North Okinawa · NagoNo.1031★★★Open in map →

Orion Happy Park

— Nago brewery of Okinawa's own beer

foodThe classic — done right

The visitor side of the brewery in Nago that makes Okinawa's own beer. A walkway runs above the working line, from the brewhouse to the filling machines, and the tour ends with a glass poured on site. Sessions are capped and booked ahead.

FromNaha Airport
~2 hrHighway bus 111
Get off atYofuke bus stop (Route 58)
From there
Orion Happy Park

Directions ↗

Where it is

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What to look for — in walking order

Main lobbythe ground-floor reception, with the copper mash pan from the brewery's early years
Gallery spacean upstairs floor rebuilding an old machiya-gwa corner shop, with the company's history around it
Line walkwaya glazed gallery above the working plant, from the brewhouse to the filling machines
Tasting counterthe end of the tour, with beer poured on site and soft drinks for the rest
Yanbaru no Morithe beer restaurant on the same site, cooking with ingredients from the northern hills

How to actually get there

Book a tour place on the official reservation page before travelling.
Naha Airport → Yofuke (highway bus 111, about an hour and three quarters).
Yofuke → Orion Happy Park (walk, about fifteen minutes, north into Higashie).
Main lobby → the upstairs gallery → the line walkway → the tasting counter.

Highway bus 111 from Naha Airport: Naha Airport →(highway bus route 111, about an hour and three quarters)→ Yofuke, then a walk of about fifteen minutes to the brewery. The airport limousine coach covers the same stretch. Book a tour place on the official reservation page before you travel, because sessions are capped.
Return from Yofuke: Walk back down to Route 58 and take the 111 toward Naha Airport, or carry on into Nago and pick up services from Nago Bus Terminal. Check the posted departure times at the stop before the tour starts, so the return is not left to chance.

Directions from my location (Google Maps) ↗

About the place

The brewery stands in Higashie, on the north side of Nago, and the visitor building is attached to it. Reception is on the ground floor, where the copper mash pan from the company's early years sits in the lobby. Upstairs a gallery rebuilds an old neighbourhood shop, a machiya-gwa, and lays out the company's history around it. From the walkway you look down on the plant at work, brewing at one end and cans filling and moving off on a conveyor at the other. A beer restaurant called Yanbaru no Mori and an official store share the same site.

How to enjoy it

Reservations are taken by session and places are capped, so pick a slot that still leaves room for the restaurant and the store afterwards. The upstairs gallery is the part most visitors walk straight past; copies of the naming-competition advertisements are posted along the tour route. Come back down to the line last, once you know what you are looking at.

Background & history

The company was founded on 18 May 1957 as Okinawa Beer, in what was then the town of Nago, under American administration. That November it ran a prize competition in the newspapers to find a name for the beer, and Orion won. The company's own history gives three reasons for the choice: Orion is a southern constellation and suits the image of Okinawa, stars stand for people's dreams, and the insignia of the American commander then governing the islands was three stars. The brewery has stayed in Nago ever since.

Before you go

Cash: The restaurant and the store take payment at their own counters. Buses in Okinawa are paid on board, so keep coins and small notes to hand as well as a card. The tour is booked through the official reservation page rather than at the door.
Good to know: Tours run to a set schedule, and reception, restaurant and store each keep their own hours, so check on the day. Parking on site is limited and the brewery asks visitors to come by public transport or taxi. Drivers, and anyone below the legal drinking age, are given a soft drink instead of beer.
Another way: By car, leave the Okinawa Expressway at Kyoda Interchange and drive north on Route 58 for roughly ten minutes, following the signs into Higashie.
After you get off: The Yofuke stop is on Route 58, and the brewery lies north of it in Higashie. The way in is the car park gate; the staff entrance that comes first is not the visitor entrance.