History / Culture / Tour Spots in Okinawa Area
Area
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Okinawa
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Okinawa
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- Mabuni Hill
- Travel / Tourism
- Okinawa Pref. Itomanshi Mabuni 444
- A hill where 50 memorial towers from each prefecture of Japan, groups and Okinawa’s war dead are built, it is located inside Peace Memorial Park. The place of the last pocket of resistance during the Pacific War, there is a cliff in the back, and many tourists come to visit it as a place of prayer. In addition, there is also a large lawn, and it is used as a place of relaxation.
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- Okinawa Gokoku Shrine
- Travel / Tourism
- Okinawa Pref. Nahashi Ounoyamachou 44
- This shrine is dedicated to the souls of Okinawan soldiers who sacrificed themselves from Sino-Japanese War, Russo-Japanese War and the Pacific War, the civilians who died in the battle for Okinawa, and mainland Japanese. Besides various ceremonies to commemorate them, prayers and dispatch services can also be requested.
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- Itokazu Abuchiragama
- Travel / Tourism
- Okinawa Pref. Nanjoushi Tamagusuku Itokazu 667-1
- This natural cave is located in the Itokazu area of Tamagusuku, Nanjo City in the southern part of Okinawa’s main island. It was originally a designated evacuation shelter for the Itokazu Village, but it was used as a trench position and warehouse for Japanese troops, and was the location for a branch office of the Haebaru army hospital. One of the places that conveys the actual situation of the war in Okinawa in the present, it is also somewhere that makes you think about war.
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- Harimizuutaki
- Travel / Tourism
- Okinawa Miyakojima-shi Hirara Nishizato 8
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- Nagomi Tower
- Travel / Tourism
- Okinawa Yaeyama-gun Taketomicho Taketomi
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- Japan's Southernmost Stone Monument
- Travel / Tourism
- Okinawa Yaeyama-gun Taketomicho Hateruma
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- Coat Sakari
- Travel / Tourism
- Okinawa Taketomicho Hateruma
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- Agena Castle Ruins
- Travel / Tourism
- Okinawa Uruma-shi Agena 1045
- A 10-minute walk from the Kyuagena bus stop or a 30-minute drive from the Okinawa-Kita Interchange. This historic location is located within Agena Central Park in the central area of Uruma City. In 1972 it was designated as a Cultural Property of Japan. At first glance the area looks like any ordinary forest but as you venture in, you'll find the mountain castle. To the north flows the Tengan River which is also called the Okawa River, which led to the castle also being called Okawa Castle. The castle is said to have been built in the 14th century by Agena Aji. The stone wall that you'll find on the site was built in the 15th century. The castle was a natural strategic position that fell well besieged by the army of the Chuzan Kingdom.
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- Ikei Island Nakabaru Ruins
- Travel / Tourism
- Okinawa Uruma Yonashiro
- The strait that runs between Yakena Port and Yabuchi Island. The contrast between the emerald green of the sea and the greens of the trees that run along the coastline is a beautiful sight to behold. There's also an observation platform atop a small hill near the entrance and the view of the scenery from the top is superb. Nearby is a mysterious rock out in the sea that points out towards Tsuken Island and Kudaka Island and due to a few added parts, it resembles a lion leading to the locals calling it the Sphinx. We definitely recommend looking in to the local legend.
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- Grave of Tamagusuku Chokun
- Travel / Tourism
- Okinawa Urasoe-shi Maeda (Maeda Tunnel
- This grave is located close to JICA Okinawa about a 10-minute walk from the Maeda Nishi Iriguchi bus stop. The Urasoe City Historical Site sits atop of the Maeda Tunnel near the Yui Rail. It is the final resting place of Tamagusuku Chokun, who was appointed as the odoribugyo (magistrate of dance) in charge of entertaining Chinese envoys to Okinawa in 1718. The next year Chokun produced five kumi-odori (Ryukyuan narrative dances) which would be praised for their stories based on the traditional folklore of Okinawa. Chokun would go on to become widely known as the originator of the art form. Based on the grave's shape, it is estimated to have been built in the late 17th or early 18th century. A zushigame (Okinawan funerary urn) is stored in the grave.
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- Head Tax Rock (Bubakari Rock)
- Travel / Tourism
- Okinawa Miyakojima-shi Hirara Nikadori 90
- This historic rock is located north along the road from the Grave of Nakasone Tuyumya about a five-minute drive from Hirara Port or about a 25-minute drive from Miyako Airport. The name of the rock, which is called Bubakari Rock by locals, stems from a legend that a head tax had long been levied on every islander once they were taller than the rock. In fact, a head tax was levied by the cash-strapped government of the Ryukyu Kingdom in 1637. Every resident was required to pay the tax for 35 years from age 15 to 50. Men were required to pay the tax in millets. Women, meanwhile, were required to pay it in Miyako Jofu textile. The rock serves as a reminder of the hardship imposed on the people forced to pay this tax until 1903.
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- Hokon no To (Tower)
- Travel / Tourism
- Okinawa Kunigami-gun Ieson Nishiemae
- This war memorial is located on an elevated spot across the road from Ie Village Junior High School about a two-minute drive or about a 16-minute walk from Ie Port. Ie Island was the site of some of the most intense fighting of the Battle of Okinawa. The tower enshrines some 3,500 souls lost in the fighting on the island including around 1,500 islanders and around 2,000 officers and men of the island's garrison. The tower bears a poem by the local poet Nakamoto Roson. The stone memorials next to the tower bear the names of those who died during the battle including those outside of Ie Village. A peace prayer service is held here every April 21ST, the anniversary of the end of hostilities on the island.
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- Public Pawnshop Ruins
- Travel / Tourism
- Okinawa Kunigami-gun Ieson Higashieue 75
- These building ruins are located north along the road from the Ie Village Office. An estimated 3,500 people including around 1,500 islanders and around 2,000 officers and men of the island's garrison died on Ie Island during the Battle of Okinawa near the end of World War II. In addition to heavy human casualties, nearly all of the buildings on the island were burnt to the ground during the fighting. The lone building to avoid this fate was this village-operated pawnshop built with government financing in 1929. The building still retains a large hole in the wall as well as countless bullet holes, conveying the tragedy that was the Battle of Okinawa.
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- Higashi Museum (Higashi Village Yama to Mizu no Seikatsu Hakubutsukan)
- Leisure / Hobbies
- Okinawa Kunigami-gun Higashi Mura Kawata 61-1
- This museum is located in Higashi Village, Okinawa Prefecture. Visitors can learn about life in Higashi Village as well as the village's history through an abundance of pictures, artifacts, and other items. Notable exhibits include a diorama of the local ecology from the headstream of Yanbaru forests to the mangrove forest at the estuary, a skeletal specimen of a dugong, and bird taxidermy specimens. The museum also raises pit vipers, giant mottled eels, Ryukyu wild boars, and other wildlife native to Okinawa. Visitors can learn about how people used to live in Okinawa from the everyday items once used by islanders on display as well from exhibits about jobs that used to exist on the island.
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- Kouchibara/Akahigibara Grave
- Travel / Tourism
- Okinawa Itoman-shi Itoman 1367
- "This roughly 5,400-square-meter grave complex comprising of a toshi-baka (active graveyard) and four Shiruhirashi-baka (provisional graves) is the largest monchubaka (patrilineal family graveyard) in Okinawa Prefecture. ""Monchu"" (""munchu"" in Ryukyuan) and ""bara (hara)"" refer to patrilineal kin groups. More than 5,000 total descendents of the two groups are said to be interred here. Originally built in 1684, the tombs were comprised of just a single small kamekobaka (turtleback tomb) until 1868. The tomb would later undergo major renovations in 1935 in order to accommodate the growing number of the family's descendants. During these renovations new mausoleums with gabled roofs were added to the existing kamekobaka. While the graveyard is open to the general public, please observe the proper decorum when visiting."
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- Mabuni Hills
- Travel / Tourism
- Okinawa Itoman-shi Mabuni
- This hill in Peace Memorial Park was the site of the final and bloodiest battles of Okinawa. The entire area is a part of Okinawa Senseki Quasi-National Park, the only quasi-national park in Japan comprised of a former battlefield. A number of prefectures and organizations have erected memorials here with the hope that this era of tragedy and terror is never forgotten. The National Cemetery for the War Dead in Okinawa on the top of the hill inters the bones of those killed during the battle. A statue of three young men representing peace, friendship, and the love between teachers and students has also been erected there.
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- Fusaki Kannon-do Temple
- Travel / Tourism
- Okinawa Ishigaki-shi Arakawa
- This temple located in Tomizaki, Arakawa, Ishigaki City is said to have been established in 1701. The temple, which is dedicated to Kannon, the goddess of mercy, has attracted much devotion from islanders who come to pray primarily for safe voyages. Even today, it bustles with visitors on new year's day. The area around the temple grounds features tourist attractions such as the Tojinbaka (Chinese Tombs), beaches, lighthouses, and more.
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- Gongendo Shrine
- Travel / Tourism
- Okinawa Ishigaki-shi Ishigaki 285
- This shrine is located next to Torinji Temple in Ishigaki, Ishigaki City. The shrine was established in 1614 on advice of the Satsuma Domain. The current shrine building, which was built in 1786, is the oldest extant wooden structure in Okinawa Prefecture. This valuable example of shrine architecture incorporating style elements unique to the Ryukyu Islands has been designated as a national important cultural property.
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- Furusutobaru Remains
- Travel / Tourism
- Okinawa Ishigaki-shi Ohama
- These historical ruins are located in Ohama, Ishigaki City. The ruins, which retain archaeological features on a hill similar to a gusuku (Okinawan castles), are traditionally said to have been the castle of the Ryukyuan lord of Ishigaki Island of Oyake Akahachi. However, the current prevailing theory is that they were the stone wall that surrounded his residence. The ruins have been designated as a national historical site.
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- Ruins of Izena Castle
- Travel / Tourism
- Okinawa Shimajiri-gun Izena Mura Izena
- The ruins of Izena Castle are located in the Izena, Izena Village, Shimajiri County. It is said to have been built between the 11th and 14th centuries. It was the home of Samekawa Ufunushi, the grandfather of King Sho Hashi, who united the main island of Okinawa and established the first Sho dynasty. Backed by cliffs, it was a natural fortress. It has been designated a Prefectural Historic Monument.
Okinawa Areas
Let go of your image of a busy, ordered Japan and replace it with crystal-clear waters, white sand beaches, and relaxing folk music: You’ve arrived in Okinawa. A world away from the high intensity of Tokyo, Okinawans appear to live a laid-back beach life on this paradisiacal tropical island that lies in the middle of the East China Sea almost 1,000 kilometers south of mainland Japan’s most southern tip. Home to a spattering of islands, prepare yourself to discover underwater caves, star-shaped sand, and an island culture sometimes unrecognizable from mainland Japan.
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