World Heritage, In an Alphard.

The Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu

In December 2000, nine cultural properties on Okinawa Main Island were collectively inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List under the name "Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu." They consist of five castle ruins — Shuri Castle, Nakagusuku Castle, Zakimi Castle, Katsuren Castle and Nakijin Castle — together with four related sites: Tamaudun Mausoleum, Sonohyan-utaki Stone Gate, Shikinaen Garden and Seifa-utaki Sacred Site. Taken together, they trace almost the entire arc of the Ryukyu Kingdom, from the age of rival warring chiefdoms in the 14th century to the kingdom's unification, its peak as a maritime trading nation, and its eventual absorption into modern Japan in 1879.

What makes the Ryukyu gusuku unique is the stone masonry. The curved, layered walls use locally quarried Ryukyu limestone fitted without mortar, shaped to flow along the natural contours of the hills. This construction — distinct from castles on the Japanese mainland — developed independently here, influenced by centuries of trade with China, Korea and Southeast Asia. At Zakimi you can see the oldest surviving arch gate in the Ryukyus; at Nakagusuku, walls so finely built that Commodore Perry, inspecting the site in 1853, recorded his astonishment in his journal.

Alongside the castles, the related properties preserve the spiritual life of the kingdom. Seifa-utaki on the island's southern tip is the holiest place in Ryukyuan religion, where high priestesses once performed rituals for the state — the triangular rock passage and the view across to sacred Kudaka Island remain moving today. Tamaudun, carved into the cliff near Shuri, is the royal mausoleum; Shikinaen, the royal retreat, is a stroll garden where the king received envoys from the Qing court.

In July 2021, the forests of northern Okinawa were added to the World Heritage List as a Natural Heritage Site under the name "Amami-Oshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, Northern Part of Okinawa Island, and Iriomote Island." This area, known locally as Yanbaru, is home to the flightless Okinawa Rail and other species found nowhere else on Earth. It brings Okinawa's World Heritage total on the main island to ten sites — nine cultural plus one natural.

The sites are spread from the northern tip of the island down to the south, so reaching several of them in a single day is difficult by public transport. A private charter with SUI TAXI lets you combine them at your own pace — for example, Shuri Castle, Tamaudun and Shikinaen in the morning, Seifa-utaki in the afternoon — with commentary on the history and background of each place during the drive. All of our vehicles are Toyota Alphards, comfortable even for full-day itineraries.