Nakahara Baba Avenue of Pines

This row of pine trees is located along National Route 505 in Nakijin Village, Okinawa Prefecture. The approximately 30-meter-wide row of pine trees continues for about 250 meters to the gate of Nakijin Elementary School. It was once a horseriding ground that frequently served as a venue for regional folk events, horse races, and other functions in the pre-war era. The Luchu pines are said to have been planted by the 18th-century statesman Sai On. Although there were once horse-riding grounds all over Okinawa, most of them have been developed into farm land or residential areas, making this one a valuable example of a place that still looks as it did centuries ago.