Okinawa Peace Memorial Park

Okinawa Peace Memorial Park - darkometer rating : 4 - This is the main memorial place dedicated to the Battle of Okinawa (and its aftermath). The complex is huge and a visit here should not be rushed. > 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: The heart of the Okinawa Peace Memorial Park is its museum, officially called " Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum ", but around it there is lots more to see, mostly open-air. Just in front of the museum, a couple of rusty old torpedoes, the wreck of a gun and some ordnance are on display, they're original relics, presumably. To the right (west) the so-called "Cornerstones of Peace" extend over a large area. These are rows of zigzagging black stone slabs on which the names of all those who lost their lives in the Battle of Okinawa are inscribed, irrespective of nationality, but ordered accordingly. Thus the majority of stones/names are in Japanese, mostly commemorating Okinawans, but also Japanese from the other prefectures of Japan. At the far end is the section for foreigners, including the names of the US casualties of the battle. Interestingly there's space for more names in the back row of the stone slabs, presumably being used for the names of veterans of the battle when they pass away … The semi-circular combined structure of the Museum and the Cornerstones of Peace face a round circular space at the centre of which there is the eternal flame (actually only moved to its present location in 1995). It's right on the cliff edge and from here you get a first good view of the coastline.