Shuri Castle Park, Okinawa | Japan is Nippon

For about 500 years the royal castle of the Ryukyu Kingdom. Its main hall, lost to fire in 2019, is rebuilt and opens to the public on 23 November 2026.

Curved stone walls and stairs leading to a gate inside Shuri Castle — Photo: 663highland, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

The royal castle of the Ryukyu Kingdom

Shuri Castle stands in Shuri, in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture. Okinawa was once an independent country, the Ryukyu Kingdom, and Shuri Castle was both the king's home and the centre of government. It played that role for about 500 years, from around the 14th-15th century until the kingdom came to an end in 1879.

Its buildings show the influence of both China and Japan, with vermilion-lacquered wooden architecture and distinctive Ryukyu tiled roofs. In 2000 the Shuri Castle site was inscribed as a World Cultural Heritage Site as one of the "Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu". Gusuku is the Okinawan word for a castle.

A history of destruction and rebuilding

Shuri Castle was destroyed in the Battle of Okinawa in 1945. It was restored after the war, and its central building, the Seiden (main hall), was rebuilt in 1992.

But on 31 October 2019 a fire destroyed nine buildings, including the Seiden, the Hokuden (north hall) and the Nanden (south hall). Work to rebuild the Seiden has been under way since November 2022, and after a completion ceremony on 22 November 2026, the Seiden will open to the public from 23 November (a public holiday).

What you can see at Shuri Castle now

The construction covering was removed in October 2025, and the outside of the Seiden, with its red-tiled roof, can now be seen. Until it opens you cannot go inside, but there is a viewing area entered through the Hoshinmon gate, and a viewing deck where you can look at the Seiden from higher up. An exhibition room also explains the techniques used in the rebuilding and how the decorations were restored.

From 23 November 2026, visits inside the Seiden will require advance booking for a specific date and 30-minute time slot. Bookings are bought online, and if there is space you can buy up to 15 minutes before your entry time. Admission prices also change from the same day, so check prices and how to book on the official website.

Getting there

From Naha Airport Station, take the Okinawa Urban Monorail, known as the Yui Rail, and get off at Shuri Station. From Shuri Station it is about a 15-minute walk to the Shureimon gate. There are also local buses from Shuri Station that go close to the castle.

Tips

On 22 November the whole park is closed for the completion ceremony, and on 23 November you cannot enter the paid area until noon. Expect crowds just after the opening, so leave plenty of room in your plans.
If you want to see inside the Seiden, advance booking is essential. Tickets for 23 November to 31 December 2026 go on sale in two batches, on 1 September and 1 October; from January 2027 onwards, they go on sale on the 1st of the month two months ahead.
The 60-minute guided tour of the castle will have a new start time and meeting point from 1 October 2026. If you want to join, check the latest information on the official website.