Where to stay in Okinawa main island

Hello! I'll be going with a couple friends to Okinawa (main island) for four nights and i was wondering what would be the best area to look for a lodging. We don't really care about night outs, pubs and the like, we are going to get in touch with the peculiar culture, visit temples and shrines, enjoy the beaches and the nature.
Can someone help us find the best area to enjoy all of this?

Stay away from Naha. Any hotel plus a car will do you good. You need to drive to get around Okinawa island. If you want the true beach experience, then a flight to Ishigaki and the like would be ideal.

Like the person above said, try to get out of Naha as soon as possible.
If you are looking for a nice beach near Naha though, I can recommend you Tokashiki Island. Very nice, small island easily reached from Naha by ferry.
If you plan on staying on the main island, try the north. The scenery around Nago is quite decent with nice places for hiking and there is a very popular aquarium you could visit. There are also beaches nearby.
If you want to see the really nice beaches though, you need to get off the main island.

Stay away from Naha

What could be so very wrong with Naha?

Nothing. Nothing wrong.

Just if you take the trouble to get all the way to Okinawa, you are prolly interested in nature. Aka beaches and forests. Naha does have some culture that may interest some, but I believe the more rural areas got it better. E.g. that island just across from Ishigaki that starts with the letter 'T'.

So nothing wrong, but nothing right either.

Before you rule out Naha, I think it's important to consider a few things:
1. Where do you want to go on the island?
2. How will you get around?

If you want to go to places in Naha, the southern area, and places in the north and you plan on using public transport, you should definitely stay in Naha within reasonable distance of Naha Bus Terminal, unless you plan on staying overnight in each area.

If you will mostly be traveling around the northern parts, Nago is a better base.

If you will have a car, you can pretty much stay wherever you want. If you're planning to mostly stick to the beaches, then choosing a nice resort would probably be best without regards to the city.