If
you are not really planning to leave Naha, then make sure that Shuri Castle is
in your itinerary, especially if you have a monorail pass, simply because this is
one of just several attractions that could be reached by the said form of transportation.
The tracks of the monorail start at the airport; it ends at Shuri Castle. This
is not to say that it is connected to the castle doors itself. You still have
to walk around 20 minutes or so to reach the castle grounds. There is also a
tourist bus that can take you there.
The
castle itself is not really that huge, but the complex sure is. If you are
accompanied by wannabe ramp models who walk at six steps per minute, then I
would say that you could spend the entire morning here. If you are not a
morning person like me, though, then I would say after lunch until the early
afternoon would be good. If you are the type who just takes photos quickly, around
two hours and a half would do, including whatever hike necessary.
But
most people would love to get to know the history of the place more, imagine
what it was like back in the day when actual royals roamed the vicinity of the
palace, and of course, unleash their inner camwhore. I visited on a Thursday
afternoon, and the crowd was still considerably large. We are not saying “large”
as in of Beijing’s Forbidden City proportions, but still enough people to
obstruct your view of the colorful background that you need for that perfect
souvenir photo. Weekends should be worse.
Do
I recommend having lunch there? No. I did just that and the food was terrible.
I mean, it was edible alright but I would rather have just spent my money on a
beef bowl in some random local eatery. Snacks bought there would be fine, but I
would suggest against coming with an empty stomach. Remember that this trip
would require a lot of walking, some of the uphill. You need the energy and the
stamina! The gardens were lackluster because they were all green. It should be
a totally different story come autumn.
Make
sure to refer to the map of the place by the entrance if you are planning to
explore a bit. There are walkways which would grant you access to awesome views
of Naha from above, while there are also pathways that would require less
walking so you could arrive at the castle earlier than expected. I did see some
signboards warning against snakes, although I did not really encounter a real
one while I was there, which is a good thing because my Nihongo is really bad,
and I don’t speak Parseltongue either.
If
you are lucky, you would be able to catch some cultural shows on the side,
mainly just locals in colorful kimonos dancing to indigenous beats. You could
also take a photo with them, but I could not clearly recall if they would
charge you how much yen. These performers are usually at the main entrance
right before the historic gate. I took one of the side gates, so that particular
entrance served more like an exit to me. That is also where you would find the
canteen if ever you go hungry.
The
walls and the gates of the complex are like anything you’ve already seen. Japan
seems to share such traditional architecture with both Korea and China as far
as castle walls are concerned. I mean, how distinct should your castle walls
be? They are just gates, doh. You would be lucky enough if your enemies back in
the day would be gentle enough not to damage them. As long as they serve their
purpose, they would be fine being monotonously grey.
The
palace itself is colorful alright, with a unique mix of colors that make it
stand out from its East Asian counterparts. I mean, Chinese palaces would drown
you with so much red and gold that would make even Gryffindor himself puke. Korean
palaces experimented by throwing in some brown and green to tone down the red.
For this particular Okinawan palace, the prevalent theme is red as well, but
the intricacies of its design combining white and yellow hues give it a rather distinct
flavor.
Photos
and videos are not allowed inside, except for some areas of the throne room.
This is the closest thing you would get to starring in your own version of
Samurai Warriors. While the Okinawans also love their red and gold motif, there
are still enough features similar to other Japanese castles which make you
recall the videogame. I would say that it is because of the predominance of
wood, both in terms of structure and theme. And yes, they also use paper.
After
you are done with the main castle, do not forget to visit the smaller one
adjacent to it, which houses an exhibit of the place’s history as well as a
souvenir shop selling everything from chopsticks to t-shirts. I paid 660 yen
for the entrance fee, which was a discounted price because I had a monorail
pass! Brochures are also available in different languages and for free at the
ticket booth. If you’ve also seen Kokusaidori, then you are done with Naha!
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