Okinawa Report

Once again we were asked to submit a report about our recent trip to Okinawa. Here is mine:

Helicopters about to land at one of the US air bases in Okinawa

Impressions on Okinawa

The moment we landed at the Naha Airport in Okinawa, I fell in love with the place immediately. The airport was beautiful. It was new, and all around the area there were beautiful Cattleya orchids. These flowers, the weather, the palm trees, and the overall look of Okinawa itself reminded me so much of home. I think it is for this reason, plus the inherent beauty and pleasant ambience of the place that made me love it immediately. However, as we toured around Okinawa, we saw something that looked out of place—this was the steel barrier which lasted almost endlessly: the fence of the American Military Bases which separates the uniformed Americans from the Okinawan civilians.

Even before we went to Okinawa and read the handouts about the trip, we already knew about the American bases on the prefecture. It’s even as if the only thing people know about Okinawa is that it’s a place filled with military installations. This is certainly very sad, and I am very thankful that I was able to learn more about this enchanting group of islands.

Okinawa is place filled with surprises. It is naturally beautiful, and has a rich culture and interesting albeit painful history that not a lot of people know about. On our study tour, we first learned about the bases and got to see the wide expanse of land that was under American control. We also visited a theme park that showcased Okinawan culture and got to see the magnificent castle of the Ryukyu Kingdom that ruled over Okinawa until over a century ago. However, the part of the study tour that affected me the most was when we learned about the Battle of Okinawa. This included going to an underground limestone cave that was used as a hospital and Japanese military headquarters during the battle, and visiting the various museums on the prefecture that depicted the agony and suffering of the war.

Learning more about the culture and history of Okinawa really surprised me. The Okinawan Prefecture is very much a part of Japan, but I could see that their lives are vastly different to the lives of the people on the mainland. On the surface, someone could even say that Okinawa looks as if it isn’t part of Japan at all. The traditional costumes, the music, the houses, the castles, the ambience—they’re all different when compared to the mainland. To me, it felt like Okinawa was stuck in time, way back into Japanese past where skyscrapers didn’t reach for the skies yet, trains weren’t the main means of transportation, and houses weren’t so close together that they could still afford to have backyards.

To a lot of people, it seems that Okinawa has been sacrificed by mainland Japan, particularly by the Japanese government. I find myself agreeing with this, because a lot of instances support this theory. The Battle of Okinawa is the greatest example. It was the only land battle in Japan during the Second World War. It was a tactic of the Japanese military to delay the American attack on the mainland. As I learned, it was horrible. High school students were deployed as nurses and were forced to work in inhumane conditions. Hundreds of thousands of Okinawans died because of crossfire. A lot were also killed by the Japanese military themselves. After the American Occupation on the island, the Okinawans thought that the bases would be removed. But even after the reversion, the bases are still there. Okinawa holds a very big percentage of the American bases in Japan. That is really unbelievable when you consider the land area of Okinawa.

The war is already far into the past. I’m sure the people who were responsible for starting it have gotten what they deserve, and I’m sure the Japanese government will not allow it to happen again. The museums we have visited are there so that we will all be reminded that war is absolutely horrible and we should avoid it at all costs. The American bases are here on Japan because both Japan and America mutually benefit from this arrangement. When one looks at it, he can probably say that the bases are bad for Okinawa. But we all know that it also has its advantages alongside its disadvantages. The fact that Okinawa has been stuck in time may also have its advantages. However, I wish that the people on the mainland will always remember th? sacrifices that Okinawa did for them and is continually doing for them. I also hope that the Okinawan Prefecture be given equal treatment with all the other prefectures on the mainland. Most importantly, I hope that Okinawans should always be consulted as to what happens with their island, and that it must be their decision that should be followed.