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North of Naha, traffic on Highway 58 crawls up the coast of central Okinawa between a strip of McDonald's, Shakey's Pizza and used car lots on one side, and neat rows of artillery on the other. This is army country, where huge tracts of land are occupied by the American military . Kinser, Hoster and Lester camps, and the vast Kadena Airbase extend along the coast as far north as the Maeda peninsula, where beach resorts take over. You can avoid the coastal strip by taking the expressway or Highway 330 up the island's less crowded centre past Okinawa City - this is the best way to reach the north of the island quickly, although a trip on the expressway from end to end costs Y1000. A bizarre mix of American and Japanese life, Okinawa City is the region's main urban centre, but even here there's little reason to stop. If you do want a break on the journey north, there are a couple of moderately interesting sights in the area. Though it's difficult to get to, Nakamura-ke is one of the few genuinely old buildings on Okinawa still standing, and the nearby ruins of Nakagusuku Castle offer commanding views. Then on the district's northern fringes, there's Ryukyu-mura , a quieter, more interesting culture village than Gyokusendo .
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