The Yabuchi Cave Site, known as Janedo, is a cave on Yabuchi Island in Uruma City, in the central part of Okinawa’s main island.
It is a remarkable site, where pottery from about 6,700 years ago — among the oldest in Okinawa Prefecture — and human bone fragments from roughly 10,000 years ago have been found.
It is also a sacred place, long revered by the islanders as the birthplace of their ancestors, with a place of worship set up in front of the cave.
Yabuchi Island is uninhabited, but the Yabuchi Ohashi Bridge connects it to the mainland, so you can drive straight there.
This article covers what makes Janedo worth seeing, along with access and parking.
Ratings for the Yabuchi Cave Site (Janedo)
*Ratings are the subjective view of the Okinawa Bookmark editor, compared with other sights in Okinawa
The Yabuchi Cave Site (Janedo) at a glance
| Designation | Uruma City Historic Site |
| Size of the cave | About 4 m deep, about 19 m wide |
| Admission | Free |
| Hours | None in particular |
| Parking | Yes (free) |
| Restroom | None |
| Official website | None |
Admission is free and there are no particular restrictions on when you can visit.
That said, this is both an archaeological site and a place of worship, so please be respectful while you are there.
Highlights
The site that yielded Yabuchi-type pottery, among the oldest in Okinawa
An excavation in 1960 uncovered pottery from about 6,700 years ago in this cave.
It is marked by patterns that look as though they were pressed in with a fingernail, and it takes its name from the site: Yabuchi-type pottery, or fingernail-pattern pottery.
It ranks among the oldest pottery found anywhere in Okinawa Prefecture, and the discovery became essential to any account of Okinawan history.
Human bones from roughly 10,000 years ago have been found too
Surveys carried out between 2014 and 2016 uncovered pottery more than 9,000 years old, the oldest in the prefecture. Then in 2021, fragments of a woman’s bones, thought to date from 10,000 to 9,000 years ago, were found.
These are believed to be the oldest human remains from the Shell Midden period found in Okinawa Prefecture, and they have drawn attention as a link between the Palaeolithic and the people of 7,000 years ago and later.
Standing casually on this spot and realising that people lived here 10,000 years ago is genuinely moving.
A sacred place revered as the birthplace of the ancestors
Janedo is a cave formed in Ryukyu limestone, about 4 metres deep and about 19 metres wide.
A place of worship stands in front of the cave, and it still draws the faith of people who regard it as the birthplace of their ancestors.
Ringed by dense greenery, the entrance is wrapped in a quiet, mysterious air that suits the word “sacred” far better than “ruins”.
Yabuchi Island, an uninhabited island you can drive to
Yabuchi Island, where Janedo lies, is a small uninhabited island of roughly 0.62 square kilometres.
People lived here until about 300 years ago, but today only part of the island is used as farmland.
The Yabuchi Ohashi Bridge was built in 1985, and crossing over by car is now easy enough.
The moment you cross, the view turns to fields and open ground, and a slower kind of air settles in that you will not find on the mainland.
Janedo Beach right in front
In front of the cave lies Janedo Beach, an untouched stretch of sand and reef.
After looking round the site, it is well worth walking down to the shore and taking in the quiet water.
Please note
- This is both an archaeological site and a place of worship. Please do not take stones or pottery fragments away
- There are almost no steps inside or around the cave. Avoid visiting in sandals or heels
- After rain the ground turns muddy and slippery
- Roads on the island are narrow and partly unpaved. Please drive carefully
- There are no street lights. Finish your visit before dark
- Part of the island is farmland. Please stay off the fields and farm tracks
- Please take all rubbish home with you
Access & Parking
| Access | About 75 minutes by car from Naha Airport |
| Address | Yonashiro Yakena Higashi-Yabuchi, Uruma City, Okinawa |
| Parking | Yes (free) |
| Restroom | None |
It is about 75 minutes by car from Naha Airport via the Okinawa Expressway, and about 18 km from Okinawa-minami IC.
Cross the Yabuchi Ohashi Bridge from Yakena, keep going straight along the island’s single road, and the signboard for the Yabuchi Cave Site comes into view.
There is space to leave a car at the end of the road, so parking and turning are no trouble.
From there a short walk brings you to the entrance of Janedo.
See the photo and Google map below for the location of the Yabuchi Cave Site (Janedo).
What’s nearby the Yabuchi Cave Site (Janedo)
Activities in Uruma City
Uruma City offers all kinds of marine activities.
You can book diving, snorkeling, SUP and more.
If you would like to enjoy diving or snorkeling, why not see what is available on Viator or GetYourGuide?
Janedo Beach
An untouched shore that opens up right in front of the cave.
There is no shop and no restroom, but that is exactly why it is so quiet, and why it carries the particular feel of an uninhabited island.
A rental car is the way to go in Okinawa
A rental car is by far the best way to get around the main island of Okinawa.
Shuri Castle in Naha, the beautiful beaches up north, American Village in Chatan and the rest are scattered all over the island, so having a car lets you explore at your own pace. Buses are infrequent and rarely run to time, so whether or not you have a car makes a real difference to the trip.
Popular seasons book up quickly, so reserve early once your dates are set.
Summary
This article introduced the Yabuchi Cave Site (Janedo).
It is one of the oldest sites in Okinawa Prefecture, having yielded Yabuchi-type pottery from about 6,700 years ago and human bone fragments from roughly 10,000 years ago.
It is an archaeological site and, at the same time, a sacred place long revered as the birthplace of the ancestors.
Its setting on an uninhabited island you can drive to is unusual in itself, and with the shore right in front it is somewhere you can linger.
When you visit Uruma City, do make time for Janedo.
Thank you for reading to the end.
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