Yaese
八重瀬町Yeeji26°09′ N 127°43′ ETownPop. 33,135
Yaese is a farming town of about 33,000 people in the hills of southern Okinawa Island; it was formed in 2006 and named after the 163 m Yaese-dake, and the oldest surviving shisa guards its village of Tomori.
Yaese is cane country. The town office describes a rolling plateau mostly planted in sugar cane, rising in the south to Yaese-dake at 163 m and dropping in sea cliffs to the Pacific, while the north side near Naha is filling with houses. Kochinda and Gushikami merged to form it in 2006, and the old municipal names dropped out of addresses altogether.
The Tomori no Shisa, a stone lion guarding the village of Tomori, is said to be the oldest surviving shisa in Okinawa and is a prefectural cultural property. At Minatogawa on the coast, the bones of people who lived about 18,000 years ago were found in 1968 and named Minatogawa Man after the place.
See and do
Things to do in Yaese遊ぶ
Tomori no Shisa富盛のシーサーmonument
A stone lion in the village of Tomori said to be the oldest surviving shisa, a prefectural tangible cultural property.
Minatogawa港川site
The coastal district where the remains of Minatogawa Man, about 18,000 years old, were found in 1968.
FAQ
Quick answers about Yaeseよくある質問
Where is the oldest shisa in Okinawa?
The Tomori no Shisa in Yaese is said to be the oldest surviving shisa in Okinawa, and it is a prefectural tangible cultural property.
Where was Minatogawa Man found?
Minatogawa Man was found in 1968 at Minatogawa in what is now Yaese town, and the remains are about 18,000 years old.
What does the name Yaese mean?
Yaese comes from the local name Yeeji, meaning named after Yaese-dake, the 163 m hill on the old Kochinda–Gushikami boundary. The town formed on 1 January 2006 from Kochinda town and Gushikami village, and the merger council chose the name by public contest from Yaese-dake, which straddles the old boundary. In Okinawan it is Yeeji or Eeji. We found no source for the meaning of the hill's own name.
How do you get to Yaese?
National Route 507 runs north–south through the town. The Gushikami branch office sits inside Minami-no-Eki Yaese.
Within 12 km
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Within 12 km
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