We finally got around in taking a tour of Shuri Castle in Naha, Okinawa. It was amazing! It is where the king ruled the island (and the castle was burned and rebuilt 4 times) and where present day heads of state have convened to conduct worldy affairs. I couldn't really tell you about all the history it has...come visit and we'll take the tour again!
This is one of the four outer gates to get to the main area:
This is where the king conducted his diplomatic relations:
You had to take your shoes off to go inside and they handed you little bags to put them in:
This is the king's chair:
This is the chair he sat in during ceremonies (such as a New Year's festival). The black grid on the red wall opens up to the courtyard below:
These are the actual ruins from the very last castle that was destroyed. In order to preserve them they built the new one above it:
Here is a mock setup of a New Year's ceremony:
There were traditional dancers outside performing (I have video and I'll upload it once I get everything else on here):
Me with one of the Shisa in front of the castle:
Afterwards we were given free reign on Kokusai Street (A gigantic shopping/eating district). This was our first time getting to go down here! 
1 comment:
wonderful! I bought the Chinese chair (The Uchuri chair was a gift from China to Japan) in Secondlife and am glad you posted the picture of the original here. Enjoyed your post!
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