A few weeks ago, I took a day trip to the Zakimi Castle Ruins in Yomitan, Okinawa, Japan. The setting was very beautiful as well as strategic as the castle sat at the top of the hill. At the top, one could sea the East China Sea as well as the surrounding lands. I believe there were some local rivalries among the different kingdoms in those days, so everyone tried to secure their area. So this castle was built for defense. I think it was built in the 1400s, but the details are a little fuzzy. The castle was built during the Ryukyu Kingdom before Okinawa was part of Japan.
The castle walls are the only remaining part of the structure. The entrance is pretty cool as it has an arched entrance. There is also a trail which makes a circuit around the surrounding area. I saw some cherry trees which looked to be blossoming.
I stopped at a local Japanese stand and bought a snow cone sort of dessert. It was some type of purple flavor and had some beans. I’m not quite sure what it was, but it tasted alright.
There was also an adjacent museum which was dedicated to the local village of Yomitan. It described the history of the village from its beginning through the Ryukyu Kingdom, World War 2, present day, etc… The area is famous for pottery. There were all sorts of pottery artifacts dating to different time periods. They even had an exhibit of modern pottery on display. I definitely enjoyed learning about Yomitan Village!
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