Okinawa

Last week we travelled with the family to Okinawa. A 3 hour car trip to Fukuoka airport was followed by a one and a half hour flight to the group of islands which form the prefecture of Okinawa.

Being so far south of the main islands of Japan, Okinawa has a completely different climate and vegetation. It is very tropical and except for the narrow streets and extremely slow drivers (we were told by a local 'Okinawans drive very slowly' which means a top speed of around 40kph.) it is similar to Queensland in appearance.

On arrival we paid a visit to a cave in which Japanese civilians and soldiers sought refuge from the American army during the battle of Okinawa. The history of that battle is very sad, with over 200,000 soldiers and civilians from both sides losing their lives.

One of the saddest stories involved a group of schoolgirls from Himeyuri High School, who were ordered by the Japanese army to help in the field hospital when the battle began. As the tide of the battle turned and American victory seemed imminent, the girls were told they were no longer needed and to leave the area where the army were. They were basically told to go and fend for themselves in the middle of a war zone. Of the 240 students and teachers who joined the field hospital or other corps, 226 died. The stories of survivors from the school and other civilians are absolutely horrific and the Okinawans are very much oriented toward world peace.Tthey therefore have been unsuccessfully waging a campaign to have the American bases removed from thier island.

After the tour of the cave, it was off to the hotel. The first night we stayed in Naha the biggest city on the main island of Okinawa. The hotel was very nice, and more through good luck than good management, Mami and I scored a penthouse suite with separate foyer, lounge, bedroom (two double beds), two toilets and spa bath in the bathroom. Absolute luxury.

We ate out at a restaurant which served the best sashimi dishes at unbelievably good prices.
Check out the presentation of the sashimi in the picture.

Yummmmm!!!