Other Historic Site/Building Spots in Okinawa Area

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  Okinawa

Category

Travel / Tourism

History / Culture / Tour

Other Historic Site/Building

Sefa Utaki

4.0

1047 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Okinawa Pref. Nanjoushi Chinen Kudeken

Sefa Utaki is a historical site located in Nanjo City, Okinawa Prefecture. In December 2000 it was designated as part of the Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu (UNESCO World Heritage Site). Within Sefa Utaki there are six Ibi (sacred areas), from one of which, Sangui, there is a wonderful view of Kudaka Island (known as the “Island of the Gods”). Sefa Utaki is still venerated as a sacred place, and many people come to pray here.

It is nearby Cape Chinen Park which we whisked by from. The carpark is pretty near the ticket office to purchase admission tickets. Thankfully the staff at the ticket office briefed us on the way to...
The Tower of Himeyuri / Himeyuri Peace Museum

4.5

354 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Okinawa Pref. Itomanshi Ihara 671-1

Himeyuri Memorial Tower is a cenotaph dedicated to the Himeyuri student corps who died in the Battle of Okinawa. The Himeyuri student corps was a group of 240 students and teachers of the Okinawa Shihan Women's School and Okinawa Daiichi Women's High School who were mobilized as a nursing unit for the Okinawan Army Field Hospital, towards the end of the Pacific War. Following the US military's advance at the end of May, they were withdrawn to the southern part of Okinawa Island, and abruptly disbanded in June. However, over 100 of them lost their lives soon after. In 1989, this museum was established to teach people about the wartime experiences of the Himeyuri student corps. The museum displays exhibits of the Himeyuri student corps personal possessions and photographs. There is also a diorama which is a reproduction of the Ihara Third Surgical Cave Hospital. The museum aims to make people consider war and peace through learning about the Himeyuri student corps' experiences.

I enjoyed this museum pretty much, in fact more than the Naval museum as the stories here was presented very well and in a thought provoking manner. Having been to numerous war museum and influence...
Tamaudun Royal Mausoleum

4.0

417 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Okinawa Pref. Nahashi Shurikinjouchou 1-3

This is a mausoleum which was built in 1501 by King Sho Shin for the purpose of reburying the remains of his father, King Sho En, and thereafter successive generations from the dynasty were buried here. The grave chambers are divided into three rooms: the middle chamber is a room where remains are enshrined before the bones of the dead are cleansed, and the bones of the king and the queen are in the eastern chamber while the bones of other family members are buried in the western chamber. The whole mausoleum is a stone-built structure representing a palace with a shingle roof of that time, and the area of the cemetery is 2,442 square meters. It was registered as a World Heritage Site in 2000 as “Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu”.

Built in 1501, the mausoleum was built to re-entomb King Sho En and is the Royal Mausoleum. I recommend visiting the mausoleum while touring the Shuri Castle as it is right down the street and part...
Urasoe Youdore

Travel / Tourism

Okinawa Pref. Urasoeshi Nakama 2

"A 5-minute drive from the Nishihara Interchange. This royal mausoleum dates to the early period of the Ryukyu Kingdom said to have been built by King Eiso starting from the year 1265. Called ""Yodore"" (meaning evening calm/the world of the dead in Okinawan), the tomb was dug out of a cave in a cliff wall and is believed to be the final resting place of King Eiso and King Sho Nei. Descending down the steps, there is a front garden, and, after passing through a tunnel of finished bedrock and stonework, there are the first and second gardens. The second garden offers a sweeping view of Urasoe City and Ginowan City. The surrounding area is maintained as Urasoe City Park and Castle Site, and visitors can take a leisurely stroll amidst historic ruins."
Submarine Ruins (Yonaguni Island)

Travel / Tourism

Okinawa Prefecture Yaeyama-gun Yonaguni-cho

These are the mysterious structures called “Submarine Ruins” that lie submerged just 100 meters off the cape of Arakawabana on the south coast of Yonaguni Island. It is still shrouded in mystery whether they are artificially made historical ruins or a product of nature. It is a mysterious world on the reef where you can see stairs and terrace-like things. It is also possible to see the Submarine Ruins by diving or by glass bottom boat.
Statue of Marilyn

Travel / Tourism

Okinawa Pref. Shimajirigunzamamison Zamami

The movie “Marilyn ni Aitai” was shot here on Zamami Island. There is a statue of Marilyn facing in the direction of Aka Island, waiting for the protagonist, the dog Shiro, to cross the sea to come meet her. Be sure to visit the accompanying Shiro statue on Aka Island.
The Statue of Peace (Itoman City)

Travel / Tourism

Okinawa Pref. Itomanshi Kyan

The Statue of Peace (Itoman City) near Kiyan Light House is located on Cape Kiyan in Itoman City. In October 1951, residents in Kiyan Village collected as many as 10,000 deceased remains of soldiers as well as residents scattered inside the village and on the neighboring beach, and built the statue. In March 1969, it was moved and restored in its current location.
CornerstoneofPeace

Travel / Tourism

Okinawa Pref. Itomanshi Mabuni 444 Peace Memorial Park

The Cornerstone of Peace is located inside the Peace Memorial Park in Itoman City, Okinawa Prefecture and was built to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of the Pacific War: Battle of Okinawa on June 23, 1995. All the names of the people lost in the Battle of Okinawa and other battles are engraved.
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.
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.
Japan's Southernmost Stone Monument

Travel / Tourism

Okinawa Yaeyama-gun Taketomicho Hateruma
Coat Sakari

Travel / Tourism

Okinawa Taketomicho Hateruma
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Kaigungo Park

4.0

75 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Okinawa Pref. Tomigusukushi Tomigusuku 236

This is another park with long sliders. It builds from the hillside. But I found that the blue slider working not very well so I cannot slide properly. Maybe I am too heavy. :D
Hakubainoto

Travel / Tourism

Okinawa Pref. Itomanshi Kuniyoshi

Okinawa

Okinawa Island (Southern) Naha / Shuri Okinawa Island (Central) Resort Area (West Coast) Nago / Motobu Peninsula Yanbaru Area Miyako Island Ishigaki Island Kerama Islands Yaeyama Islands Kumejima

Travel / Tourism History / Culture / Tour Other Historic Site/Building

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.