The Naha City Museum of History, located in the Palette Kumoji complex in the city centre, tells the story of Naha from prehistoric settlement through the Ryukyu Kingdom period to the present day. The collection is well organized and relatively compact — you can cover it properly in ninety minutes.
The strongest sections cover the Ryukyu Kingdom era, with ceramics, lacquerware, textiles, and documents that illustrate the distinctive culture that evolved in the islands over five centuries of independence. There is also good material on the Battle of Okinawa in 1945, which devastated the city, and on the post-war American occupation. English explanations are adequate if not exhaustive.