Okinawa

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Blog 10_Japan_2023



March 30 Port of Call: Naha, Okinawa, Japan – Weather: Occasional light rain – Wind 23 mph – Temperature: 72°F/22°C



After two and a half sea days we arrived at the island of Okinawa where we enjoyed our first shore excursion of this voyage: a visit to Shurijo Castle Park, Shikinaen

Royal Garden and finally, a visit to Kokusai Street, part of the shopping district.

Shurijo Castle was constructed in the 14^th century and displays distinctly Chinese and Japanese architectural influences. Heavily bombed during the 2nd World

War the structure was left in ruins until 1992 when reconstruction started. The castle complex was recognized in 2000 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Unfortunately,

on October 31, 2019, eight of the main buildings were destroyed in a fire. Those structures are currently undergoing restoration once again and is expected to be completed in 2026.

The Castle complex sits atop a small mountain overlooking the city and the harbour beyond. The pathway leading to the castle area involved climbing some quite steep stairs requiring some careful stepping. Handrails were not part of the original architecture and are not present now. Going down the mountain was much easier as there was a gentle sloping path.

Moving on through the city we arrived at the Shikinaen Royal Garden, also named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000. The site was developed in the 17^th & 18^th centuries as the largest second villa for the Ryukyu royal family members and foreign guests. The Udun Palace in the center of the garden overlooks a pond that features the Rokkaku-do, a hexagonal hall on an island and two stone bridges. Again, this site, like the castle, was completely destroyed during the 2^nd World War. Restoration began in 1975 and took twenty years to complete.

Our final stop was in the commercial district of the city for the mandatory souvenir gathering exercise. The tour bus stop was in front of the Okinawa Prefecture’s government buildings. The Naha city hall beside these was very forward thinking with covered open-air walkways joining two buildings and many green plantings enhancing the outside walls from top to bottom.

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