Yui Rail Okinawa Urban Monorail from Asahibashi to Shuri by Train (for Shuri Castle)
Yui Rail Okinawa Urban Monorail is the only active rail-based public transport system on Okinawa, going via a zig-zag route through downtown Naha. To get to Shuri Castle, I used Yui Rail from Asahibashi Station to Shuri Station.
Asahibashi Station
Asahibashi Station is located adjacent to Naha Bus Terminal, forming a transport hub.
This strategic location is also the site of the former Naha Railway Station of the Okinawa Prefectural Railway.
Remnants of a turntable at the former Naha Railway Station is preserved outside Naha Bus Terminal.
Some history on the turntable is displayed on a panel in front of the turntable remnants.
Another information panel describes the Okinawa Prefectural Railway and the former Naha Railway Station. Naha Bus Terminal currently sits on the site of the former Naha Railway Station.
Heading up the escalator to Asahibashi Station.
Crossing the overhead bridge over the Kokuba River.
Ticket machines are available at Asahibashi Station. Single trip fares are available, but if taking 2 or more journeys in a day, a pass might work better. A single trip fare from Asahibashi to Shuri costs ¥300.
Yui Rail Passes
| Type | Validity | Price |
| Klook 1 Day Pass | 1 Calendar Day (till end of service) | ¥510 |
| Yui Rail 1 Day Pass | 24 hours from purchase | ¥800 |
| Yui Rail 2 Day Pass | 48 hours from purchase | ¥1,400 |
As you can see, the Klook 1 Day Pass already costs less than a return journey.
There is also an Okinawa-only IC card called OKICA which can be purchased from the ticket machines. However, OKICA cannot be used in other parts of Japan.
I bought a Yui Rail 1 Day Pass which I can use for 24 hours from purchase, which worked out the best value for me for my required travels.
The Yui Rail ticket gates on first look looks similar like those everywhere in Japan, except…
… you don’t insert your ticket into the gate. Instead, scan the QR code on the reader on top of the ticket gate.
Head up to Platform 1 for trains to Shuri.
Asahibashi Station has side platforms which are rather slim around the parts near the escalator.
Both 2-car and 3-car trains operate on Yui Rail.
The next train formation is displayed on the departure board. Based on train sets existence, you are most likely to get a 2-car one.
Yui Rail Okinawa Urban Monorail
And here comes the Yui Rail monorail.
As this is the only rail line in Okinawa on a rather trunk route and with a less-than-ideal low frequency in my opinion, the train does get very crowded in the city area.
The following photos are not taken on my ride from Asahibashi to Shuri, as it was quite physically impossible to take any photos.
The interior of the Okinawa Urban Monorail 1000 series 2-car trains.
12 seats are laid abreast in a longitudinal formation.
The best seats in the house can be found at the ends of the train.
A small bench of 2 seats face the driver’s cab for a forward or rear view out of the cab, depending on the direction of travel.
Even if a cab view isn’t your thing, these seats offer the most privacy, and also only 4 seats will face the direction of travel.
A priority area is located along the gangway.
Seats are marked in red, with the equipment boxes labelled as a luggage rack.
A wheelchair space is also available, with 1 bench of 3 seats removed to accommodate the wheelchair.
A dynamic information screen is located on alternate sides of the doors. Information is displayed in Japanese, English, Chinese, and Korean.
A sticker route map is found on the opposite alternate side of the doors.
With traffic jams all over Okinawa, it was great to finally coast over them on the monorail.
Shuri Castle can sort of be seen on approach to Shuri Station. As the world might already know, Shuri Castle was destroyed by fire in the morning of 31 October 2019. The Seiden, Hokuden, Nanden and Bandokoro were completely destroyed. 6 castle buildings occupying some 4,200 square metres (45,000 sq ft) in total were gutted.
Shuri Station
The Yui Rail journey from Asahibashi to Shuri takes 16 minutes.
Heading down the stairs to the exit.
After exiting from the ticket gates, take the exit on the left.
The façade of Shuri Station.
The path towards Shuri Castel is past this Ramen shop after going down from the staircase.
Cross the road junction straight ahead. There is a speaker installed here telling tourists that the walk to Shuri Castle is approximately 1.2km from here.
Detour to Shuri Castle
A detour is currently in place to get to Shuri Castle, probably along with reconstruction works.
The map of Shuri Castle and vicinity also has temporary arrows stuck on it to show the temporary detour path to Shuri Castle.
As it was 1.2km just to see the ruins of Shuri Castle in the 2019 fire, I decided not to walk up, and continue on with my Yui Rail exploration. Perhaps once Shuri Castle is reconstructed, and if I’m ever back in Okinawa again, then I’ll pay Shuri Castle a proper visit in the distant future.