Shinshun no Utage (New Year’s Celebration) (Photo by Shoji Kudaka)
The New Year’s holiday is an important tradition in Japan. The customs surrounding the holiday include everything from toshikoshi soba (soba noodles to be eaten on New Year’s Eve) to hatsumode (the first visit of a year to a shrine), and you’ll find many traditional events taking place across the country. Okinawa is no exception, and the best way to experience a New Year in a traditional Okinawan way is to attend the New Year ceremony at Shuri Castle.
From Jan. 1 through 3, Shinshun no Utage (New Year’s Celebration) will take place at the world heritage site, featuring ceremonies, traditional music, and dance performances. The main attraction on Jan. 1 and Jan. 2 will be “Chouhai Okishiki,” where a king and a queen join a ceremonial ritual. On Jan. 3, “Kokuou Ouhi Shutsugyo” will be held and the royal couple greets their subjects in front of the main gate as they would during the times of the Ryukyu Kingdom (1429 -1879).
While Shuri Castle is still undergoing reconstruction after it burned down in 2019. At one corner of the side, visitors can see the restoration in progress.
Why not join Okinawans and celebrate the year 2025 together at Shuri Castle and wish for the comeback of the symbol of Okinawa’s history and culture?
Shinshun no Utage (New Year’s Celebration)
Date: Jan. 1, 2, 3
Location: Shuri Castle (26.217057, 127.719463)
Chouhai Okishiki and Kokuou Ouhi Shutsugyo: 10 a.m., 11 a.m., noon (10 to 15 minutes each)
Gozagaku ensou (music performance): 8:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. (Jan 1 and 2, 20 minutes each)
Ryukyu-geinou no utage (Ryukyu music and dance performance): 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m., and 4 p.m. (Jan. 1 and 2, 30 minutes each)
Admission fee: 400 yen (approx. $2.67) for adults, 300 yen for high school students, 160 yen for middle and elementary school students.
