I decided to try a ITT (Information, Ticket, & Travel) tour to Shurijo Castle and Shikinaen Royal Garden. This is a tour through the military that offers transportation to/from each location and an English/Japanese speaking tour guide. The day started off by meeting the tour bus. Most of these tours sell out so ensure you buy tickets ahead of time. You can try for space-a the day of the tour, in case someone doesn't show up. The trip to Shurijo Castle took about 40 minutes (we had construction along the way that brought the road down to one lane for a bit). One plus of going on the tour...no need for me to find parking! I felt as if the Shurijo Castle was a "quick walk" with brief periods of time to take pictures. Perhaps "speed walking tour" would have been more appropriate. Now, part of this was due to the fact that the last 30 minutes of my available time at the Castle I wanted to spend watching a local dance routine. It was free and at the front of the Castle. If I had chosen not to watch the dancing, I could have enjoyed a more leisurely walk. However, I couldn't pass up a chance to see the local custom in the form of dance. I was very happy with my decision. Over a period of 30 minutes, I watched 4 types of dances. My favorite was the Tanchame; a dance depicting the joy young men and women in a fishing village have in their work and their zest for life.
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Shurijo Castle
This was the royal seat of the Ryukyu Kingdom for about 500 years |
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Tanchame
Created after the collapse of the Ryukyu Kingdom in 1879
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Next stop was an Aeon (Japan mall), about 30 minutes away, for lunch and shopping. We only had one hour at this location. There were restaurants on the first floor and a food court on the second floor. I ate at A&W. Having never eaten at an A&W in the states, I randomly selected my food from the pictures as it was all in Konji and the employees did not speak English. Ended up with a hamburger with a slice of ham on it and some curly fries; very delicious. I devoured my food so I would have time to take a quick stroll around the mall. Very interesting things for sell...I will go back when I have the time to shop.
Hopped back on the bus, 15 minutes later ended up at the Shikinaen Royal Garden. This is a World Heritage Site. The Shikina-En was the largest second residence for the Ryukyu royal families and was used to entertain royal family members and foreign guests. We had an hour to walk around, which was a perfect amount of time to walk slowly, stop to gaze at the beauty around me, and take lots of pictures.
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Rokkaku-Do
A bower (place of rest) built in the Chinese style
The arched bridge was made from a single block of Ryukyu limestone |
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Ishi-Bashi
Designed in the Chinese style |
Took about 25 minutes to drive back to our starting point and end the tour. What a wonderful trip!
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