Okinawa Cultural Experience Day Trip, Ryukyu Village Tips

JOYJAPAN

2024.06.20

Traveling is not just about seeing and photographing, but also about experiencing and integrating yourself into the lives of the local people. This is the only way to get the most profound travel memories.

What is Ryukyu Village?

Table of Contents

1 What is Ryukyu Village?
2 Basic Information
3 transportation
4 Experience
5 local specialty
6 performances
- 6.1 In-Park Shows

Ryukyu Village is a theme park where you can experience Okinawan culture, including traditional handicrafts, in a landscape that preserves Okinawa's past. Many traditional Ryukyu red-tile roofed houses have been moved into the park, creating a unique scenery. You can enjoy the soil specialties (Okinawan-style ball-shaped donuts) at the houses and take photos in Ryukyu costumes. At the Okinawan Michi-no-Eki next to the entrance, there is a store specializing in Okinawan-style noodles, a sightseeing information corner, etc., as well as folk art performances such as ballads and dances on an open-air stage.

Ryukyu Village is a comprehensive experience and cultural theme park in Okinawa. In the park, which is full of Okinawan flavor, you can visit precious old houses that were moved from other places, watch traditional Okinawan cultural performances, taste local food, and experience the process of making handicrafts.

Basic Information

The park is divided into two areas, the public area in front of the ticketed entrance and the inner area. Free of charge is the Okinawan-style shopping and dining area outside the entrance, which has a high roof so you don't have to worry about rain.

Admission: Adults 2,000 yen, children 600 yen.

Payment: Cash/WeChat Pay/Alipay.

Official Website:https://www.ryukyumura.co.jp/

entrances

Entering the interior, it is as if you have opened the door to a new world, with a strong southern style everywhere, and all kinds of workshops/ancient buildings/greenery are reflected in your eyes, making you overwhelmed.

Suitable for couples, families, and especially for children, it is a fun and educational place where you can spend an unforgettable vacation together.

transportation

Address: 1130 Yamada, Enna-mura, Kunitou-gun, Okinawa Prefecture

From Naha Airport: Take National Highway 58 north for about 30 kilometers. A chartered car/bus/rental car will take about 60 minutes each way.

From Naha Airport: Take Okinawa Bus No. 120 from Naha Airport Domestic Terminal [Boarding Gate No. 3], Nago Nishi Airport Route, toward Nago Bus Stop. Get off at Ryukyu Village Station. Tickets are 1,160 yen.

By bus from Naha City: Take the Okinawa Bus or Ryukyu Bus toward Nago in Naha City, and get off at the Ryukyu Village stop after a 60-minute one-way trip.

Experience

The biggest feature of Ryukyu Village is that it combines Okinawa's cultural charms into one, gathering more than 20 experiential facilities in the park, and the package with other facilities is also one of the charms.

Through hands-on experience, visitors can gain a comprehensive understanding of Okinawa's history, culture, nature and people in one day.

It is important to note that all the facilities in Ryukyu Village require prior reservation and payment. If you are free on the day, you can experience the facilities directly, but it is recommended to make a reservation in advance.

↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓ Reservation Web site ↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓

https://www.ryukyumura.co.jp/ch/official/

Foreign tourists can pay by credit card, but if payment is not made by 10:00 a.m. the day before the reserved tour, the tour will be canceled.

A little introduction

■Coral Lampstand

■Lion Coloring

■Island Slipper Making

■Original T-shirt making

■ Greenhouse Garden: Succulents

■Fried sugar production

Lease of the Ryukyus

When we think of Japanese traditional clothing, kimono is the first thing that comes to mind. However, Okinawa has its own unique traditional clothing called Ryukyu. The culture of Okinawa is very different from that of Honshu, Japan, as you can see from the costumes.

Red and yellow is the most classic color combination for women's Ryukyu clothing.

There are two price points for renting a Ryukyuan.

The simple version is 1,200 yen, and a staff member will take a photo.

The regular version is 4,000 yen. You can wear a Ryukyu costume and walk freely in the park for 1 hour with a photo taken by a staff member.

Putting on a gorgeous Ryukyuan costume and walking among the historical mansions, you will feel like a time-traveling Ryukyuan princess.

infrared

Red type is a traditional Okinawan dyed cloth that is widely used for clothing, decorations and so on. Evolved from Chinese woven cloth, it is colorful and has a strong southern style. Customized patterns are available.
Experience fee: 2,000 yen for 30 points.

Making Ryukyu Shochu Labels

The local shochu of the Ryukyus is called Awamori, and it is a type of sake that becomes more flavorful the longer it sits. Awamori is packaged in glass bottles with artistic labels that express the characteristics of the sake.
In Ryukyu Village, you can become a master artist and design your own unique bottle of Awamori. At the end of the day, you can take the wine home with you. It is recommended to store the bottle for more than 3 years before opening.
Three years later, on a summer evening, I opened a bottle of my favorite wine, sipped it, and thought about my trip to Okinawa. What a romantic thing to do.
Experience fee: 1000 yen for 10 minutes.

local specialty

Okinawa's souvenirs are mostly made from local crops. They are natural and unpretentious, and very distinctive. Outside the ticket entrance of Ryukyu Village, there is a large area dedicated to souvenir shopping. There are many kinds of souvenirs, so here are a few of them.

purple yam tart

Almost a must buy for tourists. Purple potato has a strong flavor, and a small one goes well with coffee and tea. It is also suitable for sharing with friends at home or in the office.
Price: 630 yen

mulled wine

As I mentioned above, the longer an awamori is brewed, the more valuable it becomes. One of the most expensive is the "Kudo Shuri" brand of Awamori, which has been brewed for ten years and costs only 2,100 yen a bottle.
If you like to have a drink, why don't you buy a bottle of Okinawa and savor the flavor for a longer time?

Peanut Brown Sugar

Okinawa's other specialty, brown sugar, also known as Chinese brown sugar, is covered with fragrant peanuts and is so delicious that you can't stop eating it. We all know that in Chinese medicine, brown sugar has a nourishing effect on women's bodies, so it goes without saying that this is one of Okinawa's most popular specialties.

Ryuken Tea

Okinawa is known as an island of longevity, which is related to its rich natural resources and the harmony between human beings and nature.
What do you know about Ryuken Tea, which is made from a blend of 38 local wild plants? It's the only one of its kind in Ryukyu Village. Inside is a tea bag, easy to carry.
Price: 2625 yen.

performances

In-Park Shows

Okinawa's music style is so melodic and elegant that many of them have been covered in Chinese.
A variety of cultural performances are held in Ryukyu Village every day, every half hour! They include Okinawan dances, costume parades, Okinawan cultural performances (eisa), and island songs live.
We may not speak the same language, but art knows no boundaries.