Shuri Castle emerges from ashes as reconstruction makes headway

To be another "fake" rebuilt castle or temple/shrine. Why bother?

To be another "fake" rebuilt castle or temple/shrine. Why bother?

Because it can invokes millions of yen construction projects.

Spending money for something that contribute to the actual problem,

Japan just really love it.

Great news. This will go a long way towards advancing a movement I am quite passionate about - MORA: Make Okinawa Ryukyuan Again.

Looking forward to partying like it's 1429.

Good job guys. I look forward to seeing reopened to Japanese public.

I was living in Shuri Ishimine-cho that fateful day and remember seeing billowing black smoke just a few km away. Honestly, I thought a traffic helicopter had crashed.

Great news. It was a big blow when Shuri castle burnes down. Good to see the reconstruction progress. Looking forward to see it again. Love the place.

The fire severely hit tourism in Okinawa

I bet this is guesswork and not based on empirical evidence that factors in the pandemic. "Severely" is likely a huge exaggeration.

If it is true, it is a gross failure on the part of the Okinawa tourism people on introducing the area's other charms. Or a sad reflection on the average tourist and what they want to see. The castle should be nowhere near a dealbreaker regarding a trip to Okinawa Honto, never mind Okinawa as a whole.

This historic site was virtually demolished by the fire, so it is good to see its revival.

Why the negativity in the many of the comments? Destroyed structures have been re-built many times in the past.

And in this case, I understand they have been re-building the original structure and not created some concrete imitation. I want to go there.

The grounds, walls, gates, etc. offer a nice stroll with a panoramic view of central Okinawa. I was there last year and enjoyed it. I bought an extra-large T-shirt with Okinawan design at the gift shop. (Orion Beer T-shirts are ubiquitous.) The reconstruction work can be viewed through a large window and has explanatory panels. Not much else to do in the neighborhood, though. And it's a long walk uphill from the rail station.

Castles have main keeps, not main temples. Lost in translation.

I’ve been living in and out of Okinawa for 40+ years and never bothered to go visit this place, too busy going diving all the time. Just left again last month.

I’ve been living in and out of Okinawa for 40+ years and never bothered to go visit this place, too busy going diving all the time. Just left again last month.

素晴らしい

The fire severely hit tourism in Okinawa, a situation worsened by the coronavirus pandemic which followed soon after.

Hardly! Facts prove otherwise. Tourism was hit hardest because of the pandemic, when it fell to zero for foreign tourists, and below miniscule for domestic.

The fire severely hit the numbers of tourists visiting Shuri castle, that is without a doubt accurate, but NOT the tire prefecture. Shuri is just one on many "tourist" spots on island.

The number of visitors to Shuri Castle Park, including those to free-to-access zones, totaled 2.8 million in fiscal 2018 before the fire, according to the Japanese central government's Okinawa General Bureau of the Cabinet Office. After the blaze, the number plunged to 330,000 in fiscal 2020 and remained low in fiscal 2021 and 2022 amid the pandemic.

True it dropped HERE, but not for all of Okinawa

The main building,the one that burnt down is 2019, was a copy of the original that was destroyed after being shelled for 3 days by the US navy. They are going to build a copy of a copy. Let's hope they put in a sprinkler system this time.

The main building,the one that burnt down is 2019, was a copy of the original that was destroyed after being shelled for 3 days by the US navy. They are going to build a copy of a copy. Let's hope they put in a sprinkler system this time.

Fairly certain that the one that was shelled during WWII wasn't the original either.

Not that it matters if it's a copy. A lot of historical structures in Japan and elseware are reconstructions.

In the process of Ryukyu Kingdom's annexation to Japan, the king was forced to live in Tokyo with the title of nobility. In the meantime, the lordless Shuri Castle was nationalized and turned into a national Shinto shrine, soon to be designated as a national treasure. 

That’s the reason why the fire-blazed castle is being reconstructed mainly with efforts by the central government. The reconstruction is being carried out on the basis of minute research results. So, it will not simply be a replica.

Fairly certain that the one that was shelled during WWII wasn't the original either.

100% correct, even states it in the 2nd paragraph of the article!

Although it represents the history of Okinawa and the Ryukyu Kingdom the property is ultimately owned by the Japanese (not Okinawan) government. Hopefully, they will install a modern fire suppression system this time. The new AI-powered robot fire suppression systems can quickly suppress fires with articulated camera-equipped nozzles. Companies like Amazon use these systems in data centers and warehouses.

the property is ultimately owned by the Japanese (not Okinawan) government. 

It's not so simple. Shuri Castle was once private property, became the property of Ryukyu University, and when the University was "nationalized" after the reversion, the land was given to the national government, free of charge, to be made into a national park, and then control was eventually given back to the prefectural government, and now in control of the Churashima Foundation.