Light - Up Event Held For Rebuilding Of Shuri Castle


Light-up event held for rebuilding of Shuri Castle

An illumination in the shape of Shuri Castle's main hall has been set up in Okinawa Prefecture, southern Japan, as part of a project to rebuild the monument that was destroyed in a fire nearly one year ago.

Senior high school students led the countdown for the unveiling of the LED-illuminated structure at a commercial complex in Naha City on Wednesday night.

The lighting is part of a project launched by businesses in Okinawa to rebuild the castle destroyed in a fire on October 31 last year.

Project organizers say the castle-shaped illumination will be on display until November 15. They are also organizing a night market at the castle park from Saturday to November 8.

A 78-year-old woman from Naha City said that the moment the lights went on, it was as if the people of Okinawa were united in their prayers for the Shuri Castle's early reconstruction.

Haraguni Hidetoshi of Orion Breweries, an Okinawa-based beer maker involved in the project, pointed out that the coronavirus began to spread less than a year after the fire. He said he hopes the events will bring more smiles to people's faces.

He said he wants not only the people of Okinawa but also tourists to come and see it as well.