Agena Castle Ruins

A bird's eye view of the Agena Bull Ring and Uruma City

Michael Flemming Dec 01, 2013 - 1 min read

<p>Enter Agena Central Park in Uruma City and look for this sign just inside the treeline once leaving the parking lot</p>

<p>I'm not entirely sure what the sign describes, but this is the correct starting point to climb the Agena Castle Ruins</p>

<p>The steep ascent to the top is the most gentle at the beginning of the climb</p>

<p>About half way to the top of the castle there is a very stable castle wall that can be walked upon</p>

<p>The trail to the top isn't particularly long, but most of it is surrounded by limestone rock, dense vegetation, and steep drop-offs down the hill below</p>

<p>There are about a half dozen stone benches along the path to the top, some in precarious locations like this one</p>

<p>You are near the top once the light through the stone archway can be seen</p>

<p>Crouch down to get through this part</p>

<p>The Agena bullfighting ring below is quite a site to behold; it's likely an especially spectacular vantage point for watching an actual bullfight</p>

<p>Views of nearby American military bases; this is Camp McToureous, a military family housing area</p>

<p>Look around for many of the small shrines at the Agena Castle Ruins</p>

<p>The view to the east from the very top of the Agena Castle Ruins</p>

<p>Gushikawa High School to the south</p>

The Agena Castle Ruins are the remains of a 14th century gusuku style Ryukyuan castle that today is a part of Agena Central Park in Uruma City in central Okinawa. The once great castle consists of several limestone walls with a few modern day improvements like walkways, benches and shrines. The site is open free of charge to the public 24 hours a day. Go for the views, especially when there are scheduled bull fights within the Agena bullfighting ring that can be seen from the castle. The Agena Castle Ruins are located just off of Route 8 in Uruma City about 300 meters west of the intersection with Route 75.

Michael Flemming @michael.flemming

I'm a wanderer in Okinawa turning over every stone I can find. I write, photograph and blog about my favorite finds here in Japan's southernmost prefecture.