Japanese Naval Underground

We are making our way around the island, checking off our list of things to do. People have told us to slow down on our exploring, that we'll run out of things to do! I think we'll be visiting our favorite places regularly! We can explore this island and then venture out to the surrounding islands and Asia! My aim is to have seen China by the time we leave here. We visited the Naval Underground museum. I hope to do the actual battle sights tour with an American tour guide, but for this trip we explored with some pretty good guess work! Once again, we're reminded that we're in a foreign country, it's not as fun to go to museums when you can't even read half the stuff! Now I know how little kids and foreigners feel when going to museums! So the pictures below are just guess work until I go on the actual guided tour!

The entrance to the cave of Japanese Naval Underground Headquarters

I'm not quite sure what these folded paper chains are to represent. My guess is that they represent the good luck and well wishes for those who died, or maybe prayers that are said for those who gave their lives in battle? We saw these at the Peace Memorial Park and I've seen them hung like a lei over tombs and memorials.

The first room we came to was the signal room, hence the sign! There was limited signage, but thankfully it was in English too!

I think the boys would've loved to have made this their "fort" or hideout! They had fun going in and out of the rooms. We had fun trying to guess what things were! Though it was pretty well lit in there, I got quite turned around! It's a maze! You can't get lost, all the wings empty out somewhere along the way into the main corridor.

This was evidently an escape or entrance route, as seen in the picture. The Japanese have blocked off the entrances, so no homeless people can take up residence, or Americans get free admission to the caves! It looked as if they're still uncovering parts of the cave. These caves were originally inhabited by the Okinawan civilian refugees when the Japanese army forced them out of their homes and farms. When the Americans started closing in on the Japanese in the Battle for Okinawa, the Japanese deserted the Okinawan homes and once again pushed the Okinawans out of their cave dwellings. If a baby or child living in the caves got too noisy or cried too loudly, the soldiers would kick the family out on the street. The Japanese army fed the Okinawans lies about the Americans, causing them to obey them and even commit suicide for fear of being captured and tortured by the Americans.

These are tools, utentsils and medical supplies that were found in the caves. There wasn't much on display here. After visiting several Japanese historic sites, I am beginning to wonder if the Japanese take much pride in preserving their history! I know in the states, there would've been a setting to resemble what had once existed with life like dummies!

I thought this paper chain artwork to be quite interesting. Looks like Shuri Castle.

Cameron studies the wall. This was one of the inner chambers where the high ranking officers lived and planned out their missions. When the Japanese knew that they had lost the battle, they opted for suicide over surrendering to the American forces. The splattering on the wall are actually imbedded shrapnel from the granades used in their suicides!

As you can see, a lot of the passages are narrow with low ceilings and the stairways steep.

One of the views from the top of the hill where the Japanese Naval Underground is.