Shuri Castle stood on a hill above Naha for roughly five hundred years as the seat of the Ryukyu Kings, and the stone foundations are all that survive of the earlier structures. The kingdom was independent until 1879, when Japan annexed it, and had a long history of trade between China, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia, which gave the castle a distinctive style. The red-lacquered halls, with Chinese-style roofs, dragon pillars and gold decoration, looked unlike any castle on the Japanese mainland. The main hall burned down in October 2019 in a fire that shocked the island, and reconstruction has been under way since, with work visible to visitors and the date of reopening still to be confirmed.
Even without the main hall, the site is impressive. The great stone walls, curved like waves along the contours of the hill, are made of limestone fitted so tightly that they have withstood earthquakes, typhoons and the heavy fighting of the Second World War. Gateways open one after another as you climb, including the Shureimon, a two-tiered gate with a sign saying land of courtesy, and the stone paving of the old approach is worth walking. From the upper terraces, you can see Naha, the harbour and the sea beyond.
The castle site is part of the UNESCO listing of the Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu. For riders, Shuri is a hillside district on the edge of Naha, so the roads are steep and busy, with parking limited around the entrance. Check the car park rules for motorcycles, and leave early to avoid the tour buses. In the wet, the stone paving is slippery, and the sun in summer is fierce.
Naha and Tomigusuku provide every service, from fuel and supermarkets to small restaurants. For a local meal, try the soki soba, with tender pork ribs, or a plate of umi-budo, sea grapes, in season. The nearby Tamaudun, the royal mausoleum, and the old stone streets of Shuri, with their coral walls and shisa guardians, deserve an hour of your day.
October to May is a more comfortable time than the humid summer, though typhoon season runs into October.