• Must-see
• Pictures
• Information

• Access
• Fees
• Advise

• CategoryTourism・History/Culture
• Phone number0988-55-5936
• AreaNaha/Shuri
• ParkingBus：113 parking Car：1925 parking
• Hours9:00-17:30（May vary season to season）

Definitely recommended to visit the Shikinaen garden when you are visiting Okinawa, where is registered as the World Heritage sites. The garden was constructed at the end of the 18 the century as a second home for the Ryukyu kingdom royal family and to entertain important guests such as Chinese envoys. The garden was completely destroyed in the Battle of Okinawa, however the restoration began in 1975 and took around 20 years to complete at a cost of 8 hundred million yen.
Most of the patterns and designs in the Shikinaen garden are Japanese-style. However the Rokkaku-do (A Chinese-style hexagonal pavilion) and stone bridge is modeled after Chinese-style. There are Okinawan plants and flower in the garden.

Must-see sights

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  Udun(Parace)

  Udun is the largest building in the garden. Udun is 524 m2 big and you can take a look inside. There are 15 rooms with Ichibanzaguestroom,Nibanza alter room, living room and kitchen.
  New rooms were additionaly buit during the end of Meiji era(around 1905-1912) to at the beggining of Taisho era(1912-)
  You can see pond, stone bridge and Rokkaku-do (A Chinese-style hexagonal pavilion) in front of the Udun. At the pond, you may see the oil floating on the surface of the pond, this is not because they are not taking care enough the garden, the oil is from the plants which is very natural.

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  Stone bridge

  There are two Chinese-style stone brigdes. The brigde middle parts are arched. These bridges are made from Ryukyu lime stone.
  You can overlook the view of Rokkaku-do (A Chinese-style hexagonal pavilion) from the bridge. It's a good spot to take pictures! There are no slopes or fences on the bridge, Please be careful to not fall.

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  Rokkaku-do (A Chinese-style hexagonal pavilion)

  There is Rokkaku-do (A Chinese-style hexagonal pavilion) once you cross the bridge. It's the pavilion built on the pond. The roof painted with black is Chinese-style. The bridge made from Ryukyu limestone is over the islet. There is Rokkaku-do and willow trees once you cross the bridge. Many tourists take pictures with the Rokkaku-do with willow tree back.

A little tidbits of Shikinaen

Shikinaen was built as a second home for the Ryukyu kingdom royal family in 1799. The royal family used it as recreation place and to entertain important guests. Most parts of the garden were destroyed during the WWⅡ, However, the restoration began in 1975 and took about 20 years to complete.
The garden was registered as the World Heritage sites. The area is about 41,995m2. It's recommended to wear appropriate shoes because the majority of the paths are stone and bumpy.

It takes about 1 and a half hour to see the entire gardens. You will get a brochure at the entrance of the garden which can check the route and points to see with pictures.
There is one bathroom in the garden and is located 40 minutes from the entrance. It's recommended to use the one at the entrance. You are not allowed to drink/eat in the garden. There are no restaurants inside. There is one souvenir/drink, shop before the entrance of the garden where you can get blue seal ice cream and postcards. The ice cream after the long walk is so refreshing!

There are many visitors during the morning. If you want to take your time to see the garden, it's recommended to visit in the afternoon.
Even though there are many tourists from overseas, there is no staff who can guide in different language. However, if you make an appointment to the NAHANAVI(Naha-city's tourist association) by call, they will correspond you in your language. (TEL:098-862-1442)

The best Photo spot in Shikinaen, are "Uden","Rokkaku-do (A Chinese-style hexagonal pavilion)","Chinese-style stone bridge" and the "View of from the Kanko-dai observatory". The building is mixed with Okinawa and Chinese culture. You can see the willow tree and beautiful garden plants at the Shikinaen.

It's recommended to bring a hat and bug spray.
The sun is very strong, especially during summer. Be sure to wear a hat during the hot weather season to avoid heat stroke.
Since the garden has a good nature, there are mosquitos especially during the summer season. It's recommended to bring bug spray and wear a long sleeve shirt and pants.
It's also recommended to bring insect bites relief spray/cream.

Shikinaen is surrounded by the local people's graves (called "Munchu grave"). There is a famous rice cracker shop close to the area called "Maruyoshi shio senbei" ("Shio" means salt, and the "senbei" means rice cracker).
Rise crackers are sold cheaper than you get at the supermarkes. They are freshly made and yummy. The shop sells the classic "Shio senbei" and "Tenshino-hane"means the angels wing, the rare "brown rice cracker" curry flavor "Curry rice cracker".
Please come stop by at the shop if you have chanse to visit the Shikina garden as well!

Pictures

Shikinaen Information

Name	Shikinaen
Tel/Fax:	TEL・FAX：0988-55-5936
Address:	Postcode:902-0072 421-7 Machi Naha-ciry Okinawa Souvenir Tourism Food Hotel
Access	It takes about 30 minutes from Naha-airport(about 6.2miles) It takes about 15-25 minutes from Kokusai-street(about 2.4miles) Yui-rail : It takes about 10 minutes from Shuri-station by car Bus: It takes 5 minutes from Shikinaen-mae bus stop by walking 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 No.2 (Shikina/Kainai line) No.3 (Matsukawa/Shintoshin line) No.4 (Arakawa/Omoromachi line) No.5 (Shikina/Makishi line) No.14 (Makishi/Kainan Junkan line)
Hours	(April.1st-September.30) 9：00-17：30 (October.1st-March.31) 9：00-17：00
Closed	Every Wednesday(If the Wednesday is holoday, it will be close the following day) ※Shikinaen may be closed temporary

Entrance fee

Entrance fee	General :　(Under 20 people) Adult : 400 yen Elementry/Junior high school student : 200 yen Kids under 6 : Free Group (more than 20 people) Adult : 320 yen Elementry/Junior high school student : 160 yen Kids under 6 : Free

How to pay

Budget	200-400yen
Optional fee	0
Credit card	Not available
Currency	JPY
Reservation	You need a reservation for foreign guide.

Facilities

Parking	There are free parking for 60 cars 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 There are Handicapped parking available

Information

Time	About 90 minutes
Smorking	You are not allowed to smoke at the garden.
e.t.c	Wi-fi available, you are not allowed to bring pets

A little advise from Churashima travel

A brief comment	Shikinaen is a impressed garden where is located in Naha-city. Okinawa and Chinese mixed culture is must see!
Important notice	It's recommended to wear appropriate shoes because the majority of the paths are stone and bumpy.
What to bring	It's also recommeded to bring hat and sunshade during the summer time!