Okinawa is covered with castle ruins from north to south, with Shuri Castle being the biggest tourist attraction. We happen to live quite close to what was once the biggest castle on the island, a few hundred years ago. So it seemed worth a visit.

Urasoe Castle is just north of the capital city of Naha, and is also the final resting place of the three last Ryukyu kings. Not quite as impressive as other castles, such as Nakagusuku Ruins, it was still an interesting walk back in time.

Next to the castle ruins is the Urasoe Yodore, a tomb housing the remains of three rulers of the Ryukyu Kingdom, built in the 1200s. You are not allowed to cross the barrier to peek inside.

Even for a weekend, there was nobody there, and almost zero information in English. But as we returned to the parking lot and took a look at the historical information on the sign, an elderly gentleman came up and gave what turned out to be an incredibly detailed background to the area. To my husband, in Japanese, naturally. But he then shared the information with me.

I had to take a picture of what this historical site looked like after WWII. It never ceases to amaze me how much of Okinawa’s history was completely obliterated during the bombing of Japan. It is an incredible loss and one that people feel the world over with every war. No doubt people in Syria, for example, have a lot of mourn, as their history gets bombed into rubble.