Former Japanese Navy underground HQ, Okinawa

Former Japanese Navy underground HQ, Okinawa - darkometer rating : 5 - A peculiar WWII relic. The Japanese Navy used this underground tunnel system as their headquarters during the Battle of Okinawa . From here commanding officer Rear Admiral Ota sent a lengthy telegram message to Tokyo on 6 June 1945, i.e. when the battle was as good as lost, in which he commended the bravery and fierce resistance that Okinawans had shown in the long battle (… the picture comes out rather differently at the Himeyuri Peace Museum !). A few days later he and his other officers "died an honourable death", i.e. committed suicide in the tunnels. > What there is to see > Location > Access and costs > Time required > Combinations with other dark destinations > Combinations with non-dark destinations > Photos What there is to see: On top of the hill in which the tunnels are located, stands a monument to Admiral Ota and other Navy personnel (it's of a rather bland design), and next to it is the main entrance to the site. Before descending into the tunnels, you can view a small single-room museum. In it the story of the Battle of Okinawa is recounted very briefly and artefacts such as old uniforms and rusty weapons used in the battle are on display. English translations of accompanying texts are generally OK here – unlike in some cases in the actual tunnels. The heart of the site is obviously the tunnels themselves, which have been largely preserved in their original state (or so the museum claims). About two-thirds of the whole system is open for tourists and a circuit through a series of rooms and tunnels is signposted. The rooms are mostly bare, except for the former commanding officer's room in which there is a table with a vase in the middle and chairs around it.