Sefa-utaki

photo by そらみみ · CC BY-SA 4.0

photo by そらみみ · CC BY-SA 4.0

The ticket is not sold at the entrance but at the town market: without one, you have to turn back.

The most sacred place of the Ryukyu Kingdom, independent until 1879, where the chief priestess 聞得大君 was installed. Tickets are sold at the 南城市地域物産館, which is in a separate building: sales close at 17:15 from March to October and at 16:45 from November to February, before the site itself closes. The path is made of uneven stone slabs, and the rules expressly ask you not to enter in sandals or heels. From 1 October 2026 the ticket goes up from 300 to 600 yen for adults and from 150 to 300 yen for children.

Six prayer areas in a forest above the sea, facing the island of Kudaka, which in Ryukyuan cosmology is the place where the gods came down. It is not a built temple but a formation of rock and forest used as a ritual space. It is still a living place of worship: the visiting rules are those of a religious space that is still in use.

ℹ️ Open 9:00–18:00 from March to October, last entry 17:30, and 9:00–17:30 from November to February, last entry 17:00. ⚠️ Closed on ritual rest days, from the 1st to the 3rd day of the fifth and tenth lunar months. ⚠️ Works are under way: from 1 July to 1 November 2026 the path between the 三叉路 and the 寄満, and the 寄満 prayer area, are closed; the rest of the site can still be visited at full price. From 2 November 2026 to 5 January 2027 you can only reach the 御門口 and the viewpoint over Kudaka, with free admission.

🚉 斎場御嶽入口 · 6 min walk

Sources: city.nanjo.okinawa.jp · city.nanjo.okinawa.jp · okinawastory.jp · okinawastory.jp

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