Cape Hedo

Little knownBarely documented in English. This is the kind of place the site exists for.

Researched and written by Hinato

Cape HedonorthernmostKunigamireversion monumentYanbaru

Photo: Kugel~commonswiki / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · original

A visit to Cape Hedo is easy to underplan — bring more time, and less certainty about what you'll find, than you'd expect.

The northern tip of Okinawa Island, where the East China Sea and the Pacific meet over a shelf of raised coral limestone, with cliffs dropping to the water and Yoron island visible on a clear day. It is the end of Route 58, which runs the length of the island from Naha, and it feels like it.

The cape carries a specific political weight. Between 1945 and 1972 Okinawa was under American administration and the border with Japan ran through the sea here; people gathered on this headland and on Yoron opposite to light bonfires and shout across the water. A monument to reversion stands on the point. There is a visitor centre from 2019 with a viewing deck, both free, and the walking paths across the limestone are made up and safe for children.

What to know before you go

Access hours

Cape open at all times | Visitor centre keeps daytime hours

Closed: Open year-round

When to go

Year-round | Winter for the clearest view of Yoron

Fee

Free | Free parking for around 70 cars | Visitor centre and observation deck free

Time to allow

45–60 minutes

Access route

Directions

Hedo, Kunigami, Kunigami District. Car recommended — from Kyoda IC on the Okinawa Expressway, straight up Route 58; or a short walk from the Hedo-misaki-iriguchi stop on the Kunigami village bus. Free to visit. The Cape Hedo visitor centre has around 70 free parking spaces, and both the centre and its observation deck are free to enter.

What to bring

**Read the reversion monument.** The cape was the closest point to mainland Japan during the American administration and was used for cross-strait protests. Without that context it is just a headland. **Clear days show Yoron.** The island is about twenty-two kilometres north and appears in good visibility, most reliably in winter. **Walk out onto the limestone.** Made paths cross the raised coral shelf to the point. The rock is sharp and uneven off the path — stay on it. **It is the top of Route 58.** Ninety minutes from the expressway with very little in between. Fill the tank in Nago. **Combine with Daisekirinzan.** Ten minutes away, and the two together are the reason to drive to the top of the island.

View on Google Maps