Shuri Castle

Since Ben liked the castle ruins we went to a couple of weeks ago, we thought we'd take him to the real thing this time. Shuri Castle is the only standing castle on Okinawa. However, after we got there I realized that the American's destroyed the castle during WWII and this has all been rebuilt since then. I was pretty bummed that this was all a replica, but it was nice nonetheless. We paid to go into the castle and see the throne, crown, and living quarters. Our friends the Wilson's and Stinchfield's came with us. Eight kids and six adults make for some noisy American's. Here we are parking 3 cars deep in the garage. EVERYONE backs into parking spots here. I don't think I've seen a single person drive in front first.

The typical peace sign that EVERY Japanese person flashes in a picture.

Rob said, "Give me Kung-Fu Panda" and this is what he got from Noah and Ben.


A really cute picture of Noah and his buddy Hayden.

Outside the castle, but within the grounds.

The coolest thing to me...this foundation (under the castle) was the only "original" thing. It dates back to the 1300's.

This was the room where the king would reign from and make important decisions. Notice those big, round, wooden poles with ropes to keep people from walking past them. Issy decided it would be a grand idea to swing from them. They all toppled over and crushed the reverent silence in the room. So embarrassing.

The throne behind me is where the kind would make a regal entrance and entertain important people who came to visit.


The boys got a kick out the faucets in the bathroom


Chillin' outside the castle feeding the kiddos. The other cool thing that I didn't take a picture of was a display of a G8 Summit that happened here in 2000. The leader of Japan had Pres Clinton and other heads of state over for dinner and the Summit. There were pics of them eating at the castle. I thought that was pretty cool. Shuri Castle was a neat place to visit, but I probably won't go back.