Nago, Okinawa

"Nago" redirects here. For other uses, see Nago (disambiguation).

Nago 名護市 Nagu
—  City  —
Flag
Location of Nago in Okinawa
Nago
Coordinates: 26°35′30″N 127°58′39″E / 26.59167°N 127.9775°E / 26.59167; 127.9775Coordinates: 26°35′30″N 127°58′39″E / 26.59167°N 127.9775°E / 26.59167; 127.9775
Country	Japan
Region	Kyūshū (Ryukyu)
Prefecture	Okinawa
Government
- Mayor	Susumu Inamine
Area
- Total	210.30 km2 (81.2 sq mi)
Population (January 2008)
- Total	60,598
- Density	288/km2 (745.9/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City symbols
- Tree	Banyan
- Flower	Easter lily
- Bird	Ryukyu White-eye (Zosterops japonicus loochooensis)
- Flowering tree	Kanhizakura (Prunus campanulata Prunus)
- Butterfly	Orange Oakleaf
- Others	Shell: Chiragra Spider Conch (Lambis chiragra)
Phone number	0980-53-1212
Address	1-1-1 Minato, Nago-shi, Okinawa-ken 905-8540
Website	Nago City

Downtown Nago

Beach

Nago (名護市, Nago-shi^?, Okinawan: Nagu) is a city located in the northern part of Okinawa Island, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 60,598 and the density of 288 persons per km². The total area is 210.30 km². The city was founded on August 1, 1970, and hosted the G-8 Summit in 2000.

Tourism

Nago is a tourist town. The many beaches draw many Okinawans, mainland Japanese, Americans and other tourists to the northern part of the island. The main beach, known as Nago beach, is located on highway 58 in 21st Century Park. The facilities have showers, washrooms, and vending machines, and sites can be rented for picnics or barbecues. There is a lifeguard on duty and a net in the water to prevent harmful sea creatures from entering the swimming area.

A popular tourist destination is the Pineapple Park which is located on route 84. Right beside the Pineapple Park is Okinawa Fruits land. Pineapple park is an interactive museum where visitors can see how pineapple is grown, and how pineapple wine is made. There is also a collection of thousands of shells.

Okinawa Fruits Land is a conservatory with many plants, birds and fruits. A map is provided and tourists can wander through the park at they wish. There are many types of tropical birds.

The corals and seagrass beds of the east coast of Nago are home to the last remaining population of dugong in Japan.

Nago also hosts the international bicycle race known as the Tour de Okinawa. It is usually held in November. Many people travel from all over the world to participate.

Nago hosted the World's Fair in 1975 and 1976. The park utilized a monorail train to move tourists to each exhibit. Its most popular exhibit was the Japanese Floating City. Similar to an oil rig, the city floated on large pontoons which allowed it to be moved. If the city was threatened with a typhoon, it would move close to shore, fill the pontoons with sea water and sit on the ocean floor for more stability. The city was self sufficient, and used the ocean floor for cultivating seaweed and other edible plants.

Economy

Orion Breweries has its factory in Nago.^[1]

See also

• Futenma

References

1. ^ "会社概要 - オリオンビール." Orion Breweries. Retrieved on November 30, 2009.

External links

• (Japanese) Nago official website
• (Japanese) Ocean Expo Park (official government site)
• (English) Ocean Expo Park
• (English) Nago Pineapple Park
• (Japanese) Okinawa Fruits Land
• (English) Tour de Okinawa