Shurijo

So I have officially had my first touristy, sight-seeing experience here in Okinawa. My roommate Miwako took me to Shuri Castle (jo=castle, thus Shurijo). We went to a free mid-autumn festival that took place last night. It was cool to see the castle and read a little bit about it. The main castle was closed due to the festival but the performances were very cool. There was the electing the new royal "king" and "queen" who will be in a parade in November (I'm not sure what all else they actually do), and a dramatic performance with dancing and acting. I love the performing arts so it was a lot of fun to see traditional Japanese style. These were performances done for the Chinese envoys during the time of the Ryukyu Kingdom in Okinawa. It was a great experience and I look forward to going back to Shurijo again. Unfortunately my pictures didn't turn out very well, but here are a few anyways.

At the gate

Lion pillar

Harvest moon

The king and queen contestants

Chosen king and queen

Dance

Moon and lanterns

Postcard of Shurijo

Coaster (had to support the tourist trade!)