Okinawa, Japan
In 2013, the U.S. Air Force gave me the opportunity to relocate to Okinawa, a small island between Taiwan and mainland Japan. I was thrilled. As a history buff, I was fascinated by the ancient Japanese and Ryukyu cultures that have shaped Okinawa. I also knew that the island played a critical role as a significant battleground for World War II. However, I didn’t know before getting there that Okinawans are some of the nicest people on the planet.
The island of Okinawa is one of a string of more than 150 islands called Okinawa Prefecture. Once an independent country ruled by the Ryukyu Kingdom, Okinawa became a part of Japan’s shogunate system after the Japanese invasion of 1609. The former Ryukyu Islands officially became Okinawa Prefecture of Japan in 1879.
Near the end of World War II, American troops invaded Okinawa, wanting to use the island’s Kadena Air Base as a base for their planned invasion of the Japanese mainland. The subsequent Battle of Okinawa became the deadliest in the Pacific Theater of World War II, with approximately 160,000 combined military casualties (Americans, Imperial Japanese, and Okinawans in Japanese uniform) and the loss of a quarter of Okinawa’s civilian population. During its occupation of Japan that followed the war’s end, the U.S. built over 30 military bases in Okinawa Prefecture due to its strategic location.
Today, the American military presence in Okinawa remains controversial due to the large footprint of the bases and noise pollution from jets. The US presence also adds roughly 80,000 people between the service members and families, contributing to crowding and traffic for an island that is only 463 square miles (66 miles long and 11 miles wide).
Despite this controversy, the Okinawan people are incredibly warm and welcoming.
Despite this controversy, the Okinawan people are incredibly warm and welcoming. I never once encountered an Okinawan that “blamed” my fellow service members or me for being there. On the contrary, they treated us with respect.
Knowing this, I always stayed mindful that this was not MY homeland, and I was only a visitor for a short time. Respect for people of all cultures and lands is essential to me. We must be good stewards of our own cultures and even better human beings.
During my three years in this tropical paradise, I was fortunate to live adjacent to the Sunabe Seawall. Each day I’d wake to the smell of fresh seawater wafting through my windows and fall asleep to the waves’ natural white noise. On my runs along the seawall, I enjoyed spotting anglers looking for their day’s catch and older women exercising on the boardwalk.
You’ll find some of the best scuba diving in the world in Okinawa, especially on the island’s south side (in areas like Channel Crevice and Suicide Cliffs) and the west side (at the Toilet Bowl and Seawall). As a certified Open Water Diver, I completed over 30 dives during my time on the island, each more incredible than the last. Low tide is fantastic for exploring tide pools and the reefs.
Here are my top things to do and see while in Okinawa, with some honorable mentions.
1. Shurijo Castle
If you’re a history lover, Shurijo Castle should be first on your list of Okinawan places to visit. The castle, which overlooks the city of Naha, served as the Ryukyu Kingdom’s palace and cultural center for 450 years, from 1429 to 1879.
Following the palace’s destruction during World War II, the site was used as the University of the Ryukyus campus until 1975. In 1992, reconstruction of the palace began; today, it’s a national park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a symbol of Okinawan history.
Chinese architectural style inspired Shurijo Castle’s design, with gates and buildings painted in red lacquer and intricate decorative elements that feature the king’s dragon. Give yourself plenty of time to explore the castle grounds and imagine what life was like here through the years.
Shurijo Castle
2. Nago Pineapple Park
One of Okinawa’s prized crops, the beloved pineapple earns Nago Pineapple Park a spot on my list for its sheer dedication to the theme. Upon parking your car, a pineapple train shuttles you into the park, where you can tour the jungle and see how pineapples grow. Then, sample fresh pineapple and incredible pineapple ice cream, pastries, and cosmetics in the park shop.
Nago Pineapple Park is an excellent outing for families. Your kids will love the bright trams featuring fun characters, the dinosaur adventure tour (lead by an ornamental pineapple named Ananas), and the many shisa dogs that dot the park’s lush landscape. But of course, there’s plenty for adults to enjoy, too – be sure to try some pineapple wine from the on-site winery.
Nago Pineapple Park
3. Blue Cave
When sunlight hits the water in Okinawa’s semi-submerged Blue Cave, it bounces off the white sandy floor and refracts an otherworldly blue glow. Life goal of feeling like an Avatar extra: achieved.
First-time snorkelers and seasoned scuba divers will enjoy Blue Cave’s stunning aquatic life. Fish here are so used to people that they’ll swim right up next to you. The cave doesn’t require a license for scuba divers, and divers at least 12 years old are welcome to explore deeper into the cave.
As one of Okinawa’s most popular ocean attractions, Blue Cave can become crowded in the summer. The upside? You won’t need a wetsuit to scuba dive from May through August. The rest of the year, you can stay warm with a 1 to 2 millimeter wetsuit, as the water stays between a comfortable 68 and 71 degrees Fahrenheit year-round.
Blue Cave Okinawa
4. Okinawa Peace Prayer Park
Situated on Mabuni Hill, where the Battle of Okinawa ended, the Okinawa Peace Prayer Park is a somber yet beautiful reminder of World War II and the tremendous loss of life that took place here.
The park’s Cornerstone of Peace monument bears the names of nearly a quarter-million people. Those honored include soldiers of various nationalities who died during the Battle of Okinawa and all Okinawan casualties, civilian and military, during the Pacific War. Modeled after the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C., the monument is a site of reflection that symbolizes the true cost of war.
Understanding the significance of this place and respecting the souls of those who died here (of all nationalities, no matter the side they fought on) is very important to me. As a military veteran who has experienced war, I understand some of the sacrifices these people must have gone through. But at the same time, the idea of putting oneself in battle situations of that period (represented in movies like Hacksaw Ridge) is completely unfathomable.
5. Yomitan Pottery Village
Discover Yachimun, Okinawa’s traditional earthenware, at Yomitan Pottery Village in the central part of the island. Potters (many of whom have been working at their craft for decades) hand-make and paint beautiful pottery, including dishes, figurines, roof tiles, and more, at the village’s more than 70 workshops.
One of the most recognizable elements of Yachimun and Yomitan Village is the noborigama, or climbing kiln. Workers build these long kilns into hills; when they light a fire in the bottom chamber of one, it slowly ascends to spread heat throughout. The largest of these (and, in fact, the largest in Okinawa) is the north kiln, containing 13 chambers and stretching more than 150 feet.
Though pottery boomed in Naha during the Ryukyu Kingdom era, the city’s growing population made it difficult to maintain noborigama kilns because of the dense smoke they produce. In the 1970s, renowned Okinawan potter Jiro Kinjo relocated to Yomitan Village, and many followed to establish the village that exists today.
Take a stroll through this beautiful tropical village, find treasures to take home (I chose a pair of shisa dogs to commemorate my time here), and watch pottery makers and glassblowers create as they’ve done for centuries.
6. Shikina-en
With elements borrowed from Japanese and Chinese architecture, the garden of Shikina-en gives us a peek into early 19th-century Okinawan life. The Ryukyu royal family used this sprawling estate as a villa and place to host diplomatic banquets for Chinese envoys.
While you’ll want to tour the meticulously designed, minimalist homes, the real star of Shikina-en is the garden. The well-manicured grounds follow a traditional Japanese layout, centered around a pond. Visit in the spring to enjoy cherry trees or in the fall for purple balloon flowers, and enjoy plants like Ryukyu island pine and sago palm year-round.
Even though Shikina-en is in a heavily populated area of Naha, you would never know.
The tranquil atmosphere gives off a sense of calm and transports you back to simpler times with fewer distractions from the beauty of nature.
