Sefa Utaki Sacred Site

Sefa Utaki is the holiest place in the old Ryukyuan religion and one of the most moving sites in Okinawa. An utaki is a sacred grove, and this one, in the hills above the south-east coast near Nanjo, was the setting for the kingdom's most important rituals. The site is a path through subtropical forest to a series of sanctuaries, called ibi, where limestone boulders lean together to form chambers and passages. The best known is Sangui, where two great slabs of rock form a triangular opening that frames a view toward Kudaka Island, the sacred island of the creation legends. Priestesses of the kingdom were consecrated here, and the site was also an important stop on the pilgrimage route known as Agariumai. It is part of the World Heritage inscription for the Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu.

This is a place of worship rather than an attraction, and the way you behave matters. Local people still come here to pray, and the area is not a stage for photographs. Visitors keep to the marked paths, speak quietly, avoid touching the rocks and trees and do not enter the sanctuaries themselves, which are closed to people. Dress modestly and treat the site as you would a church or a shrine.

Tickets are sold at the Nanjo local products centre, and the walk from the car park to the site takes around ten minutes along a path through the forest. Hours are longer in the warmer months and shorter in the cooler ones, and the last admission comes before closing, so check the times on the site's own page. The site also closes for a few days twice a year for rituals, in line with the lunar calendar.

Allow about an hour for the walk and the stillness. The atmosphere is strongest early in the day, when the forest is cool and quiet and few other visitors are around, and the shifting light through the leaves makes the rocks look especially imposing. The stone paths can be uneven and slippery after rain, so wear shoes with grip and bring repellent in the warm months, since the forest has mosquitoes.

There is no cafe inside the site, but the local products centre near the entrance sells drinks, snacks and souvenirs, and the surrounding area has pleasant coastal scenery.

The south-east coast around Sefa Utaki has several other sights that fit into a half day, including a seaside park with views of Kudaka Island and small cafes with terraces overlooking the bay. The site is roughly an hour by car from Naha, and the drive passes through the villages and sugar cane fields of the south.

Okinawa World and the Peace Memorial Park are also in the south, so the three work well together on a day tour with a car. A little reading beforehand on the Ryukyuan creation stories and the role of the priestesses will make the visit richer.

Visitors who prepare in advance tend to get more from the experience. Read about the Ryukyuan creation stories, in which the goddess Amamikyu is said to have descended to the island of Kudaka and begun the human lineage, and about the role of the noro priestesses, who led the community's rituals for the kingdom.

When you stand at Sangui and look through the triangular opening, the island on the horizon is the same island of those stories. Take your time, let other visitors pass quietly and resist the urge to take close-up photographs of the rocks or of other people at prayer.