NAHA -- A festival kicked off Saturday at Shuri Castle in Naha, where work is underway to restore the main hall and other structures that were destroyed in a 2019 blaze.
The popular tourist site holds a festival every year around this time. Since last year, it has been called the "Shuri Castle reconstruction festival," and this year's event will run through Nov. 3.
Shuri Castle, the royal palace and political and administrative center of the Ryukyu Kingdom, was destroyed by fire during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945. The main hall was reconstructed in 1992.
During the festival on Saturday, performers dressed as the king and queen of the Ryukyu Kingdom took part in a procession in front of the Hoshinmon gate.
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