Wednesday, June 1, 2011

UNESCO Shuri Castle Okinawa (Photo) and Travel Tips


The most popular UNESCO World Heritage Site in Okinawa, Japan is Shuri-jo (Castle) and it probably gets visitors, from around the world, numbering in the millions every year.

This photo reminds me of two very important things a visitor needs to know.

The red building, on the left side of the frame is the main attraction.  At the time the photo was taken, scaffolding covered the left third of the structure.  Maintenence was being done to restore the brilliant colors for the annual King and Queen's Coronation held each year in November.

There is a website SHURIJO CASTLE PARK  updated regularly, that would have informed me of this project.  I wouldn't have planned on going to take castle pictures with the site under construction. 

Living here, in Okinawa, Japan, I can go anytime, year round.

Another thing visitors may want to know, especially if they are on the island for any length of time, is the admission fees.

An adult pays 800 yen for admission each time they enter the castle. But, if you plan on visiting more than twice, during the course of a year, an Annual Passport is the way to go.

It costs 1600 yen, giving you unlimited visits to the castle and a few more benefits, like 10% of at the gift shops and a chance to win a 10,000 yen gift certificate.

So, my travel tips would be check the website for Shuri Castle before you go and get an annual passport if you think you may visit, like I do, several times a year.






18 comments:

Muza-chan said...

Wow! Amazing photo :)

RyukyuMike said...

Muza-chan,
Thanks. One of these days I'll go back and catch it in better light and hopefully, on a day with no scaffolding!

Leigh said...

I love the ornateness of the red building. Wondering where are all the people? Did you just catch it in a quiet moment?

RyukyuMike said...

Leigh,
Plenty of people were there. I just hide and shoot when the tide goes out !

Doc said...

Way to crop!

RyukyuMike said...

Webmaster,
Hey, You look mighty familiar. I know you from somewhere?
Thanks for the comment on my in-camera crop !

Unknown said...

Great shot Mike! Love the architecture.

Thanks for posting to Travel Photo Thursday.

RyukyuMike said...

LadyE,
Thanks for having me !

Evan said...

Great tips, especially about checking a sites website before visiting. At least it was open the day you arrived--several times I've planned museum trips on the day they were closed!

RyukyuMike said...

Evan,
Now that you mentioned museums being closed, I've been there and done that, too !

Ryan said...

Looks like a must visit for any self respecting tourist type, great shot Mike.

RyukyuMike said...

Ryan,
Yup. It really is a nice place and I need to go back when the weather is right, no construction is going on and no self respecting tourists are around. Then, I show you an awesome shot!

strux said...

Great shot! I've never seen this before... it looks like a beautiful place to visit.
Michael (http://struxtravel.com)

RyukyuMike said...

Strux,
Thanks. Come visit sometime. You'd enjoy it.

Cathy Sweeney said...

It's because of photos and information like this that I'm such a big fan, Mike!

RyukyuMike said...

Cathy,
Thank you and I hope I can keep coming-up with stuff to keep you a big fan!

Expat in Germany said...

I love the ornateness of Japanese architecture and UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

RyukyuMike said...

Expat in Germany,
We have 9 World Heritage sites on Okinawa. I'll have to get busy and show you all of them.