Murasaki Mura — Attraction in Yomitan

This review is specifically about the September lantern festival in the evening. Other times of year may be very different.

We took our 2 and 4 year olds after 7:00 pm and we had a wonderful evening. The place was well-lit with beautiful lighting in so many varieties. The central part of the complex features a nice area where the families were painting their lanterns, along with some traditional music and dancing.

Our 4 year old really liked the maze (5 times through!), the fabric swings, the bridge near the big hearts, and the lighted paper sculptures (Minion, fish, whale shark, caterpillar, etc.). The 2 year old appreciated the small petting zoo with rabbits, goats, etc. Lots to see and do for at least 1.5 to 2 hours on the first visit.

There were a few places selling food and drinks (including alcohol) and it looked like Yen only. Highly recommend during a lantern festival. Entrance fee was ¥600 for adults and less for school-age kids....

Really fun place to learn about Okinawa culture. Had many little booths that allow us to experience craft making. My husband and I had the chance to learn to make the kankara sanshin guitar and learnt to play a few traditional songs. We had a great time chatting and singing together with the sensei. We also made a t shirt and a hand bag by choosing a few prints with different colour. Besides that we spent a good few hours painting a pair of shishi lion. In Okinawa the shishi lion is believed to bring good luck, the Male lion has its mouth wide open to eat up all the bad evil spiritswand collects the good fortune while the female lion has its mouth closed as she eats and gathers all the good fortune and keep them tight. We spent the whole day in the village. We tried their noodles and ice dessert, it was really messy but fun! We also played with the bunnies. This is a great place for family...

The Lantern Festival is something I had never been to at this attraction before, even though I had seen all of this site during daylight hours, in previous tours. Now that I have seen it, the attraction will be on my list of things to do every year. The festival goes from December to March, annually. Don't pass ths one up especially if, you're into photography. Check the website for hours and costs, as they may change with the times. This year (due to coronavirus) the place was never as crowded as it will be when tourism re-opens to the world. Staff are polite and helpful. There are gift shops and places to get something to eat, at tourist prices, of course. Restrooms are clean and available throughout the site. The entire grounds are stroller and handicap accessible. Bring along a tripod and you can get some outstanding photos. This year, the festival goes until March 27....