At every stop, we learned more about the Battle of Okinawa; the caves had
heartbreaking but eye-opening history, and the museums provided history that we
would never learn without being here and the memorials had a quiet solemnity about
them.
The Himeyuri Peace Museum was one of the stops that grabbed my attention the
most. As we made our way through the museum, we learned about a group of young
women who were conscripted as nurses for
the injured soldiers. They were known as the
Lily Corps. There were over 200 students and
18 teachers, but after the battle only 14
survived. The museum walls told the stories
of the survivors, but the most stirring room was
the one that displayed photos of the victims.
The cave they took shelter in was still intact inside
the museum. As we continued, everyone was
engrossed in the story of all the girls and their
impact on the war. At the end, I was most glad
to have this experience and to learn about the
history of Okinawa. It’s easy to forget that every
place has history, even if it’s hidden beneath
beautiful sandy beaches and tourist attractions.
Kakazu Ridge was our last stop, but there
was still so much to see. Our stop here
included an observatory that was built where
the Kakazu Ridge actually was during the
Battle of Okinawa. We climbed to the top of
the observatory where we could see most of
Naha. Something I found amazing was
that we could see Hacksaw Ridge clearly
from the observatory, which I am sure was
an advantage during the war. Surrounding the
observatory, there were bunkers and tunnels
where the Japanese and their allies travelled through and hid.
Although we couldn’t go into the underground bunker, the
fenced-in opening still felt eerie.
The tour was full of information, but the best part of it
was having fi rst-hand information from Setsuko-san, our
tour guide. She and her family are survivors of the Battle
of Okinawa. She gave the tour life because she was able
to convey the weight of Okinawa’s history and even some
of the emotion of the Okinawans at the time of the battle.
Before you leave Okinawa, take this tour and learn about
the island. It’s worth it.
VENTURE 17