Shuri Castle

photo by 663highland · CC BY 2.5

photo by そらみみ · CC BY-SA 4.0

The throne hall reopens on 23 November 2026: until then, what you visit is the building site.

The 正殿 burned down on the night of 31 October 2019, and the rebuilding has been done in full view, with the declared idea of 見せる復興: showing the work instead of hiding it. From a raised observation platform you can look at the rebuilt roof and its ornaments up close, closer than will be possible once the work is finished. The interior stays closed for safety, and the processes (the lacquering of the ceiling beams) can be seen in photographs and video in the reconstruction hall. The paid area opens at 8:30 and closes at 19:00, with tickets on sale until 18:30.

Residence of the kings of the Ryukyu (an independent kingdom, not a Japanese province, until the annexation of 1879) for four centuries, and the political heart of that kingdom; destroyed in the Battle of Okinawa in 1945 and rebuilt in 1992. The site inscribed by UNESCO in December 2000 is the 首里城跡, that is, the ground and the foundations, which the 2019 fire did not touch: the World Heritage Site never ceased to exist. The free areas include the gate 奉神門, the 淑順門, the viewpoint 東のアザナ and the rear courtyard 後之御庭.

ℹ️ You can walk round the free areas as you please; the paid area includes the reconstruction hall and the 世誇殿 with the models of the ornaments. ⚠️ From the reopening on 23 November 2026 the ticket price changes and advance booking is required for the main hall: if you go after that date, do not turn up without one. The forecourt of the 素屋根, the temporary structure that covered the work, was closed to the public on 9 June 2025 and no longer exists.

🚉 Yamagawa · 12 min walk

Sources: oki-park.jp · oki-park.jp · oki-park.jp · oki-park.jp

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