Category: Ruins in Okinawa

  • Katsuren Castle

    Katsuren Castle

    Katsuren Castle is one of the castle ruins that are part of Okinawa’s World Heritage Sites. Although the scale is smaller than that of Nakijin Castle Ruins , it is a beautiful castle ruin standing on the seaside. There is no regular tours to Nakajin Castle. Take one of customizable tours. The entrance to Katsuren Castle…

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  • Tamaudun in Shuri, Okinawa

    Tamaudun in Shuri, Okinawa

    Tamaudun is located near the ruins of Shuri Castle, a short walk from the Shureimon Gate, and is a mausoleum of successive generations of the Ryukyu royal family nestled in greenery. It was built in 1501 by King Sho Shin of the Ryukyus (reigned 1477-1526) to rebury the remains of his father, King Sho En, from…

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  • Sonohyan Utaki Stone Gate of Shurijo Castle, Okinawa

    Sonohyan Utaki Stone Gate of Shurijo Castle, Okinawa

    Sonohyan Utaki Ishimon is a stone gate located near Shureimon after exiting the castle gate of Shurijo Castle. It is a rustic gate that you will not notice anything if you pass it, but it is designated as one of the World Heritage Sites. Utaki is a place of worship in Ryukyu, and there is a place…

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  • Enkakuji Temple Ruins and Benzaitendo in Shuri

    Enkakuji Temple Ruins and Benzaitendo in Shuri

    I drove to Shuri Castle from Kokusai Street in Naha where I stayed. Enter Shuri according to the car navigation system and look for a parking lot from the Shurijo Castle Park Management Center, but no parking lot is full. When I had no choice but to go around Shurijo Castle, I found a small parking lot…

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  • Okinawa’s World Heritage Nakagusuku Castle Ruins

    Okinawa’s World Heritage Nakagusuku Castle Ruins

    I was ashamed to say that I didn’t know that there was a medieval castle with stone walls in Okinawa until it was registered as a World Heritage Site. The fact that there was a time when multiple dynasties fought for supremacy in Okinawa is somehow different from the image of a peaceful southern island. Had it…

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