CONTRIBUTED BY DIANA MIDDLETON My MIL, my two kids (ages 4 & 6), and I went on a tour of Shurijo Castle and everyone loved it. We left first thing in the morning so that we arrived as soon as they opened. The directions on their web site are perfect. The prices are 800 yen for adults, 600 yen for HS students, 300 yen for elementary students and ages 5 and under are free.
Aside from being a beautiful restoration of a castle from way back in the day, the Castle has a lot of added bonuses to make the trip special. For one, the kids can collect stamps at each location. My kids took turns at each station and other kids were doing their own sheet. They looked forward to each station which made the trip a little more exciting for their age group. Also, while you are in the main castle section, you can pay to have tea served. It was a nice break from the walk. We also saw some traditional Ryukyuan dances (check their web site, these do not happen every day), which was absolutely beautiful! We finished up our tour at around lunch time and had a nice meal in one of their restaurants. There are lots of souvenir shops, so my kids picked out cool t-shirts and some note cards. The history in itself is worth it for the walking you do!
Here's a picture of my happy 6-year-old viewing a replica of the castle with all of people lined up in rows. It was a cool model and doesn't he look happy??
I have been there a few times. I have only paid to go in on two occasions but just touring the grounds if you want to save a trip in until you have visitors to the island, is worth it as well. There are all sorts of areas you can get to without paying for the interior of the castle as well. The grounds are beautiful, and the gift shops are fun.
We have been twice. The second time we just ventured around the grounds (all free; you only pay for the actual Castle) on the paths we couldn’t go on in a stroller. There is a lot to see and it is easy to take up a whole day.
On the parking, it is strange!! Straightline backing to park 3 cars deep is a challenge for me (I can not park worth crap going forwards let alone backwards). Wwe have done it twice and stayed over that 2 hours (once was busy) and they didn’t say anything (probably thought it was a language barrier). You do pay for parking in 2 hour blocks, but it wasn’t a lot of money!
Does anyone have directions to the castle?
Thanks!