japanese underground naval war museum.

[tim duncan]

went to the underground museum when i went to okinawa. it was a really disturbing and yet enlightening place.

before i went, to the museum i went to gyokusendo caves, visited the okinawan village, and drank the beers they sell there as i watched the eisa show (very uplifting/and exciting by the way). upon entering the caves, i instantly got sober. this never happend to me before.

i came away from the experience, thinking of wasted lives, the extant to which the okinawan people suffered during ww 2- naha was levelled, discovering one of the reasons why the japanese people stress peace- and understanding why they have a self defence force and not a regular armed forces, and the irony of the peaceful park built above the caves.

in fact, i still do think about the wasted lives both american and japanese at the site, whenever i read about death due to violence in iraq, afghanistan, burma, africa, and even in my back yard honolulu.

the next time i go back to okinawa i will go to the himeyuri park. just did not have time the last trip as i only had 4 days in okinawa.

[Big-Kokujin]

I always wanted to go, but wasnt able to. the closest I've been to it was a little cave behind the main chow hall up on the hill, it was a very small opening, and it looked like a stadium...it was alot bigger inside than it looked...

[Muku]

The Navy Underground Hq has gone through some renovations, I dont know the last time you were there however the changes where for the most part above ground. There is now a park in the area and a large parking lot to accomodate visitors. It is a lot nicer than it was a few years back.