Shurijo Castle, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan
4.0 (5.165 reviews) Sunday: 8:00 AM - 6:30 PM Spent < 1 hour Ranking #2 in Naha Historic Walking Areas • Castles
Most Parts Open & Free. Go visit.
It's 110% worthwhile to visit the castle ground now, although the main castle is burned down. It was painful to see the damage, but in a big picture, this is one example of how history evolves. I believe it was meaningful for our kids to see the site as well. It's completely free (though you do need to pay parking, if you are driving), and all the shops and the restaurant are open. From a purely logistic standpoint, you have less crowd to fight through. There usually is a line to get dressed in the traditional Okinawan costume to get your picture taken at Shurei Mon (the famous gate that appears on 2000 yen bills), but there was no line when we visited. I think the cost was about 1000 yen per person, if I remember correctly. Shurei Mon is located at the beginning of the route, away from the fire-damaged area. Also, you actually get to appreciate the rest of the castle ground (greens, gates, etc) better.
Address
1-2 Kinjo-cho, Shuri, Naha 903-0815 Okinawa Prefecture
Mobile
Website
http://oki-park.jp/shurijo/en/
Working hours
Monday : 8:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Tuesday : 8:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Wednesday : 8:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Thursday : 8:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Friday : 8:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Saturday : 8:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Sunday : 8:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Current local date and time now
Sunday, May 05, 2024, 20:41
User Ratings
4.0 based on (5.165 reviews)
Reviews
-
5Niameow 5:00 PM Feb 26, 2020
Still worth to see while it is under the construction!
I was not sure what was left after the fire, but I decided to check it, and I am glad I did. Although the main castle part was closed off, I could still explore other areas, and stone works I could see were amazing. It had a nice view of the city. If you are on the fence like I was, I would highly recommend you to still visit the castle. Some areas are free while some area charges for entrance fees (I believe 300 yen or so, so it is very reasonable).
-
3Malcolm_See 5:00 PM Mar 6, 2020
Nothing much to see as the main area was burnt down
The main part of the castle was burnt down in a fire last year, and it will probably take some time before everything is back up again. For now, it was mainly the outer walls which are available for viewing and the garden area within the castle. Nothing really much to experience, but at least it was completely free at the moment. Not many signage or brochures to explain about the fire or history of the place, which was a let-down. The castle restaurant was open, and provided pretty good value for money food, although the food wasn’t anything to wow at. Service was pretty fast, and food was quickly served almost instantaneously after ordering.
