We visited by chartered taxi. Parking is free, and the entrance fee is 400 yen. This is the largest villa of the Ryukyu royal family, and was used for the royal family's recreation and for entertaining foreign envoys. It was built at the end of the 18th century, but was devastated in the war, rebuilt, and is now a World Heritage Site. The garden is a strolling garden, and includes a Chinese-style hexagonal pavilion, large and small arch bridges, and the winter cherry blossoms were starting to bloom, which was beautiful.

Wonderful, beautiful gardens. Well worth the very cheap entrance fee. Visit the baby koi pond near the back and feed the little ones. Also there is a separate pond off to the left side of the gardens that has all the less colorful carp. There is a carp food machine there. Make sure you feed them, they seem hungrier than the others.

I took a taxi from Shuri Castle. It took about ten minutes to get around. I walked slowly and spent my time. Even though it was August, it was a weekday, so tourists were sparse and slow. There are no coffee shops, so it is recommended to bring your own drink.

Included in our shore excursion and we had an amazing guide accompanying. We had a brief but interesting information session before we entered. The garden is typically Japanese, centered on a lake that is fed by an Ikutokusen (spring) and with a circuit pathway and dates to 1799. There are various monuments, gates, a pavilion, the 'UDUN" palace, stonework features including a bridge over the lake. The garden has abundant vegetation but no blooms.

I visited with a friend on holiday. I've been to Shuri Castle many times, but this is my first time here. I felt that the path from the entrance to the garden was typical of Okinawa in the sense that it was like a dense tropical forest. The garden was quaint and quiet, and the scars of war were hard to believe in this place.