Japan 2013: Episode 21

June 6

Nakagusuku Castle Ruins

After the sobering experience at the Okinawa Peace Memorial Park, we trekked through the Nakagusuku Castle remains on the eastern side of the island, slightly north of Naha. The place is picturesque, which is probably why a photography class/club was meeting there! Unlike the Shuri Castle we saw recently, this one consisted mostly of the stone walls. Most castles on the island are in this state.

Gardens at the entry to the Castle park

The well

Stairs up from the well

Japan 2013: Episode 20

June 29

Okinawa Peace Memorial Park

It has taken me a couple of days to prepare this post, mostly to digest and process what we saw and learned.

The Okinawa Peace Memorial Park is built on the place that was called Mabuni Hill, or by the US Military, "Hill 89" and was effectively the site of the last land battle of World War Two. The park consists of several monuments, tombs and the Peace Memorial Museum. The Monuments are sobering. The Museum, through various placards, videos, photographs and artifacts, tells the story of Okinawa from the time Japan annexed the Ryukyu Islands, through the war, to the present.

We enter the Museum and are greeted by two works of art, each with 100 ceramic bowls painted into a beautiful mural. The artist is Okinawan Junichi Umeda.

 "A Thousand Cranes"

 "Night Cherry Blossoms"

A Children's Exhibit seemed to focus on children around the world, displaying toys and books from around the world. 

Another display showed toys, books and an interview from a child from each of probably fifteen locations around the world. 

Perhaps a little shocking for a childrens' exhibit, there was a history lesson as well, perhaps telling what a child would have experienced. This portion had very little English translation, however it included several photographs.

School children turned into soldiers

Post war refugee camps

A temporary exhibit shows artwork, essays and poems from school children around Okinawa. It was worth the few moments to read a seven-year-old's understanding of peace, and a fourteen year old trying to put herself in her grandmother's place.

Finally we entered the permanent exhibit. The story begins when Japan, striving to increase its span in Asia and dominate China, claimed Okinawa and several territories in the South Pacific. To promote uniformity and patriotism in its colonies, Japan forbade the use of the Okinawan dialect, changed uniquely Okinawan names to Japanese and imposed the Shinto religion, and began to militarize the island by building an airfield and installing troops.

At the peak of this Asian conflict, Japan sought to prove its power and simultaneously bombed a British colony and Pearl Harbor. In that moment, the Pacific War became the Pacific Theatre of World War Two. Japan mobilized civilians into soldiers, making the tools of war, and medical stations. The United States responded victoriously at the Battle of Midway and began to turn the tide. Seeing their position between the approaching US fleets and mainland Japan, many Okinwans began to flee to neighboring islands. US forces systematically and mercilessly overtook Japanese territories in the South Pacific, killing civilians and Okinwan refugees in its wake. 

When the US reached Okinawa in April 1945, the approach was no less subtle. Nearly ninety days of artillery fire and fighting, referred to locally as the "Rain of Steel" concluded in June with a bloody toll. More than 12,000 US service members killed or missing; more than 375 from South Korea, England and Taiwan were killed; more than 65,000 Japanese and conscripted Okinawan soldiers killed or committed suicide; and as many as 150,000 Okinawan civilians killed, missing, committed suicide or entombed in caves where they hid for safety. The landscape was decimated. Many artifacts from the history of Ryukyu Kingdom were damaged or destroyed.

The Testimony room holds the stories of 140 witnesses, some on video.

After the fighting ended, surviving civilians were corralled in refugee camps. The wounded were treated, but rations were not enough. Many died of starvation or malaria. Eventually food supply improved, and rebuilding began. Orphanages were established for the many children who lost their parents. Infrastructure was rebuilt. Through strong protests, the US Military seized land for the construction of several bases and established a permanent military presence on the island. In the 1950s the US governed territory fell subject to McCarthy-ism, locals were scrutinized closely and travel to mainland Japan was restricted. Bases on Okinawa were used as staging points during the US involvement in Vietnam, even housing nuclear warheads, against strong protest. In 1972, Okinawa was returned to Japanese rule, although the US retains a strong military presence there to this day, with the "accidents and atrocities" that go with it. Massive rioting broke out after the brutal rape and of a school girl by US servicemen in 1995. Still, US military remains.

Okinawans are a wonderfully kind, respectful, and helpful people. The locals I have encountered are not angry, vengeful or bitter towards Americans, even as they have a fair right to be. They do not hate Americans. If anything, they hate War. The Peace Memorial Museum and Park display what lies at the heart of Okinawa, a deep desire for peace.

At the end of the History lesson, this beautiful script
(English translation below)

View of the Cornerstone of Peace Memorial from the Observation tower. Here the names of all Japanese, American, British, Korean and Taiwanese soldiers who died as well as the names of all Okinawans, civilian and military, who died throughout the Pacific War, roughly 240,000 names with more added each year as they become known.

Fire of Peace fountain

As many victims did not receive a proper burial, they are memorialized here.

Okinawa Peace Hall

Peace Hill

I didn't get photos of everything. I didn't photograph inside the permanent exhibit out of respect. In the park there are tombs arranged by prefecture, similar to our Arlington Cemetery. Monuments have been donated by each prefecture of Japan. Also, the Tower of Himeyuri, honoring school girls who worked as nurses in the caves and tunnels, most of whom did not survive the war.


Check out more about the museum here: http://www.peace-museum.pref.okinawa.jp/english/index.html

For more about the park: http://cspwm.ucsc.edu/projects/okinawa-peace-memorial-park-project

Japan 2013: Episode 19

June 28

Japanese Tea Ceremony

Olivia and I had the pleasure of participating in a Japanese Tea Ceremony class through the Marine's tours office. The guide and his apprentice were fluent in Japanese and very knowledgeable in history and customs. They gave some introductory instruction on the drive to the tea house. Japanese tea ceremony is more common on mainland Japan, as Okinawa was an independent kingdom until the late 1890s. The ceremony is tied very closely to Zen Buddhism, therefore is intended to be a solemn or reverent experience.

Garden of the tea house

There is now way we would have found this place on our own, literally on an alley sized road behind a hospital, the house is hardly visible behind the larger buildings.

We arrived at the front door and traded our shoes for wooden sandals. As the ceremony takes place on a traditional Tatami mat, we were instructed when we signed up for the event to wear white socks. It isn't so easy to wear wooden flip-flop type sandals with socks, but it wasn't for long. We walked through the garden on a stone path to a stone fountain. There, we use the bamboo ladle to wash the left hand, the right hand, then to rinse our mouth and spit the water on the ground, all this careful not to return the used water to the basin. The purpose of this step is to purify our hands and our mouth. After purifying, we enter the tea room through a window like opening about a foot off the ground and probably three feet square. As we enter the ledge on our knees, we remove the wooden sandals. This type of entrance requires the participant to come into the room in a bowing posture, to promote humility. Once in the Tatami room, we were allowed to sit on bench with a table. Traditionally, we would have sat on the floor on our legs in a pose called seiza. 

Where the teacher sat and prepared the tea

We began by learning about the significance of a tea ceremony and its connection to religion. Traditionally, the ceremony would have phrases from Zen Buddhism incorporated. Our teacher happens to be a Christian reverend, so instead of Buddhist sayings she used scripture from the bible. There are still teachings from Zen that can be applied in a Christian lifestyle, for example how Zen encourages to look at each task as an opportunity to be in worship (even doing the dishes!). We also learned the proper procedure for receiving and drinking the tea. In this we learned that the ceremony is very much a polished ritual, to show respect.

Moshi

The tea ceremony proceeded in four parts. First, the moist sweet. This was a bun type ball called a Moshi, made of about 100 grams of rice pounded down into a sweet little ball.

Next came the thick tea. This cup is shared by all people at the table (we had three people per table). The first person would say "Osakimini" which means "I will go first." Each participant, when receiving the cup, bows and says "arigato" or "Thank you." Take the cup in your right hand and place it on the fingers or palm of the left hand. Turn the cup clockwise two twice (180 degrees), bows to the cup again and takes  3 1/2 draws (sips). Then place the cup on the table. Neatly folded towelettes are provided to wipe the lip of the cup three times, each with a clean piece of the cloth from left to right. Turn the cup counterclockwise twice (180 degrees) and pass the cup to the next person. Thick tea is very thick, like a spinach puree, and bitter. Not something I would choose for refreshment, but part of the process. It vaguely reminded me of the bitter herb in a Passover celebration.

Thick tea

Dry sweet

Next we had a dry sweet, a sort of sweet rice cookie with small sugar candies similar to what  we might use to decorate a cake or cookie.

The fourth step was thin tea. This was more like a green tea we might drink for refreshment, however the teacher said the variety used for a tea ceremony was not typically used in restaurants or for general consumption. This tea might change to match the seasons, as part of the Zen was to be in harmony with nature. Each participant received a cup, turn the cup twice (180 degrees) and sip at your leisure. Then wipe the lip of the cup with your finger, wipe your finger on the napkin saved from the dry sweet, and admire the cup. Our cups were somewhat plain, but a tea service typically has some design on the face of the cup. This is what all the turning is for, the cup is presented the participant with the face of the cup facing the participant. The participant turns the cup to point the face out, towards the teacher or group.

Thin tea

After the ceremony was complete, we visited a little and the teacher requests a photo be taken with each group. We got a group photo on our camera as well. 

Our group had Olivia and myself, another single lady, a couple and their three children aged 16, 13 and 2. The youngest was a little noisy and a little squirmy, particularly during the teaching portions. The teacher was very benevolent, and tour guide says she enjoys children. The other staff member brought a Lion King board book and the little girl was content for quite a while.

After the tea ceremony we went to what is known as International Street in Naha. This very touristy area had shop after shop, mostly with the same stuff priced for tourists. Olivia and I started out by having lunch at another sushi-go-round. We tried a few interesting things, and with the help of one of our guides who went to the same place we learned the name of that horrible thing Jim tried at the first sushi go round: "Fermented Soy Beans" Yummy!?!

Some little fishes (left) and tiny squid (right)

The Infamous "Fermented Soy Bean" roll

We went shopping down International street and were able to scour out a few good deals and a bowl of ice cream to cool off. While eating ice cream and waiting for our tour van to pick us up, I decided to take a few snapshots of the local automobiles.

Delivery truck

Pickup truck

Biker Gang - Mopeds/scooters tend to weave through traffic and
 at a stoplight move to the front of the vehicles waiting.

Crew Cab or Japanese equivalent to an "Avalanche"

Jim took us out to another of his favorite places for dinner, a Hawaiian restaurant called Ona Kau Kau. They, of course, had spam (and lots of other delicious fare!)

Finally, home after a long day we discover The Box had finally arrived. Mailed on May 17, it arrived on base on June 28. At least it wasn't all for loss. Packed with games, outdoor toys and an inner tube, we might still be able to enjoy some of its contents.