Himeyuri Peace Museum

On March 23, 1945, the Japanese army mobilized 222 students and 18 teachers from two elite Okinawan girls' high schools. The Himeyuri girls -- or Lily Corps or Princess Lilies -- were quickly "trained" as field nurses. They were convinced that the Japanese army would defeat the Allies in short order and that they would return soon to their studies. Instead, three months later when their unit was dissolved, the Japanese army was defeated and most of the Himeyuri girls and teachers were dead.

While a small number of the girls had died during the Battle of Okinawa, most died by their own volition so terrified were they of being captured by U.S. forces. Propaganda is always part of war, and the Japanese used propoganda to paint a horrific portrait of the U.S. Armed Forces. The Japanese government and the Imperial soldiers convinced these young girls -- most were ages 15 to 19 -- that suicide was a better option than capture.

Chains upon chains of origami cranes symbolizing peace 

The Himeyuri Peace Museum is close to Peace Memorial Park, and has a completely different feel. While the Peace Memorial Park has a stunning natural backdrop and the size of the park is appropriate for the scale of the Battle of Okinawa, the Himeyuri Museum brings a necessary personal perspective to the horrors of war. The museum includes diaries and personal effects, photos of the girls and their teachers, artifacts from their nursing supplies.  These sheltered, young girls witnessed tragedy and pain beyond our worst imaginations as they aided the injured soldiers in the Haebaru Field Hospital. "Hospital" makes it sound sterile and safe when in fact it was a cave system with conditions more appropriate for animals than humans.

The photo above marks the entrance to a cave where many girls died after their unit was dissolved. The entrance is below ground, and peering into the hole was almost too much, and yet it was at the start of the memorial -- one could walk right by without knowing what had taken place.

The wall pictured above is near the exit of the memorial, and includes the thoughts of those few who survived.

"We went on the battlefield without knowng the truth. 

War kills everything -- a life of every single being. 

Therefore, our story continues. 

We will speak of the truth of war, brutality, pain, 

engraved in our bodies and memories."

Of all the history I learned while in Okinawa, and of all the places I visited, it is this story and this memorial that will stay with me. For those interested in an approachable way to learn more about this story, I recommend Above the East China Sea by Sarah Bird.  The books follows two girls -- one a contemporary teen living in Okinawa where her mother is stationed and the other a Princess Lily girl in 1945 -- which makes for a compelling narrative and an accessible way to learn the history.

I did take Maddox with me to the Himeyuri monument. We focused more on the tools that nurses used and the school supplies that a teenage girl would have used. This museum did have more in English than many historical spots though, so she was capable of reading more than she probably should have. We studied WWII, primarily focused on the Pacific, and she had as much understanding of the absolute devastation of the war as an eight-year-old could have. She knew that many of the girls died, that they didn't have a choice in serving in the war, and that they believed they were helping their country. I second-guessed our trip there a couple of times, but I honestly don't think the utter horror was really in her grasp.

The trip down to this part of the island was at least an hour and a half, so we took a stop on the way home for Blue Seal ice cream (of course), and for a visit at the Shikina-en Royal Gardens. This is yet another UNESCO World Heritage site on Okinawa, although the gardens weren't looking particularly royal the day we were there. The original gardens were destroyed in the Battle of Okinawa, but have been faithfully restored.

The gardens are built at a high point in Naha, and the location was intentional. They are located in a spot where you cannot see the ocean in any direction -- unusual in Okinawa -- which was meant to impress visiting dignitaries with the size of the Ryukyu kingdom.

Above is a good example of the influence of Chinese style into the Ryukyu kingdom's architecture.

Maddox, as was often the case, was a trooper. We went to many places that were of far more interest to me than to her. She didn't bear it all without complaint, but in the end, I'm glad I kept us on the road.