National Oct 31, 2020
Okinawa marks anniversary of Shuri Castle fire as donations top ¥5 billion
Under the reconstruction project, the construction of a new Seiden main building is expected to start in 2022.
National Oct 29, 2020
Ryukyuan dancer and tea master among new Japan cultural envoys
Tea master Sotatsu Ota, 63, is known for his expertise in tea and wagashi, or traditional Japanese sweets, and in the cultural aspects of Kyoto.
National Jun 11, 2020
Parts of Okinawa's Shuri Castle to reopen to public after fire
Visitors will be able to see restoration work ongoing in other parts of the castle complex from an observation deck behind the Seiden main hall.
National Mar 27, 2020
Japan government aims to restore Okinawa's gutted Shuri Castle by 2026
The government on Friday decided it would aim to restore the gutted Shuri Castle in Okinawa by 2026, with full-fledged reconstruction to begin in 2022. The government aims to enhance fire-prevention measures by installing sprinklers, previously missing at the castle, and automatic fire-detector alarms. Structural ...
National Mar 23, 2020
Volunteers pitch in to help restore gutted Shuri Castle in Okinawa
Volunteers joined in Monday to help with the reconstruction of the historic Shuri Castle, an Okinawa landmark destroyed by fire last year, cleaning the distinctive red roof tiles that are to be used in the restoration. The volunteer work had been delayed nearly three weeks ...
Travel Mar 14, 2020
In the footsteps of Okinawa's forgotten priestesses
by Alex Martin
Utaki (sacred sites) are scattered throughout the islands of Okinawa. Historically the purview of priestesses and kings, these sites have recently seen an uptick in visitors interested in exploring their own history.
Lifestyle Mar 7, 2020
Altered perspectives: The 'interactive' Okinawan garden
by Stephen Mansfield
If Japanese landscape gardeners looked toward mountains and river valleys for inspiration in creating the rock arrangements that form the power grids of their gardens, infusing natural elements with Taoist and Buddhist principles, it is likely that Okinawans cast their eyes over the seas ...
National Jan 31, 2020
Fire at Okinawa's Shuri Castle barely damaged original ruins
The agency told UNESCO that damage to the ruins of the original Shuri Castle accounts for only 0.05 percent of the area covered by the World Heritage sites.
National | Regional Voices: Okinawa Nov 22, 2019
Shuri Castle fire threatens Okinawa's tourism and traditional crafts industries
A predawn fire that destroyed much of Shuri Castle in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, has shocked the local tourism industry and associations of traditional Ryukyu Kingdom crafts, raising alarm about the loss of the historic attraction and potential harm to the prefecture's ability to promote ...
National Nov 2, 2019
Police say arson unlikely in fire that gutted Okinawa's Shuri Castle
Police do not believe the fire that destroyed Shuri Castle, a symbol of Okinawa and a World Heritage site, was caused by arson.
National Nov 1, 2019
Probe into Shuri Castle blaze begins as Abe vows support to rebuild icon of Okinawa
As Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki seeks rebuilding assistance from Tokyo, authorities zero in on the landmark’s Seiden main hall as the source of the tragic fire.
Books | RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT JAPAN May 25, 2019
'Maritime Ryukyu' review: Marauders, smugglers and a colorful cast of adventurers
by Martin Laflamme
As a fulcrum of exchange, the Ryukyu archipelago was multilingual and multicultural from its earliest days.