Cherry blossom Festival at Nakijin Castle: The best site in Okinawa?

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Nakijin Castle is a beautiful ancient structure located on the western coast of Okinawa, and each year the annual cherry blossom festival takes place here.

Cherry blossoms are small pink and white flowers that bloom for just a few weeks each spring on a specific tree species. These flowers are often short-lived when the trees are coming out of hibernation after winter, and before all of their green leaves take shape for summer.

Every spring, people swarm locations across Okinawa and Japan that have cherry blossom trees and Nakijin Castle is no different. They receive some of the largest numbers of visitors during this period and it’s obvious to see why.

So what can you expect at Nakijin Castle during the Okinawa cherry blossom festival?

Country:	Japan
Currency:	Japanese Yen / JPY
Do you need a visa to visit as tourists?	Check here

Don’t forget to get travel insurance to cover you if something bad happens. One company I have personal experience with is Safety Wing. Not everyone needs the same coverage, so make sure you get a personalised quote that suits you and your trip plans.

Location of Nakijin Castle

Location: 5101 Imadomari, Nakijin, Kunigami District, Okinawa 905-0428

Make sure you activate your eSIM before starting your journey so you can stay connected and navigate easily.

Located in the town of Nakijin, the castle is situated on top of a hill that overlooks the town below, plus Motobu and the western coast.

The closest city to Nakijin Castle is Nago, roughly 35 minutes away by car. If you need to take public transport, you can expect a bus ride to take 1 hour and 30 minutes.

If you’re new to Okinawa and travelling to see the cherry blossoms at the castle straight from Naha, you can expect the drive to take 1 hour and 45 minutes in low traffic to reach Nakijin. Be aware that the main road of Route 58 can get very busy during rush hour periods and this journey can take significantly longer.

If you are unable to drive and need to take public transport from Naha, you can expect it to take close to 3 hours one way.

If possible, I’d recommend driving as this will allow you to save a lot of time and run on your own schedule with flexibility. To rent a car in Okinawa you will need an International Driving Permit along with your full licence and a credit card in your name.

You can rent a car in advance and online using the following companies:

• Rentals Cars
• Klook Rentals

Cherry Blossom Festival at Nakijin Castle in Okinawa

Check out these other castles in Okinawa!

2025 will be the 18th Annual festival held here.

The festival dates of 2025 are held between 25th January and 2nd February. These dates will fluctuate each year depending on where the weekends fall that year.

Throughout the castle you’ll find the old grey sandstone and various rock walls that stand where the old castle structure did in the 14th century, only during modern-day spring, you see trees of pink lined along the paths and throughout the grounds.

During the cherry blossom festival, Nakijin Castle is often referred to as the best place to see the Sakura in Okinawa.

Guests will have the opportunity to enjoy some shows and events on the grounds of the castle too which can add some more excitement outside of just admiring the pink flowers.

• Monkey show
• Hula show
• Illumination light show

The monkey show is held at the front of the castle near the entrance, where two performers will bring 2-3 monkeys native to Japan out, where they will play games and put on a small performance.

Sometimes the monkeys choose not to participate and instead will lay down on the ground and honestly, most of the visitors are ok with that because we believe the animals shouldn’t be forced to do anything they don’t want to do.

The hula show is a performance with a number of hula dancers dancing to island music. Think Hawaiian vibes, except here in Japan. It’s the perfect event addition to take place in Nakijin Castle surrounded by cherry blossom trees and the spring weather of Okinawa.

Opening hours

During the cherry blossom festival in Nakijin Castle Okinawa, the castle has extended hours which means it is open longer than throughout the rest of the year.

Usually, the castle grounds allow entry between 8 am and 6 pm every day.

During the festival period, attendees can visit between 8 am and 8 pm. This is due to the illumination display that lights up many of the trees and the grounds after dark.

This is a nice addition to the festival experience as you’ll get to see everything in a new light.

Admission Cost of Nakijin Castle for Cherry Blossom Festival

The cost of entering Nakijin Castle during the Okinawa cherry blossom festival varies depending on the age of the attendee.

For adults, the cost is 600 JPY (3.12 GBP)

For children:

• Middle and High school age is 450 JPY (2.35 GBP)
• Elementary age or younger can visit for FREE

If you happen to be travelling in a group of 10 or more people, the price will be slightly lower per person.

Luckily at the cherry blossom festival, visitors can pay for their attendance using both cash or card.

When you need to transfer money or check exchange rates during your overseas trip, consider using Wise. They have competitive rates and make exchanging foreign funds easy. I’ve been using them since 2015.

Want more cherry blossom content? Check out these cities pretty in pink in SOUTH KOREA

• Cherry blossoms in Daegu, where to find them in spring?
• Korea’s biggest cherry blossom festival in Jinhae. What to expect?
• Cherry blossoms in Busan: The best places to see them
• Cherry blossoms in Jeju City – where can you find them?