Nakagusku Ruins

So the shame of living under 10 minutes from a UNESCO world heritage site that I had never visited finally ate away at my last excuse a few weekends ago so I dragged Adrian out there (on our anniversary no less) to do the culture thing! It was hot as blazes (as you might be able to see from the pictures) but very interesting. It's estimated that it was built around the 13th or 14th centuries. They were in much better shape when Commodore Matthew Perry visited them in late 19th century and declared that they were most impressive. When Japan annexed Okinawa as a prefecture, the prefectural office built their headquarters on the ruins. These were blasted to bits during the bombings in late World War II but the castle foundations rode out the storm. The style and the way the stone's interlocked reminded me somewhat of Mayan Temples I visited with my family some years ago just outside of Cancun. Clearly very precise and with no cement of any kind.

I was certainly an educational little sojourn but with the heat, Adrian and I elected to spend the rest of the afternoon soaking ourselves in the local outdoor baths...most refreshing!