Okinawa abounds with legends and myths, surprises where least expected and rare animals that can’t be seen anywhere else. The island is dense with sacred places and scattered tombs that can be found by wandering off an unmarked side trail…
A Cave Tied to Okinawa’s Origin: Mizugama no Gama
It’s hard getting out for a proper adventure between work and weather, but thankfully every hilltop and depression on Okinawa is sacred or has a legend so there’s always a point of interest within reach. This is Mizugama no gama,…
Sacred Sefa-utaki and Chinen’s Charming Overlook
According to legend the goddess Amamikyo first came to the island of Okinawa in what’s now Nanjo City on Okinawa’s southeastern Chinen peninsula. With her came the beginning of Ryukyu’s culture and native religion. Her children where the first kings…
Return to Aquatope on White Sand’s Gama Gama!
This is a follow up to my first visit to the real life location of Aquatope on White Sand, Chinen-son (Chinen Village). Click here to read that article. The first half of Aquatope on White Sand primarily took place in…
Itokazu’s Cave and Castle
Abuchiragama and it’s wartime history was covered more in-depth here; this article was written for Stripes Japan and a more general audience. Southern Okinawa is a natural and cultural hotbed, with something for everyone. There are sacred sites, battlefield memorials,…
Keibin: Remembering Okinawa’s Light Railway at Yonabaru
One of Okinawa’s distinct features that sets it apart from mainland Japan is its lack of a railway system, not counting the tourist-centric monorail between the airport and Kokusai-dori. But that wasn’t always the case and for three decades railways,…
A Hill by Any Other Name: Nakagusuku’s Pinnacle (161.8 Kouchi Jinchi)
In Nakagusuku village there’s a rather ordinary forested hill that’s been known by many names. The old Okinawans of Nakagusuku Village called it “Kishimaki-no-taki,” a sacred site of prayer. To the Imperial Japanese Army it was “161.8 Kouchi Jinchi,” a…
Fighting the Kriegsmarine and Kamikazes: A Short History of USS Emmons (DD-457/DMS-22)
This article was originally written for a college class, but the uncommon subject matter is one I think my readers would find interesting so I am presenting it here with minor changes. To learn more about Emmons I recommend reaching…
Green Jungle and Grey Stone: Chinen and Tamagusuku’s Gusuku (Castle) Road
Because I didn’t know what my options were until I arrived, I set aside the afternoon of my anime sightseeing day trip to Nanjo City for whatever locally spoke to me. Since the Sefa-Utaki, the most sacred place in Okinawa’s…
White Sand and Blue Sea: Chinen Village in Aquatope on White Sand
This is the first part of a one-day trip to Nanjo City, Okinwa, broken into two stories. Those interested in how a real seaside Okinawan village is depicted in modern pop culture can start here. If you’re just here for…