Okinawa, Japan

We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in Okinawa. Our first stop was the city of Tomigusuku which is south of our port. In 1944, members of the Japanese Engineering Corps dug 450 meters of underground tunnels to serve as the Japanese Navy's secret headquarters. The tunnels were short l and had little rooms off the main tunnels. One of the rooms had shrapnel marks all over the walls which was evidence of the deadly discovery of those tunnels. Our next stop was the Okinawa Prefectural Museum with exhibits about Okinawa's history and environment. Our last stop was the main shopping street where we found an interesting Army Surplus Store type of shop. Also Colonel Sanders in a Santa outfit. Getting takeout fried chicken is a Christmas tradition in Japan. On our second day in Okinawa first visited the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Shuri Castle. It was the administrative center and residence for the Ryukyu Kingdom until Okinawa became a Japanese prefecture in 1879. From the tone of our tour guides and an overarching theme, Okinawa is not the biggest fan of being part of Japan. Especially with WWII damaging almost all of the island and now with the significant US Military presence on the island. Our next stop was what I was most looking forward to the Shikinaen Garden. It was built in the late 1700s and was the second royal residence of the Okinawan royal family. The house was so peaceful and open. The gardens were delightful as well. My parents would have loved this stop. My dad always loved the Japanese style of landscape architecture. Both he and I wrote several research papers about that style of landscape design. Our last stop was a lunch of traditional food that was really yummy. Having the tour guide there to explain not only what we were eating, but how to correctly eat the food was tremendously helpful. Our last stop was the Kokusai Street.