Southeast Botanical Gardens

photo by lienyuan lee · CC BY 3.0

photo by lienyuan lee · CC BY 3.0

A national cultural site since June 2025: capybaras roaming free among 1,300 plant species.

Over fifty years of history for the largest outdoor botanical garden in Japan, with about 1,300 plant species including palms and subtropical vegetation. Along the paths you come across capybaras and Formosan squirrels that live in contact with visitors, and at weekends there is a bird show. In June 2025 the site was registered as a national cultural property, and in 2026 it came second in the ‘popular tourist spots in Japan’ category of the Travelers' Choice.

A botanical garden in Okinawa City (Okinawa-shi), central Okinawa, founded more than fifty years ago. It is the largest outdoor botanical garden in Japan (one government source puts it at about 40 hectares) and holds plants transplanted from Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America as well as the native flora of Okinawa.

ℹ️ Open 9:30–18:00, ticket office until 17:30; hours may vary during seasonal events. Ticket for the garden only: 2,000 yen for adults. Garden and lunch package: 3,800 yen. Other options, especially those that include the animals, may have different prices. The restaurant is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays; no fixed closing day is stated for the garden.

🚉 沖縄北IC · 27 min walk

Sources: southeast-botanical.jp · southeast-botanical.jp · jalan.net

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