Hedo-misaki (辺戸岬 "Hedo Cape") is the northernmost point on Okinawa Island, located within Kunigami Village. A cape jutting out north from the island, it faces the South China Sea on the west, and the Pacific Ocean on the east. On a particularly clear day, the island of Yoronjima (Kagoshima Prefecture) can be seen on the horizon.
The site has become a tourist destination, both for its geographic location, and for the monument erected there commemorating the end of US Occupation and return of Okinawa to Japanese sovereignty in 1972. The monument is popularly seen as a photo opportunity by tourists; as tourism to the site has grown, a number of restaurants, souvenir shops, and the like have also appeared near the site.[1]
According to legends of Okinawan history, Okinawan king Gihon (r. c.1248-1260) fled the capital after abdicating the throne and disappeared into the forest. He is said to have last been seen at Hedo-misaki.[2]