Okinawa Day 6: Kenji Monument

Tuesday, May 5th--This morning we packed everything up and got ready to go back to the southern part of the island.  We had hired Kiyoko san to take us down to Naha and drive us around again today, since it would be so much cheaper and easier.  She showed up with Mimi again, which the kids were happy about.
As we followed the coast down to Naha, I tried to ask Kiyoko san some questions about the history and culture of the island that we were curious about.  Sometimes, Raymond had to act as translator between us.  Kiyoko san seemed to enjoy talking to him in Japanese.
The first thing we wanted to know is how come we had only seen one shrine the entire time that we have been here.  They are sprinkled all over mainland Japan.  Kiyoko san explained to us that most Okinawan people worship their ancestors like is done in China.  Kiyoko san had a small shrine and incense on the windowsill in her kitchen and we had noticed shrines dedicated to ancestors in the homes at the Okinawan Village, so that made sense.  She said that the Okinawans will pray to their ancestors in their homes or go to the cemetery where they are buried and pray to them there.  This is a distinct difference from Okinawa and mainland Japan.
As we neared Naha, Kiyoko san pointed out a place to us and told us that several years ago a big American corporation came in to this place and built a bunch of homes for their employees.  They built an entire community and the homes were very nice.  The employees and their families moved in, but within a year everyone moved back out and refused to live there.  She said that the place was the site of a major battle during the Battle of Okinawa and the residents could feel the ghosts of the soldiers who had died there so they all moved away.  She said that even today, no one will live there.  The homes are just falling into disrepair.
She also told us that her son-in-law is a scuba diver and his job is to dive off of the coast of the island looking for unexploded ordinance still in the ocean from WWII.  She said that he finds stuff everyday, and he has been doing it for years.  Kiyoko san was uncomfortable talking about the war, but she did tell us about her grandmother who was a teen during the battle.  She fled to the northern part of the island just before the American military landed and was able to find safety there.

Our first stop today was to the Kenji Monument.  Kiyoko san had never been there and it took us a little while to find it.  It wasn't marked very well and isn't a very common tourist site.  We had to ask for directions a few times and drove through several sugar cane fields before we finally found it.

 We parked her brother's mini van in the parking lot and began to follow a nice trail through some thick foliage.  It was a beautiful day, though a little cloudy.  It was already starting to get muggy and hot.  We were all starting to sweat as we began the walk to Kenji.

 Kiyoko san was dressed in boots and a sweater, which amused us.  She is more used to the heat.  As we walked along the trail, we came to a place where some people were enshrined. 

 There was incense nearby.

 Further on, we found another monument dedicated to more enshrined people.

There was an altar in front for praying and burning incense.  Kiyoko san was very uncomfortable being on this trail and near these enshrinements.  She said that she could feel ghosts.  She kept asking us if we felt the ghosts also. 

 Further on, we began to find caves near the trail.  We went off the trail several times to explore the caves.

We were very humbled and amazed to actually be here!  These are the caves that so many Okinawans and some Japanese soldiers had hidden in during the landings.  These caves are a part of the history of WWII.  We knew that those hiding in these caves were frightened.  In the panic and confusion caused by the landing of the Americans, many islanders chose--as they had been taught--death rather than the shame of being captured by American troops.  They killed each other or themselves with knives, sickles, clubs, grenades, poisons or whatever else they could find to use.  It was sobering to be in these caves.  Mimi came into the caves with us, but Kiyoko san kept leaving and then coming back.  She was upset that we were here and didn't want anything to do with the caves.  She kept saying that ghosts were going to get us.  We understood her tension in being here, but we were careful to be reverent and respectful as we explored these caves. 

Logan near another cave.

There are many, many caves all over this island that were used as cover for the islanders and the soldiers during the battle.  The ones we explored were just a few of them.  But, they gave the kids an idea of what the caves were like.  On the Boyer side, Ray's Great-Uncle David (Nathan David is named after him) was an American soldier who ended up on Okinawa during the last part of the war.  His job was to go from cave to cave and clean them out.  He had served his LDS mission in Hawaii and learned Japanese there.  When they approached a cave, David would shout in Japanese to anyone who happened to be hiding in the cave that they were going to blow the cave up.  He would tell them that they were friendly and they would take care of them.  Of course, David knew of the Japanese and Okinawan mindset that it was better to die than to be captured by the Americans.  In just a few minutes, he would try to convince them that it was better to come out than face death.  Many times, he was able to convince them.  In one cave, he said that between 80-100 people came out.  I'm sure that being able to speak Japanese was a factor in his ability to save their lives.  Then, he and his fellow soldiers had the hard task of blowing the cave up.  David has a deep love for the Okinawan people, even many years after the war. 

This is a picture of an American soldier helping an Okinawan out of a cave.

Because of Uncle David's service on this island, these caves are not only an important piece of history for us, but a part of family history as well.

We finally came upon the Kenji Monument.  This monument is dedicated to the boys of Okinawa Normal School who served (and mostly died) in the Battle of Okinawa as part of the "Blood and Iron" Corps. These young men were called into action just a day before the U.S. invasion of the islands started. Towards the end of the battle, the boys found themselves trapped by the advancing U.S. troops at this location just off the southern tip of the island.

Like so many others, they were encouraged by the Japanese propaganda to commit suicide rather than be captured. And so many did just that. Others died from enemy fire or bombardment.

Of the nearly 285 boys in the corps, well over half perished. The hideout cave where many of them had sought refuge can be seen too, at the bottom of a path behind the monument.

This is the cave. 

 

Beyond the cave where the Kenji boys found themselves trapped, the path continued on to the Okinawa Prefecture Peace Museum.  We decided to walk to the end of the path. 

There were many, many stairs, but it was well maintained.  We had to carry Kirstin, or course, but ended up hauling Audra also because of all the stairs and muggy heat.  Nathan was complaining as well and had to be carried by piggy-back some of the time.  We were surrounded by thick jungle.  Sometimes we noticed more caves through the foliage.  We didn't explore them though because this part of the trail had signs warning of poisonous snakes that live in the undergrowth here.

We found this trail to be sobering.  There was a different feeling here.  Maybe what we felt were the ghosts that Kiyoko san claimed were here and watching us, but we don't really believe in ghosts that haunt.  This place is a sacred place to us, one where people died during the atrocities of war.  (Can you see the cave in this picture?)

 Near the end of the trail, we came upon this cave.  It was different from the other caves because it was blocked off.  We learned later that this is the American 32nd Army Underground Headquarters entrance.

We made it to the end of the trail, and we were greeted by a simply stunning view of the coast.

This is the beach where the Americans first landed during the Battle of Okinawa.

Another look at the beach.

We ended our hike by walking up to the Reimei Monument, seen in this picture. 

This monument sits predominately at the top of Mabuni Hill.  Known as Suicide Hill or Suicide Cliff by the American forces, this monument is dedicated to the suicides of Japanese Generals Ushijima and Cho.  These two generals killed themselves in a cave nearby in the predawn hours of June 23, 1945.  These suicides brought to an end much of the final organized Japanese resistance during the fierce Battle of Okinawa.

We were now on the lawn of the Okinawa Prefecture Peace Memorial Museum, which was our next stop, but we decided to walk back and get the van and bring it around to the parking lot for the museum.

Near the parking lot, we noticed this shrine that we hadn't the first time we walked through.  12,000 people are enshrined here.  Wow.  That's a lot of people.

We weren't sure where exactly they were enshrined, but it was a peaceful and serene place.

Kiyoko san was only too happy to move on from this trail. In spite of her warnings about ghosts, we found this trail to be very important into our understanding of the Battle of Okinawa.  We were grateful that we were able to find the trail and explore this important place of history.

Okinawa Day 5 Continued......

Monday, May 4th--All of the kids (with the exception of Caitlin, she wanted to be at the beach) had a blast exploring the Nakijin-jo Castle ruins.  Our next stop was to the Native Okinawa Village and the Tropical Dream Center, both of which are a part of the Ocean Expo Park.  The Churaumi Aquarium and all of the outdoor shows that we saw the other day are also a part of the Expo Park.

The Okinawa Native Village is an outdoor museum that reproduces the setting of a village community as it was from the times of the Ryukyu Kingdom (1737-1889).  During the Ryukyu era, there were ordinances restricting what kind of house everyone was allowed to have depending on their place in the community.   These ordinances included the type of materials that your home could be built with and also the size of the home. 

This is a replica of an upper-class home.  Much like the Chinese way of worshipping, most Okinawan upper-class homes had a small shrine built in the main living space so that the family could worship their ancestors.

The wood is quality, there are tatami mats, and musical instruments in the corner.  Most of the exterior walls were washi paper screens that could be opened and closed.

In the back of the upper class home sits this structure, which was used for going to the bathroom.  Not much privacy, but hey, it has a lot of ventilation.

This is a replica of a "Noro's House".  Kiyoko San proudly told us that her great-grandmother was a noro.  A Noro was a priestess who oversaw sacred ceremonies and rituals in the village.  During the time of the Ryukyu Kingdom, a noro was appointed by the Shuri government and granted some land.  Every village had several such women, each overseeing divine festivals in different sections of the village.  Serving under the noro were male ucchi-gami and female ni-gami who helped her perform her tasks.  This noro home is built in a Japanese style and is similar to other homes of prestigious people in the Ryukyu community.  The only difference between the noro's home is that it contained a dunchi which enshrined the god of fire.

Nathan and Mimi were best friends by this point.  They are the same age, after all.  They held hands as they walked all over the Okinawa Village.

Inside another upper class home.  This picture shows the way that the Japanese and Okinawans would (and many still do!) build their home so that the living space and bedrooms were all in one large room, but it could be divided into smaller rooms with screens. 

This is the kitchen.  Fires would be built in the holes.

Audra climbing up into a hut built on stilts.  They would use these for storage.  The reason they were built like this was to prevent rodents from coming in.  Kiyoko San was a little worried about the kids climbing up the narrow stairs.

This is inside of one of the huts on stilts.

Another hut.  This one was used for storing food, also.

This was a middle-class home.  The walls are made of woven grass and there is a bamboo floor which was uncomfortable to walk on.  (Tayla is in this pic)

 

In the corner, there were beds stacked in a neat pile.  They were made of grass and did not look very comfortable.  The shrine to worship in this type of home would be on a shelf of some kind such as we see here.

This is the kitchen, which was in a lean-to. The pots are as big as Audra.  She loved all of the kitchens in each of the homes.
 
 

 This is a replica of the smallest home allowed under the ordinances.  This would be for the lower-social class.  It was very similar to the middle-class, but much smaller.  This was a farmhouse and according to the ordinances, was to be a total of two buildings.  These would consist of a main building and a kitchen.  Farmers were forbidden from using tiles to roof their homes. 

Inside, they were very similar to the middle class homes, but lacked the nice wood cabinet with the shrine on it.  The only thing in the home was the stack of grass mattresses.

 

This was another bathroom facility.  Nathan so kindly demonstrated how they worked.

Audra got busy in this kitchen as well.  This kitchen did not have as many pots or dishes and just had a place on the ground for the fire with which to cook with.

This is the stable for the animals.  It's a little too close to the farmhouse in our opinion.

All of the housing ordinances of the Ryukyu Kingdom were abolished in 1889.  After many long years of prohibiting their use, red tiles were soon cropped up all over the roofs of the farmhouses.  The red tile roofs are now very common in Okinawa.

After we had seen all of the buildings in the Native Okinawa Village, we headed over to the Tropical Dream Center.

On the way, we saw one more landscape sculpture that we had missed the other day when we were here at the aquarium.

Normally, you have to pay a fee to enter the Tropical Dream Center, and it was too much for our large family to be able to afford it.  However, today was a "free day", so even though our feet were hurting from walking so much, we decided to check it out. 
The center has a walking course that takes you through beautiful and serene gardens. 
There are more than 2,000 orchids in all colors and shapes on display.....

....as well as many other types of foliage.  The gardens were distinct from each other and all of them were breathtakingly beautiful!

Our whole group posing for a picture!  We are kind of a rough looking bunch, but considering we have been walking all day in humidity that we are not used to, I think we are doing just fine.  Kiyoko san and Mimi joined us. 

Walking through what seemed like the Garden of Eden at times....

More orchids.

Found a random and cute shisa dog on a ledge.  Its match was no where to be found.

We found this really cool heart formed out of orchids, which made for a fantastic photo op--but, of course, some of my children were throwing tantrums and refused to participate.  Mom was not happy about that.

Magical and enchanting.  After a while, the landscaping left you feeling a little numb.  It was all just too beautiful to take in all at once. 

One of the areas of the center boasts 32 exotic fruit trees.  In addition to avocado, cacao, and guava trees, we also saw dragon fruit trees, egg fruit trees, and star fruit trees.  Seeing trees and fruit that we have never seen or heard of before made us almost feel like we were on another planet. 

The fruit trees surrounded this beautiful pond.

This is a jack fruit tree.

They had one on display so that we could touch it. 

The last thing we did was take the elevator to the top of the observatory.  It was a round tower made of stone.  From the top, we had an awesome view of the ocean.  Okinawa is such a beautiful place!
Instead of taking the elevator down, we used the stairs that spiraled around the outside of the tower.
The Tropical Dream Center was an overload of beauty and wonder.  With the day coming to a close, we walked back to Kiyoko san's van and headed back to the eastern side of the island.

We asked Kiyoko san if she could take us to a beach where we could enjoy the sunset.  She said that she knew of one a few miles away from her home that she thought we would enjoy.

The kids took off their shoes and played in the waves.

Lil' Miss was content sitting on her towel away from the sand that she despises so much.

The kids ran up and down the beach as we all enjoyed the sunset.  The buildings in the far distance are part of Camp Schwab.  You can't really see it in this picture, but floating in the bay between the beach and Camp Schwab are some floating ropes like what you see at swimming pools.  Kiyoko san told us that they were there as a part of the construction that is going on in that bay.  She told us that the American military are slowly starting to build man-made islands around Okinawa so that they can transfer the U.S. military bases onto them and return the land used for the current bases to the Okinawan people.  We remembered the articles that we had read in the newspaper on Kiyoko san's coffee table regarding many of the Okinawan people's frustrations with the strong U.S. military presence on their island and how they want the island returned to them.  The United States can never leave Okinawa--it has been dubbed the "Keystone of the Pacific".  It is America's military stronghold in Asia.  But, I guess this is America's way of trying to work with Okinawa while still maintaining its crucial presence in this part of the world.  I wonder how much it will all cost to build these man-made islands and then build bases on them?

Just what is Mimi doing here?

There was a full moon over Camp Schwab as we drove back to Kiyoko san's home to rest for the night.  It would be our last night in her home and on the northern part of this enchanting island.