were only three blocks away from a delicious sushi restaurant... more to come on that later).
Final note: if you forget a bottle of water to take with you through the ruins, don't worry, there are several vending machines along the sidewalk before you enter the park.
I am jealous!
ReplyDelete