Yesterday evening we all went indeed to a so-called budokan near to the port, where we could assist on 3 different floors of a giant sport complex to the typical Japanese sports judo, karate, kendo, jiu-jitsu and sumo; the latter by kids of not even 10 years old, so cute !!!
Just before, we had dinner in a restaurant in a tree (such is only possible in Japan: yes, the restaurant was in a huge artificial tree), but the nouvelle cuisine offered us such a small dish, that we both had another dinner in a nearby restaurant recommended by a brothel-employee opposite our hotel. A very colourful walk to get in there, but business seems low in the area...
Today all off for a day excursion to visit the Okinawa War Sites. We started with the Underground Naval Headquarters, where 4000 men committed suicide as the battle for Okinawa drew to its prolonged and bloody conclusions. Of the tunnels, only 250m are open, but you can wander through the maze of corridors, see the commander's final words on the wall of his room and inspect the holes and scars in other walls from the grenade blasts that killed many of the men.
Then Cape Kiyan, in the closing days of the Battle of Okinawa a cliff from which many civilians jumped to their death from the cliffs. Such is an important difference in culture between Japanese and for instance Europeans: even today one finds Japanese people (politicians) who rather prefer to commit suicide (harikiri) than being confronted with a defeat. It has to be said, that suicide during WWII also occurred because of coercion by Japanese military personnel.
Then to Himeyri-no-To, where on 19-06-1945 200 Okinawan schoolgirls and their teachers, who had been conscripted by Japanese troops as field nurses and trench-diggers, were abruptly demobilised. After being evicted from the sheltering caves, many were killed by Americans bullets and gas shells, while others committed suicide in the school grounds rather than fall in the hands of the US military, whom they had been led to believe were barbarians.
Very moving museum in emotional way and the explanations were quite neutral and it explained the madness and atrocities - in general - of wars, and such not only from a Japanese point of view.
We finished the War Sites with the visit to the Okinawa Peace Memorial Museum (Okinawa Senseki Quasi-National Park (沖縄戦跡国定公園)), another very emotive museum. I found following on internet about it:
"In late March 1945, a fierce battle such as has rarely been seen in history took place on these islands. The "Typhoon of Steel" that lasted for ninety days disfigured mountains, destroyed much of the cultural legacy, and claimed the precious lives of upward of 200,000 people. The Battle of Okinawa was the only ground fighting fought on Japanese soil and was also the largest-scale campaign of the Asia-Pacific War. Even countless Okinawan civilians were fully mobilized. A significant aspect of the Battle of Okinawa was the great loss of civilian life. At more than 100,000 civilian losses far outnumbered the military death toll. Some were blown apart by shells, some finding themselves in a hopeless situation were driven to suicide, some died of starvation, some succumbed to malaria, while other fell victim to the retreating Japanese troops. Under the most desperate and unimaginable circumstances, Okinawans directly experienced the absurdity of war and atrocities it inevitably brings about.
This war experience is at the very core of what is popularly called the "Okinawan Heart," a resilient yet strong attitude to life that Okinawan people developed as they struggled against the pressures of many years of U. S. military control.
The "Okinawan Heart" is a human response that respects personal dignity above all else, rejects any acts related to war, and truly cherishes culture, which is a supreme expression of humanity. In order that we may mourn for those who perished during the war, pass on to future generations the historic lessons of the Battle of Okinawa, convey our message to the peoples of the world and thereby established, displaying the whole range of the individual war experiences of the people in this prefecture, the Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum. "
Some personal testimonies were translated in English and hard to read....
In the museum park one finds the Cornerstone of Peace (Heiwa no Ishiji,平和の礎), a secular war memorial for the victims of the Battle of Okinawa. It was erected in 1995 in memory of the 50th anniversary of the battle. Similar to the Vietnams Veterans Memorial in Washington DC, the memorial focuses on the names of those that died in the battle. However, it takes the unique controversially approach of trying to list all the names, military and civilian from all countries involved. As of June 2007 it contains 240,609 names.
Like Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the sites of the atomic bombs in August 1945, these War Sites are massively visited by school classes; a good thing to see that the children of today are taught about what happened over 60 years ago.
We both enjoyed - though such seems not to be the appropriate word.... - these visits, which once again confronts one with the horrors of war.
After a quick lunch (so quick, that we both had only time for a cheese burger, what a shame for the Japanese cuisine!) we went to Gyokusendo Okokumura, a theme park promoting the Okinawan history, culture, and nature, whereas I thought it would only feature Asia's greatest stalactites and stalagmites... A very commercial uninteresting stop, which we both would rather had exchanged for a longer stay on the War Sites, but such is one of the rare inconvenient parts of group holidays.
Right now back in my favourite manga / internet cafe, with free drinks and airco; the latter is highly appreciated, because it is still hot outside.
Arjan is having a coffee - most probably an ice-coffee.... - at the next-door Starbucks. Most probably we will have dinner in the same restaurant as yesterday evening, at least one finds sushi and sashimi over there, whereas such is difficult to find at the main street of Naha (Kokusai-dori), which is rather Yankee-steak oriented...
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