Naha, Okinawa, Japan
Sea Date February 25, 2024 Day 2 Our tour concentrated on the Ryukyu Kingdom, the Imperial rulers prior to Japanese control. The Ryukyu Kingdom was a kingdom in the Ryukyu Islands from 1429 to 1879. It was ruled as a tributary state of imperial Ming China by the Ryukyuan rulers and treated as a vassal state of Japan at times. They were the trading intermediaries between China and Japan . In 1879,Japan sent a military unit and annexed Ryukyu. Suiko, our talented, kind tour guide was back with us. It was a gray day with an off and on drizzle but still pleasant for touring. We started at Syuri Castle Park. It is the most famous landmark in Naha. The G8 Summit that President Clinton attended held a large banquet here. It was the castle for the Imperial rulers of the Ryukyu kingdom. Unfortunately, most of it was bombed in 1945, rebuilt and then burned in 2019. The government is in the process of rebuilding trying to use authentic material and tools. To protect the building, they